Raw Materials | Pipelines

At Siemens Pipeline Demo Center, an entire pipeline can be simulated from control center to valve station. Except for its size, everything is the same as in a real facility (right).

shiny silver pipeline snakes over austere, brown hills, past dusty, green prickly pears that havent seen a drop of water in ages. Then it changes direction at a 90-degree angle and runs straight toward a compressor station where its pressurized gas content flows through a valve with a loud hiss. No, this is not New Mexico, but the city of Frth near Nuremberg, Germany. More specifically, the action is taking place in building F of a Siemens site, where hardly anyone would expect to see a pipeline. Whats more, the

pipeline isnt a real gas pipeline, but instead only a tube about ten centimeters in diameter that transports nothing more than ordinary air. The brown hills are just poster images on a wall, and the prickly cacti are made of plastic. Otherwise, everything here is brand new. At the Pipeline Demo Center everything has been reproduced faithfully. Theres a master control center, where information about the pipeline is collected on six displays; a second control center that runs on hot standby should the master control center fail otherwise

gry nations, they are playing an ever more important role. Transnational and even trans-continental pipelines are becoming increasingly important, says Sinha. The pipelines that transport gas and oil from production fields to consumers are often thousands of miles long. That places extremely high demands on the systems reliability and security, he adds. On the one hand, system operators must guarantee that the transport of the needed raw materials conserves resources to the greatest

cations and security equipment, and control computer software. Because of its expertise, Siemens is currently involved in two large pipeline projects. In South Africa, the company is equipping the control center and pumping stations of the New Multi-Product Pipeline with a fully automatic monitoring and control system. This pipeline, which runs from Durban to Gauteng, belongs to the Transnet, which operates the South Africas 3,000-kilometer pipeline network. The project is scheduled for completion

Hardisty in the Canadian province of Alberta, is scheduled to enter service in late 2009 and will have a capacity of up to 590,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Hardisty is located in the huge (roughly 141,000 square kilometers) Athabasca Oil Sands area, which is believed to hold reserves of about 178 billion barrels. In the past, oil sands were deemed to be too expensive to harvest because oil has to be practically washed out of the ground. But in view of record petroleum prices, it is now economical to exploit these reserves (see p. 34).

Optimizing Our Lifelines

Pipelines carry valuable raw materials to consumers. Keeping natural gas and oil flowing as quickly and reliably as possible requires powerful compressors and pumps, as well as sophisticated software that monitors and manages pipelines around the clock. Not only does Siemens supply all of the technology needed, but customers can also check out whats on offer in a new Pipeline Demo Center.

known as a Disaster Recovery Center; a compressor station, where the gas is compressed to allow transport through the pipeline in the first place; and a measuring station with read-outs of the flow rate, temperature, pressure and vibration of the pipes. Simulated Disaster. In addition to simulating normal operations, the Pipeline Demo Center can simulate disasters. Sanjeev Sinha, sales manager for pipeline projects and supervisor of the Demo Center, illustrates a simulated attack in which the control center has been disabled. The computers at the adjacent table immediately intervene; the Disaster Recovery Center takes over. And in no time, the monitors show the location at which gas is escaping from the pipeline. The pressure drops, but not for long. The valves in the critical section are automatically sealed and the leak is isolated. What this facility provides is a unique opportunity for customers to follow the entire path of oil or natural gas through a pipeline and test associated monitoring systems, says Sinha. Pipelines are our civilizations arteries, and in the age of increasingly scarce raw materials and growing competition among energy-hun-

extent possible which requires powerful pumps in the case of oil and high-performance compressors for gas. On the other hand, pipelines must also be protected against terrorist attacks and must be monitored continuously to prevent leaks. All of this requires a sophisticated system that automatically measures physical parameters such as pressure, along the entire line and transmits the resulting information to the control center via radio or satellite. Increasingly, fiber-optic cables are being laid along the pipelines too if the infrastructure of the country permits, says Peter Wappler, who works in Erlangen and is responsible for the pipeline business. Intelligent Pipes. Siemens not only produces a spectrum of instruments for pipeline operators, but also offers software solutions that control and monitor entire pipeline systems. The company is present all the way from the point where raw materials are fed into pipes to the tanks where they are stored before being distributed to customers, says Wappler. Operators can therefore buy everything from a single supplier, whether it be compressors with associated drives, electric motors or gas turbines, associated automation technology, communi-

