Author: Pipe Spring LLC

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PRCI TDC Tours Before PPIM 2024

February marks the third anniversary of commercial Pipe Spring™ pipeline repair installations. To mark the occasion we will participate in installation demos at the Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) Technology Development Center (TDC) tours prior to PPIM on Monday, February 12th. PRCI has set up two tours in advance of PPIM, and roundtrip transportation will be provided from the George R. Brown Convention Center. Parking is also available at the TDC.

The TDC is a major commitment by the energy pipeline industry to provide a location to address key integrity concerns in our global pipeline systems. The TDC provides the industry with an independent third-party site to fully understand the capabilities of current tools and to guide the development of the new technologies needed to push towards that goal.

Registration: HERE

 

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Pipe Spring Named Finalist for Gulf Energy Information Excellence Awards

GEIAwards_Finalist_BstPiplneIntgryTech

Pipe Spring LLC is proud to have named a distinguished finalist for the midstream categories in the inaugural Gulf Energy Information Excellence Awards.

Combining the recognition programs of World Oil, Hydrocarbon Processing, Pipeline & Gas Journal, and Petroleum Economist into a single grand gala, this event promises to be a pinnacle celebration of energy industry achievements. The elegant black-tie ceremony will take place on October 11, 2023, at the prestigious Post Oak Hotel in Houston, Texas.

Best Pipeline Integrity Technology

  • Application of advanced analytical models for the prediction of internal and external corrosion in transport pipelines – Cenit Transporte y Logística de Hidrocarburos
  • SmartPipe®Replacement of Pipeline in Roanoke County, VA – Enbridge Gas Transmission
  • Hifi Engineering – Hifi Engineering
  • Pipe Spring™ – Pipe Spring LLC
  • TRU’s enhanced Mobile PDF Form Editing Technology – TRU Solutions

The awards gala promises to unite industry luminaries, fostering collaboration and celebrating the pioneers shaping the future of the energy sector. Join us at the Gulf Energy Information Excellence Awards to honor excellence in the global energy market.

 

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Pipe Spring™ Installation Demonstration Day at PRCI TDC

On April 29th, 2021 Pipe Spring LLC will be welcoming the pipeline community to view Pipe Spring installation demonstrations throughout the day at The PRCI TDC in Houston, Texas. Various companies throughout the day have scheduled private sessions. However, at 3:30pm CST we will welcome the greater pipeline community, including YPP USA members, and other interested parties to an installation demonstration. Registration is required to allow for social distancing and COVID-19 safety.

Register Here:

 

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Top 10 List Series – The Top 10 Reasons You Aren’t Using Pipe Spring™ – Debunked

Over the next few weeks, Pipe Spring LLC will be revealing several “Top 10” lists. We decided to start with a bang and reveal the top 10 excuses people give us for not using the Pipe Spring™ system and respond. What’s your excuse?

10) I’m retiring soon.

PS Response: Pipeline stakeholders deserve the very best integrity regardless of who is at the helm of the decision-making process. While evaluating new technology is always more effort than sticking to what has always been done, it shouldn’t be an excuse to deprive your stakeholders of the best technology and more attractive economics.

9) I don’t see the advantages of steel material properties and the advantages of composite style installation methods. I see “new technology” and that requires processes, approvals, and politics. 

PS Response: While “new technology” always requires an internal champion and navigating challenges, Pipe Spring LLC is here to partner with you and work through internal roadblocks every step of the way. We are here to provide documentation, support, and decades of industry know how. It is also important to remember steel isn’t a new material on pipelines.

8) This product isn’t approved by PHMSA.

PS Response: PHMSA does not approve individual products. It is up to each operator to ensure they repair their pipe by a method that reliable engineering tests and analyses show can permanently restore the serviceability of the pipe. The full-scale validation test of the Pipe Spring system was completed by ADV Integrity. Additional test and analyses for all components of the system are also available. Engineering critical assessments for metal loss defects and pipe augmentation have been reviewed by Dr. Keith Leewis of Leewis and Associates. Furthermore, there is decades of research on steel! It is simply the gold standard material in transmission pipelines.

