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In its advertising campaign being run across UK newspapers at the moment, Aramco asks in big bold letters: How can we deliver one of the fuels of the future? The advert focuses on hydrogen’s role in the future energy mix and introduces Aramco’s efforts to deliver hydrogen around the world in a commercially viable way. Aramco has taken part in a pilot project that comprised a network demonstration covering the complete hydrocarbon value chain. Aramco, similar to other oil and gas majors, has worked for many years on producing hydrogen from SENIOR EDITOR Elizabeth Corner hydrocarbons. Burning methane creates elizabeth.corner@palladianpublications.com hydrogen and CO2. ‘Blue’ hydrogen is achieved when hydrogen is extracted and CO2 emissions are captured and either recycled, removed or reused.

Hydrogen is difficult, and therefore expensive, to transport. It is a light molecule that can be liquefied for transportation purposes, but this liquefaction requires a steady temperature of -245˚C. The advert briefly describes Aramco’s work (in partnership with SABIC) on tackling this problem by converting hydrogen to blue ammonia. The two companies, working with the Institute of Energy Economics Japan (IEEJ), successfully shipped 40 t of high-grade blue ammonia to Japan in August 2020, for use in cleanerpower generation activities. Once blue ammonia reaches its destination, it can be converted back into blue hydrogen, or used as a fuel for power generation.

Need a breakdown of some of the different types of hydrogen before we continue? ) Black/brown hydrogen is produced using coal and emissions are released to the air. ) Grey hydrogen is produced from natural gas and the associated emissions are released to the air. ) Blue hydrogen is produced from natural gas and emissions are captured using carbon capture and storage. ) Green hydrogen is produced from electrolysis powered by renewable electricity.

Aramco’s tagline for its advert is: ‘powered by how’ and my interpretation of that tagline is that it emphasises the importance of asking questions. So many of the solutions to our current global energy challenges begin with a ‘how can we…?’ question. The recent COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow was powered by questions beginning with ‘how..’: ‘how can we tackle climate change?’; ‘how can we work together to deliver on our promises?’; ‘how can we update our plans for reducing emissions?’.

The question is the starting place, and those who strive to answer it should be applauded. At World Pipelines, we publish articles in which companies from all over the world seek to answer questions asked by the oil and gas pipeline industry; with the aim of improving the safety and efficacy of the pipeline sector.

We have published a string of articles about hydrogen pipelines recently. In a twopart series (October and November 2021 issues), T.D. Williamson discussed ‘Making way for hydrogen’: outlining how to assess existing pipelines for their suitability for conversion to hydrogen; the pigging and inspection of repurposed pipelines prior to beginning hydrogen service; and how intervention and isolation techniques can help support the transformation of pipeline networks. Pipeline Research Limited has recently written about pig motion and behaviour in hydrogen and hydrocarbon/hydrogen mix pipelines. SGN also wrote a two-parter, about the performance of polyethylene pipeline systems for hydrogen gas distribution. One more that comes to mind is an article by ILF Consulting Engineers, which explored the impact of hydrogen blending on the transport capacity of natural gas pipelines.

There are more hydrogen pipeline-related articles to come in 2022, so look out for those and don’t forget to keep your free subscription to the magazine up-to-date (sign up or log in to update your account here: www.worldpipelines.com/magazine/worldpipelines/register/) or sign up for our sister publication, Global Hydrogen Review (www.globalhydrogenreview.com/magazine/global-hydrogen-review/register/)

WORLD NEWS

Ironwood Midstream expands footprint in Eagle Ford shale region

Ironwood Midstream Energy Partners II, LLC (Ironwood II) has announced it has significantly expanded its crude oil midstream footprint in the Eagle Ford Shale as a result of an asset combination with Nuevo Midstream Dos (Nuevo). Ironwood II and Nuevo are both financially backed by EnCap Flatrock Midstream.

The Ironwood II leadership team has assumed management of the Nuevo assets including approximately 100 miles of crude oil gathering pipeline in Lavaca, Gonzalez, and Fayette counties that feed the Lavaca Terminal, which consists of 300 000 bbls of crude oil storage and a six-bay truck station. The system also includes a 26 mile intermediate pipeline that moves volumes from the terminal to third-party transportation pipelines with access to refineries, petrochemical plants and export terminals on the Texas Gulf Coast.

