Welcome to GTCL

Outline of the Presentation

 Overview of Gas Industry in Bangladesh
 Gas Pipeline Design
 Pipeline construction Process
 Welding inspection and Quality Control

Engr . Md. Sanwar Hossain

Deputy General Manager
Inspection & Quality Control Dept.
Gas Transmission Company Ltd.(GTCL)
Email: [email protected]
Outline of the Presentation

Pipeline Design
Pipeline Construction Process
Welding inspection and Quality Control
Overview of Gas Industry in Bangladesh
Upstream : Exploration and Production of Natural Gas
National: BAPEX, BGFCL, SGFL
IOC: Chevron, Tullow, Santos(Cairn Energy)
Midstream : Transmission of Natural Gas
GTCL
Downstream: Distribution of Natural Gas
TGTDCL (Dhaka area)
BGSL (Commilla Area)
KGDCL (Chittagong area)
JGTDCL (Sylhet area)
PGCL( West zone)
Sundarban Gas Co. Ltd. (Khulna)
Pipeline Design
Many intricacies are involved in designing a modern
pipeline system.
Amount of FLOW that must flow through the pipeline
is one of the first items of information required.
BUT
Future capacity requirements are difficult to estimate.
Pipeline Design (contd.)
1. Market survey- Present & Future demand
2. Design Pressure & MAOP ( 1050 Psig )
3. Select pipeline route (L)
4. Pipe Size (D)
5. Wall thickness (t)
. 6. Pipe specification / grade
7. Bill of materials
8. Total cost estimate
Pipeline design ( contd.)
1. Load consideration:
Amount of FLOW that must flow through the pipeline
is one of the first items of information required. BUT
Future capacity requirements are difficult to estimate.
 In earlier days , pipeline design was done considering
the present load and 15 to 30% increment of load.
 Now-a-days, the use of natural gas increased
tremendously. As a result the concept of pipeline
design has also changed.
 Presently pipeline design is being done considering the
present load as well as the assumed gas load of the that
particular area for the next 20 years ( effective life of
the pipeline)
General Guideline for Pipeline Routing

 Minimize overall pipe length.

 Parallel existing utility corridors (Highway, High
tension Electric transmission line).
 Avoid areas of high population density.
 Minimize highways, railways, river, khals, canals,
ponds, hills & mountains crossing to reduce the project
cost.
 Cross highways, railways, river, khals, canals at or close
to 90 deg. angle.
 Minimize crossover of existing facilities.
 Provide adequate construction area.
 General Guideline for Pipeline Routing (contd.)

 Avoid the following areas:

 Swamps and Wetlands
 Rocky areas
 Unstable soil
 Populated areas
 Historical areas
 Environmentally sensitive areas ( Forest, Tea garden ,
Rubber garden etc.)
 Religious sensitive areas ( Mosque , Graveyard, temple
etc.)
Basic Flow Equation:
 Spitzglass equation- for pipe diameter less than 10 inch
Q= 432.8(1/fs)0.5 x ((P12-P22)/ (G *L )) 0.5x D2.5

 Weymouth equation- for pipe diameter greater than

36 inch
Q= 433.5 (Tb /Pb) * ((P12-P22)/ (G * Tavg * Z*L )) 0.5 * D2.667

 Panhandle B equation-
Q= 737 (Tb /Pb)1.02 * ((P12-P22)/ (G0.961 * Tavg * Z*L )) 0.51 * D2.53
where , Q =Flow in SCFD
P1=Upstream pressure, PSIA
P2=Downstream pressure, PSIA
d =Inside pipe dia , inch
Basic Flow Equation (contd.)

 Modified Panhandle B equation- most useful for

transmission pipeline :
 Qmmscfd=0.00128084((P12-P22)/Lmiles)0.51 d2.53

where , Qmmscfd =Flow in MMSCFD

P1=Upstream pressure, PSIA
P2=Downstream pressure, PSIA
d =Inside pipe dia , inch
Calculation of Wall Thickness

 t= DP/(2YFL JT)
where,
t=Pipe wall thickness in inch
D=Outside dia of pipe in inch
P=design pressure ,psig
Y=minimum yield strength, psig
F=design factor
L= Location factor based on class location
J= Joint factor
T=Temp. derating factor
Line Pipe: API 5LX , (Y factor)
Grade Minimum yield
strength( Psi)
A 35,000
B 40,000
X42 42,000
X46 46,000
X52 52,000
X56 56,000
X60 60,000
X65 65,000
X70 70,000
X80 80,000
Design Factor (F)

 As per ASME B31.8 Design Factor is 0.8

Location Factor (L)
 Location factors are:
Class Area ASME CSA
Location B31.8
1 Desert ( 10 or fewer 0.72-0.80 0.80
Buildings In one mile
section)

2 Village (10<Blds.<46) 0.60 0.72

3 City (>46 Bldgs.) 0.50 0.56

4 Metrocity (Multistory 0.40 0.44

Buildings, traffic is
heavy)
Joint factor (J): Depends on Pipe Manufacturing Process

Weld type of pipe ASME B31.8

manufacturing process
Seamless 1

ERW 1

SAW 1

Butt Welled 0.6

Spiral seam 0.8

Temperature factor (T):

Temperature ( ̊ F) ASME- B31.8

Up to 250 1.00

251-300 0.97

301-400 0.93

401-450 0.91

451 and above 0.87

Temperature factor (T):

Temperature ( ̊ F) ASME- B31.8

Up to 250 1.00

251-300 0.97

301-400 0.93

401-450 0.91

451 and above 0.87

Pipeline design problem # 01
 Length of the pipeline = 82 Km
 P1 = 1000 psig
 Frictional loss = 1.2 psi / km
 Qmmscfd = 400 MMSCFD
D = ?