7) Good luck with ASME B31-4 and ASME B31-8/8S.

PS Response: These committees are industry consensus committees. If the industry wants something included, it can be done. The codes were not created to prohibit new technology from ever being developed. These codes often leave room for new technology as long as an engineering critical assessment is completed. ECA’s for Pipe Spring™ are readily available.

6) My company already spent a lot of money testing various composite repair systems.

PS Response: We recognize this product is newer than composites currently on the market; therefore, it may not be in your latest test program. However, when better integrity products are available, they need to be considered regardless of what has been done in the past. Pipeline stakeholders, including the public, deserve the best in pipeline integrity.

5) PRCI didn’t test this.

PS Response: It is true PRCI has not tested this product. However, it is important to note several of PRCI’s pipeline repair programs in the last decade focused on identifying degradation of material properties of composites, inspection issues with composites, or the long-term performance of repairs. Pipe Spring took these issues into consideration when developing our system with a thin-layer steel coil and a state-of-the-art adhesive system.

4)  This isn’t a composite repair. I am only familiar with ASME PCC-2 for composites.

PS Response: Pipe Spring™ does not meet the definition of a composite repair, but we fall under a different category of repair that is covered in the code. Pipe Spring™ fully complies with ASME PCC-2 and we have compliance documents readily available.

3) I don’t know how to change my own O&M language.

PS Response: It is possible that your specific O&M language may allow for a category of repair that Pipe Spring™ fits into. For example, several operators have stated they are declaring Pipe Spring is a variation of a “type A” sleeve therefore able to address the issues “type a” sleeves are approved for at their company. Expanded capabilities may require O&M language changes but we are here to assist in those situations.

2) We don’t want to be first ones using this product.

PS Response: You are not first. There are multiple Pipe Spring™ units in the ground on transmission pipeline in North America right now.

1) Who else is using this product?

PS Response: Pipe Spring™ has a duty of care and confidentiality to our customers. As we all know, it can be unwise for a manufacturer or vendor to speak publicly about who is using a new technology. We will respect your privacy just like we respect our current clients.

 

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Press Release: Pipe Spring LLC Announces Issuance of US Patent for Augmentation of Mechanical Properties of High-Pressure Pipe

For Immediate Release

Pipe Spring LLC Announces Issuance of US Patent for Augmentation of Mechanical Properties of High-Pressure Pipe

November 10th, 2020

Houston, Texas, USA

Pipe Spring LLC is pleased to announce the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent U.S. Patent No. 10830383 titled Augmentation of Mechanical Properties of High-Pressure Pipe.

“We are extremely gratified that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has validated our dedicated effort to innovate and advance the technology of pipeline operations. We launched an effort to improve the mechanical integrity of pipeline infrastructure which delivers so much of the world’s energy. The development goals of this product were to provide a technology to augment and repair pipelines while minimizing unscheduled releases and greenhouse gas emissions. We also wanted to provide greater utility and improved safety for both the public and pipeline stakeholders” stated Molly Laughlin Doran, the Owner of Pipe Spring LLC.

Laughlin Doran added, “This is one of the first significant technology advancements related to pipeline repairs and integrity enhancement of existing pipe in over three decades. This is inventor and Pipe Spring CEO Shawn Laughlin’s second patent related to pipelines and his first with Pipe Spring LLC. He persistently pushed the envelope. The technology provides the performance based reliable engineering test and analyses required by regulation. Regulated operators need only add the technology to their operating and maintenance language and then they are able to move forward with enhancing the integrity of the nation’s critically important pipelines.”

Laughlin Doran continued, “We expect a reasonably swift industry adoption of this technology.  It demonstratively improves safety, protects the environment, and reduces costs to pipeline operators.  Pipe Spring LLC believes that we have an important public service to perform to aggressively promote the adoption of this technology. “

Pipe Spring LLC is a manufacturer of engineered steel laminated fabrications for metal loss defects, pipe augmentation, and strain sensitive conditions on pipe. Pipe Spring™ patented technology involves wrapping the external surface of a pipe with two or more convolutions of a band material with the modulus of the band material matched to that of the pipeline section to create an augmented section of pipe.  More information is available at www.pipespring.net.