before the 2010 Soccer World Cup kicks off, at which time it will be able to transport 16 billion liters of various raw materials ranging from petroleum to diesel fuel or kerosene per year. Since 1996, a team from Siemens has been working on renovating and automating old pumping stations that are in part still operated manually so that the pipeline can be completely controlled from the master control cen-

Previously, part of the Keystone Pipeline transported gas. But the pipeline is now being converted to oil transport. The pipeline initially runs eastward to a point southwest of Winnipeg, where it bends sharply southward. It terminates at the border between Nebraska and Kansas. From there, one branch goes to Patoka, Illinois, and another goes to the gigantic Cushing tank farms in Oklahoma, and then on to refineries in Texas. Siemens will supply

Siemens will help to transport 590,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta, Canada to refineries in Texas.
ter in Durban. Combining the old and the new thats the challenge in this project, says Wappler. Existing parts, like pumps, valves and communications equipment, must be integrated into the new control system. Siemens is also playing a key role in a major Canadian energy project. A few months ago, TransCanada Corporation awarded Siemens a contract to equip its Keystone Pipeline with power supply equipment and electrical pump systems an order worth 150 million. The 3,456-kilometer pipeline, which begins in 37 pumping stations, the associated switching stations, 19 transformer stations, as well as power distribution systems. Powerful Compressors. Siemens is setting standards not only in integrated software solutions for pipeline management, but also in compressors. Since July 2008, the Megatest Center an extension of existing manufacturing and testing facilities in Duisburg, Germany has been in operation in a 180-meter, 40-meter-wide and 35-meter-high factory hall

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Pictures of the Future | Fall 2008

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Raw Materials

on the grounds of a former blast furnace (see Pictures of the Future, Spring 2008, p. 46). Six pipelines, including compressors and drives, can be operated simultaneously at full capacity at this center, which is the only one of its kind in Europe. Thats important, because the operators of pipeline systems want to be sure that the lines work flawlessly, says Wappler. As a rule, testing occurs at night, so that the Duisburg public utility company can supply enough electricity and gas. The most powerful compressors, which are needed for liquefied natural gas, each require up to 70 megawatts of power, whereas pipeline compressors operate in the range of 25 to 30 megawatts. Because of the need to conserve energy, compression technologies are becoming increasingly important. In the past, natural gas was flared off at oil fields. But today it is considered the raw material of the future, and every effort is made to recover it. In addition, natural gas produces less carbon dioxide when burned, as compared with petroleum, which is a plus in view of the struggle against climate change. The trend is therefore toward gas, says Wappler. As a consequence, high-performance compressors are needed to compress gas approximately every 150 to 200 kilometers. When it comes to deep water operations, the number of compressors must be minimized. Thus, in the case of the planned 1,220kilometer Baltic Sea pipeline, there will be only one compressor station; but it will be rated at 70 to 80 megawatts. Siemens experience in Belgiums Zeebrugge harbor makes it an ideal partner for such projects. Zeebrugge is the European terminus for North Sea gas that flows in the summer from Great Britain to the continent. The harbors compressors rely on Siemens Technology. Liquid Solution. In addition to growing interest in deep sea pipelines, the world is also turning to the transport of liquefied natural gas, or LNG. The production of liquefied natural gas is worthwhile only when a gas field is far from customers, or when the only alternative is a pipeline across impassable or dangerous terrain. To liquefy natural gas, it must first be cooled to a very low temperature (see Pictures of the Future, Spring 2008, p.46). This process requires powerful compressors, as do the huge gas tanks being built around the world to store supplies. Combined with the unique range of products supplied by Siemens, these developments certainly do open up outstanding market opportunities for the company, says Wappler and increasing interest in the Pipeline Demo Center. Jeanne Rubner

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Pictures of the Future | Fall 2008