.
Pipeline design problem # 02
Suppose, a new gas field is discovered in Rangpur district
through 3D seismic survey by the national Exploration
Company BAPEX. The proven reserve of the field is 1 TCF. It
takes approximately 2 years to develop the field. Now, the
Govt. has decided to create a gas supply facility for the people of
energy hungry Khulna Division. Design a pipeline based on the
above information .

.
Pipeline design problem # 02
A new gas field is discovered in Rangpur district through 3D
seismic survey by the national Exploration Company BAPEX.
The proven reserve of the field is 1 TCF. It takes approximately
2 years to develop the field. Now, the Govt. has decided to
create a gas supply facility for the people of energy hungry
Khulna Division. Design a pipeline to transport gas from
Rangpur to Khulna .
( Hints: Distance from Rangpur to Khulna is 250 Km.
Assume 90 % of the proven reserves is recoverable . Again,
assume within 20 years all the recoverable reserves will be
produced. MAOP of the transmission pipeline is 1050 Psig.
Assume, outlet of the process plant is equal to the MAOP.
Assume , frictional loss along the pipeline is 1 psig/km
Qmmscfd = 1 * 1,000,000 * .90 /(20 * 365 ) MMSCFD= 123 MMSCFD )
Pipeline Construction Process

 PDPP
 DPP
 Route selection
 Land acquisition & Requisition
 Tender Document Preparation
 Tender Floating
 Evaluation
 Contract Award
 Procurement/ Construction
Pre construction (Contd.)

Land acquisition / Requisition:

 Normally 10 m wide strip along the proposed pipeline
route is to be acquisition and a 15 m wide strip on one
side of the acquisition strip is to be requisition.
 Acquisition is permanent possession for use of land
but requisition is completely a temporary affair , only
for the working period.
 For scraper station and Valve station separate block
lands of required size have to be acquisition.
Land Acquisition and Requisition

 ROW Acquisition & Requisition

-ROW Selection
-DC Office
-Land Compensation
-Crops, Structures , rehabilitation etc. Compensation
Submission of proposal for land acquisition &
requisition
:The company submit the proposal with requisite no. of
drawings (Normally mouza map) showing acquisition &
requisition strip in two distinct colors (red for acquisition
& green for requisition) to DC office.
 The process of acquisition & requisition in our country is
done through the DC office of the particular district.
 The whole process continues in accordance with
Ordinance, Acts, Rules & Regulations issued by the
government from time to time.
Major steps for pipeline Construction
 Cleaning & Grading the ROW
 Stringing the pipe along ROW
 Welding the pipe joints together
 NDT of welding joints
 Coating & Wrapping
 Ditching / Trenching
 Holiday test
 Lowering & backfilling
 Pigging
 Hydro Test
 Commissioning
ROW Clearing & Grading

 ROW is cleared of barriers and graded for movement

of construction equipment, materials and ultimately
construction of pipeline.
ROW clearing and grading –
using Bulldozer and Excavator
Stringing (contd.)
Stringing is - aligning the pipe along the ROW
Stringing
Welding

 Welders test - an exam for the welders before going

to production weld.
 Selection Criterion- Visual inspection & NDT ( API
1104)
 PQR / WPS Test
-Tensile strength test
-Face bend test
-Root bend test
-Charpy V notch test
Welding (contd.)

 Root pass/ Stringer pass

 Hot pass
 Filling pass
 Cap Pass
 Cleaning the welds
Pull through-
To clean the pipe internal surface and to check the
pipe Ovality ( 97% of pipe internal Dia)
Welding is in Progress
Welding site- Immediate after welding
Welded pipeline section
NDT ( Non Destructive Test)
 Dye penetrant test (DPT)
 Magnetic Particle test (MPI)
 Eddy current test (EDT)
 Radiographic test (RT)- Mostly used in Pipeline
Industry
 Ultrasonic test (UT)- Very efficient to detect the
Linear defect
 NDT personnel certification ( Level 1,2 & 3)
NDT ( Non Destructive Test)

 Radiography Test
Equipment

Method

Source

Film examination as Per API 1104 Standard

NDT ( Non Destructive Test)
 Ultrasonic Test
Equipment

Method

Source

Weld examination
Common welding defects

 Porosity
 Cluster porosity
 Slag inclusion
 Lack of fusion
 Lack of penetration
 Internal concavity
 Burn through
 Crack
UNDERCUT
POROSITY
INCOMPLETE FUSION
SPATTER
EXCESSIVE CONCAVITY
EXCESSIVE WELD REINFORCEMENT
INCOMPLETE PENETRATION & EXCESSIVE PENETRATION
Tie-in welds (contd.)