Media Relations Contact: Molly Laughlin Doran, Owner, [email protected]

PDF: Press Release

 

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Webinar Alert: Pipe Spring™ Information Session for Canadian Operators and Stakeholders

Do you have Canadian pipeline assets? Are you a contractor, regulator, or other interested party? Join Pipe Spring LLC for an information session on how we can safely and effectively repair or augment pipeline assets.

  • When: November 5th, 2020 at 11am- 12pm (mountain time)
  • What: Pipe Spring LLC information session (via Zoom) for Canadian pipeline operators and stakeholders
  • Who: All interested parties but we will focus on topics applicable to Canadian pipeline operators
  • Where: Zoom (registration required below)

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Webinar Alert: The Pipe Spring™ System

Are you interested in learning more about the Pipe Spring™ system? Molly Laughlin Doran and Shawn Laughlin will cover the basics and explain why Pipe Spring LLC is a better pipeline repair option and integrity enhancement product for your company!

Please join us on August 11th at 10am CST. Please register using the form linked below:

Registration Form

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FAQ Series: How Does Pipe Spring™ Save Your Company Money? How Much Does It Cost?

Close-up Of Businesswoman Holding Hourglass Near Stack Of Coins

Question: How Doe Pipe Spring™ Save Your Company Money?

Answer: At least three major areas of cost are typically involved with pipeline repair or field integrity work. These are:

  • The direct procurement cost of the repair product
  • The direct labor cost or man-hours of the installation
  • Potential for operational changes, cost elimination, or organizational changes to reduce cost

The direct procurement cost of Pipe Spring™ is often significantly lower than alternative competitive systems. On one recent RFQ, Pipe Spring was only 50% of the cost of a popular composite alternative. Based on our understanding of the pipe integrity marketplace, we strongly believe our products will cost less.

The direct labor cost or man-hours of the actual installation can also be lower as installation time is faster. This can mean more repairs per day, more per week, and more repairs for lower project costs. This is an opportunity to do more with less spending while utilizing a product with better integrity.

The potential for operational changes to integrity efforts are also very real. From the elimination of extra supervision, elimination of additional inspections, and the removal of the need to weld at multiple dig sites, our product creates an opportunity for efficiencies. The ease of installation enables opportunities for additional tasks to be completed.

Some of these costs savings are easy to quantify and easy to capture such as spending less to buy a repair product. Some involve more effort at a project management level and the cost containment of projects.

Below is a specific example:

A pipeline company emails Pipe Spring LLC and explains they have a 16-inch diameter pipe. It is Grade B and has a wall thickness of .325-inch. A Pipe Spring™ kit that will repair up to 79.9% wall loss costs about 30% less than the material for a popular composite offering*. Project delays can be avoided and the excavation is opened and closed the same day.

Contact us at [email protected] for your quotation today.

*Based on recent client communications

 

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FAQ Series: Is Pipe Spring™ PHMSA Approved?

Question: Is Pipe Spring™ approved by PHMSA?

Answer: The Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Administration (PHMSA) does have safety jurisdiction over many pipeline assets located in the USA. However, it is important to understand PHMSA does not approve any product or specific technology.

49 CFR 192 specially allows repairs “by a method that reliable engineering tests and analyses show can permanently restore the serviceability of the pipe.” 49 CFR 195 has slightly different language. It is widely agreed that pipeline operators have flexibility to adopt new technology and are required to document the “reliable engineering tests and analyses” which serve to address the decision.

Operators are also required to include their repair technologies within their operating and maintenance (O&M) language.

Pipe Spring LLC has compiled a significant body of engineering tests and analyses to help satisfy the operator’s requirements to document these items. They are available to operators upon request as one package that will satisfy this regulatory requirement.

Prior to use on regulated pipelines, operators may want to amend their existing O&M language or approved repair lists referenced in their O&M language to include Pipe Spring™.