“This strategic combination marks an important step for Ironwood as we continue to expand our midstream infrastructure for Eagle Ford producers, offering safe, consistent and competitive access to premium and growing export and industrial markets along the Texas Gulf Coast,” said Ironwood Chairman, President and CEO Mike Williams. “We are also extremely fortunate to have Randy Ziebarth join our board as part of this merger. The Nuevo team has built an excellent system and we look forward to continuing to operate it with integrity and reliability.”

“We are excited about the consolidation of these complementary Eagle Ford assets as it further positions them for growth and value creation,” said EnCap Flatrock Managing Partner Bill Waldrip. “The Nuevo team has a strong track record and EFM has enjoyed a long and successful partnership together. The team has built highly valuable relationships in the Eagle Ford and has done an excellent job commercialising these assets. I’ve personally known Mike and Randy for a very long time, and their collective skill sets, and deep roots and relationships will serve this combined platform well.” As a result of the combination, Ironwood II now operates approximately 400 000 bpd of crude oil throughput capacity and 410 million ft3/d of natural gas throughput capacity in the Eagle Ford region. The company operates 390 miles of crude oil and natural gas pipelines with 245 000 dedicated net acres. Ironwood II’s strategic footprint in the Eagle Ford provides multiple connections to long-haul pipelines and premium access to key Gulf Coast markets. Crude oil interconnects include Plains All American Pipeline, Harvest Pipeline Company, NuStar Logistics L.P., EPIC Crude Oil Pipeline, Kinder Morgan, Gray Oak Pipeline, Flint Hills Resources, The San Antonio Refinery and Enterprise Products Pipeline. Natural Gas interconnects include DCP Midstream, Energy Transfer and Enterprise. In the Permian Basin, Ironwood operates a crude oil gathering system in Midland County with 40 000 bpd of throughput capacity that delivers to Centurion Pipeline.

Prism Energy secures pipeline management contract in Norway

Prism Energy, an Aberdeen-based project and risk management consultancy which also offers software solutions, has announced that it has secured a two year contract in Norway with a major operator for its pipeline project management services.

The Norway contract comes following the successful management of a six figure contract with previous scopes of work to deploy four pipeline isolation tools on land sites and a further five tools on offshore platforms, required to support its major UK shutdowns. The service for the new contract will see Prism managing the overall project including key vendor management, assurance and execution support. In the previous campaigns the Prism team provided management support, assurance services and execution experienced personnel to manage the site scopes.

Andy Sutherland, Managing Director of Prism Energy, says, “Following previous successful scopes of work for this client, we are delighted to further secure this two year contract in Norway. The consequences of these types of projects going wrong is huge so we always focus a on ‘right first time’ strategy that is based on the specific risks and also lessons learned from previous projects.”

Andy continues: “As part of the management service we also deploy our Prism digital project management system to ensure that we can track and monitor the progress of all the key points, which helps to ensure a successful execution of the scope.”

STATS Group invests £1 million in the Australian pipeline market

STATS Group has established a new Australian entity and will invest up to AUS$2 million (£1 million) in workshop facilities and intervention equipment to support its drive in the country’s pipeline integrity market.

The pipeline technology specialist has been successful in the last five years in securing a range of strategic contracts in the oil and gas and LNG sectors and is now consolidating its presence in-country.

As part of the group’s broader localisation strategy, a workshop and storage facility close to Perth, Western Australia, has been secured and the Aberdeenshire-headquartered business is recruiting local field and workshop technicians and a lead project engineer to support an increase in demand for the group’s services.

Already in 2021, on behalf of major Operators, STATS has completed two 12 in. BISEP (double block and bleed isolation) intervention projects in Darwin, Northern Territory; four 14 in. BISEP workscopes in Perth; and in Victoria’s Bass Strait provided an 18 in. Subsea Hot Tap Clamp with 12 in. branch and subsea hot tapping services, and a 20 in. Remote Tecno Plug isolation on an offshore platform.

The new Perth base will act as STATS’ intervention hub for Asia Pacific (APAC) clients, making it easier to ship equipment between key markets, minimising freight costs and importantly reducing the company’s carbon footprint.