Journal of Petroleum & Environmental Biotechnology

Aging Equipment: Is My Closure Still Safe?

2^nd International Conference on Petrochemistry and Natural Gas

November 23-24, 2022 | Webinar

Alan Morton

Alan is a member of the ASME B31.4 Committee, Oklahoma

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Pet Environ Biotechnol

Abstract:

Pipeline and Oilfield equipment are expected to perform safely, continuously and reliability for the life of the assets. The equipment is designed to be robust when used in harsh environments and have the ability to be maintained to extend the safe operation of the equipment. Maintenance schedules, seal and gasket materials, and operational and maintenance procedures can be updated as needed to be in compliance with changing operational needs or regulatory requirements. More difficult or not possible to change is the design and the material of the in-service equipment. Regulations and design codes are continuously evolving, driven by the experiences of the industry. These design code revisions represent both proactive measures and reactive changes to improve the experiences within the industry. This paper brings into focus the opportunity to evaluate operational equipment, as example a pipeline closure, that was designed in accordance with former codes and standards and may or may not be incompliance with the safe operations and designs as measured against today’s current codes and standards. We will also evaluate the impact of using non-OEM components to maintain oilfield equipment. ASME Codes and Standards, industry regulations, and corporate management plans continue to evolve and are applied to new purchase equipment. Bringing awareness to existing, older equipment, identifying safety risks that may be present, and next steps for mitigation are within the natural life cycle of our oil and gas equipment.

Biography :

Alan Morton is celebrating his 20th year in the oil and gas industry, experienced with working with a major pipeline service provider and a pipeline operator managing both liquid and gas assets. He has traveled to field projects on four continents learning the challenges of pipeline operations and developing solutions to improve the safety and reliability of these assets. Experience includes hot tapping and isolations, pipeline rehabilitation, pipeline cleaning, pre- and post-assessment asset integrity, and in-line inspection technologies for a variety of regulated pipelines. Alan is a member of the ASME B31.4 Committee and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Oklahoma.