 The final weld to join two separate pipe section together.

 Should be properly aligned without use of jacks or any
external force.
 Should be done within operating temp ( 5-30 deg. Celsius).
 NDT test.
Tie-in Welds
Roads and Railway Crossing
Two different ways
 Thrust boring/ Horizontal boring method
-Drill a hole under the roadway without disturbing
the road/ rail surface.
 A casing pipe is placed through the hole and then the
carrier pipe is placed inside the casing.
 Spacer is used to center the carrier pipe within the
casing pipe.

 Open Cut method

Pipe Coating
 All except a portion ( about 6 inch ) of each pipe is often
coated in the factory before deliver to the site.

 Three types of coating

-3LPE coating
-FBE coating
-Polyethylene coating

 3LPE coating
-Apply adhesive on clean pipe surface
-Epoxy paint ( 40-100 micron)
-Polyethylene coating
Joint coating (contd.)
 Heat shrink sleeves
-Approx. 14 inch length and dia larger than pipe dia.
-Shrink on applying heat and fitted to the pipe.
Joint Coating (contd.)

Sand Blasting Cleaned weld Area

Joint Coating(contd.)
Setting up HSS- Finally setting up the HSS
By applying Heat
Joint Coating- Inspection

Ultrasonic Gauge- to measure Pill Test- To measure coating

coating thickness (NDT) Bonding strength (DT)
Ditching, Holyday test, Lowering & Backfilling
(contd.)
 Ditching-Digging the soil to lay the pipeline
 Holyday test
- Apply 10 KV on coated pipe surface
-Any coating defect will result an audible sound.
 Lowering
- Lay pipeline on Trench of approx. 1.2 m depth
-Put Set-on-weight on buried pipe for anti-buoyancy
force or used CWC pipe
Ditching, Holyday test, Lowering & Backfilling
(contd.)
Ditching, Holyday test, Lowering & Backfilling
(contd.)

Set On Weight (SOW) Placement of SOW

Hydro Test
 After mechanical completion of pipeline
 Min test pressure should be 1.5 times of design
pressure.
 Conventional hydro test pressure for high pressure
pipeline= 1.5 X 1135 psi = 1703 psi

 Before commencing pressurization need to obtain

necessary permission from the competent authority .As
per Gas Safety rules Department of explosive is the
competent authority in Bangladesh.

 Prior notification of testing should be given, in writing

to persons in the vicinity of the pipeline .
Hydro test (contd.)
 Prior notification of testing should be given to local
police and other authorities, who may be affected.

 Warning notice stating “Warning-PipeLine Under

Test” and “No Parking” should be placed at appropriate
locations for the duration of the test.

 Patrols should be provided to watch special points of

hazard during the test, in particular road, rail and
water crossing and points of public access.

 Standby emergency crew should be available to deal

any unwanted situation.
Hydrostatic Test- Header
Hydrostatic Test
- Dead Weight Tester, 2 pen Chart Recorder
Hydrostatic Test
Drying and Commissioning

 Prior to the commissioning the pipeline should be dry

up.
 Methods available for drying up are:
-Using dry air (compressor) push a series of foam pigs
through the pipeline collecting water until the required
dryness is achieved.
 The pipeline should be purged of before the admission
of the gas to be transmitted .
 Use inert gas to purge of air.
 After drying up a pipeline can be commissioned
straight to gas.
Codes and Standards
API 5L -API Specifications for linepipe
API 6D -Specifications for pipeline valves, End
Closures, Connectors and Swivels
API 1104-Welding of pipeline and related facilities
ANSI/ ASME B31.8- Gas Transmission and Distribution
Piping System
ANSI B16.9 - Butt Welding Elbows/ Tees
ASTM 234 or ASTM A420- Butt Welding Elbows/ Tees
Materials
MSS SP-24 -Steel Pipeline Flanges
AGA 3 - Measurement of Gas by Orificw Meters
AGA 9 - Measurement of Gas by Turbine Meters
Codes and Standards
High Pressure fluid transmission involves inherent risk.
To limit the risk to a reasonable minimum national and
international codes and standards have been developed.
Standards are guidelines for design and construction
They are not substitutes for Good Engineering Practices for
safe design.
Questions:

 1. Write down the name of two equipments that are used in Clearing the
ROW.
 2. Write down the name of two equipments that are used during welding.
 3 . Write the name of two inspection tools that are used during coating
inspection.
 4. Write down the name of two weld inspection tools.
 5. Write down the name of 3 equipments/ tools that are used during
hydrostatic testing.
 6. Write down the name of 3 common welding defects.
 7. When Pull throw is done during pipeline construction process? Why it is
done ?
 8. Elaborate the term ROW.
 9. The term Holiday inspection is related to NDT / welding/coating/
Hydrotest.
 Thanks for the patience !