The Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Maintenance (PPIM) Conference and Exhibition, organised by Tiratsoo Technical, a division of Great Southern Press, and Clarion, drew engineering management and field operating personnel from both transmission and distribution companies concerned with improved operations and integrity management.
The event encompassed training courses, a broad Conference program, and an Exhibition including 74 companies. Approximately 1,500 people attended, with 400 delegates representing 22 countries enrolled in the Conference and training courses.
A captivating Conference
Tiratsoo Technical principal John Tiratsoo chaired the Conference sessions, which included topics such as the importance of pig trap assessment, integrity management plans, multi-diameter bi-directional pigging, magnetic-flux leakage (MFL) inspection capabilities, pipeline regulatory updates, performance management assessments and remediation, and unpiggable pipelines.
The Conference program also included a panel discussion on the cleanliness of pipelines from an owner/operator perspective. Six panellists from different parts of the pipeline industry outlined what “˜clean’ means to them, which provided a useful insight for contractors to assess what products would best suit their clients’ needs.
Parading pigs
In conjunction to the Conference, the well-attended Exhibition highlighted the latest products and services available to the pipeline pigging and inspection industry.
Companies displaying products included A.Hak Industrial Services, Apache Pipeline Products, Applus RTD, Baker Hughes Pipeline Management Group, BJ Pipeline Services, DNV, Dresser, Enduro Pipeline Services, GE Oil & Gas, Girard Industries, Knapp Poly Pig, Mears Group, NDT Systems & Services America, Rosen, and T.D. Williamson.
Event gold sponsors BJ Pipeline Services and Rosen provided evening drinks and finger food in the Exhibition area during the event. This gave Conference delegates and exhibitors alike a chance to talk shop in a relaxed environment or simply unwind with new and old friends.
A bright future for PPIM
The importance of the pipeline inspection industry continues to grow. As 60 per cent of the world’s major oil and gas transmission pipelines are now more than 50 years old, keeping up with the latest inspection and rehabilitation technology is vital.
The success of the 22nd PPIM Conference and Exhibition echoed this sentiment, with many Exhibitors already signing on for Houston’s 2011 PPIM event on 14-17 February, 2011.
In addition to the Houston PPIM Conference and Exhibition, PPIM Asia Pacific will be held later this year between 8 and 11 November. The event will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and is the first time that it has been organised outside Houston for over a decade.
Make sure you keep an eye out for more details on PPIM Asia Pacific – visit www.clarion.org
View PPIM photos online! Visit the Pipelines International website to see more photos from the PPIM Conference and Exhibition www.pipelinesinternational.com/gallery