| | November 20258LATAMLATAMIN MY OPINIONPipelines are essential to move raw materials and products throughout the world. According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), the U.S. alone has more than 200,000 miles of hazardous liquid pipelines and about 2.5 million miles of natural gas pipelines. The Department of Transportation (DOT) maintains jurisdiction over pipeline operations, and delegates the responsibility to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Common products that are transported on pipelines include natural gas, crude oil, gasoline, diesel, propane, LNG, and carbon dioxide. The pipeline industry is focused on safely delivering products to customers in an environmentally responsible and cost-effective way. TRC companies is an industry leader that supports pipeline operators through design, engineering, construction, and operations of their pipelines. Pipeline integrity is a major focus of pipeline operators, as it is the framework in which the products are transported to their destination. Pipeline integrity requires highly skilled employees to perform risk analysis and establish incident mitigation plans of pipeline operations and associated equipment, control internal and external corrosion, collect and assess field and internal inspection data, and evaluate companies’ programs and procedures against the regulatory requirements established by PHMSA. By integrating all these elements, companies that own and operate these pipelines can safely and efficiently move the products from their source to destination. As the energy industry is transitioning to lower carbon options, pipeline companies are also investing in technologies to enable the transition. This transition ranges from pipelines transporting natural gas blended with hydrogen to the design and installation of new carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines. Technical experts have a depth of knowledge and experience to support pipeline operators and the challenges that may come with the energy transition.Future Trends - More CO2 pipelines will be needed to transport captured CO2 to suitable sequestration locations. Today there are a few companies that are transporting CO2 on pipelines throughout the United States, and By Charles E Venditti, Pipeline Integrity Manager, TRC CompaniesMAINTAINING PIPELINE INTEGRITYCharles E Venditti
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