Gas Transmission Company Research Articles

The effect of pipeline root weld microstructure on crack growth behaviour

The girth weld is the weak link of high-pressure pipeline, which is easy to crack under the combined action of internal and external loads, defect and stress concentration. At present, the safety hazards of high-strength pipeline girth welds are prominent, and it is of great significance to study the failure law of girth welds to ensure the safe operation of pipelines. In this paper, the failure analysis of 6 welded joints with crack defects excavated on site in a gas transmission company was carried out. Through metallographic analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis, the relationship between root welding, weld microstructure and crack generation was analyzed in detail. The influence of grain boundary distribution behavior of weld microstructure on crack propagation path was studied, and the mechanism of welding inclusions on crack propagation and aggregation nucleation was revealed. The results show that the cracks in root welding, hot welding, filling welding and heat affected zone are all transgranular propagation types, and the deflection of crack propagation path may be related to the complex stress state at the welded joint. Local strain concentration often exists in the near crack surface, secondary crack and crack deflection position on the crack propagation path, which indicates that the formation and propagation of root cracks are likely to be related to the deterioration of weld metal properties caused by local strain concentration at the root. The research conclusions have certain reference value for the intrinsic safety design, construction, and integrity operation and maintenance of pipeline girth welds.

Patterns of Communication on Clear Hydrogen Innovation in the Transatlantic Environment

"The potential of clear hydrogen to develop into a valuable resource in the future is becoming a growingly attractive debate topic, in the context of a targeted decarbonized economy. The present article analyses the interest that institutional and corporate actors in the European Union and the United States dedicate to this subject by assessing the comprehensiveness of the official, governmental communication and that of private actors - focusing on gas transmission companies, either producers or transporters - on the exploitation of clear hydrogen. The aim of the research is to investigate where is currently the most visible attention manifesting and whether public institutions or the private sector are more engaged in bringing about change in the near future in the field of green transition. Keywords: European Union, United States, clear hydrogen, communication, green transition"

State of Necessity in Post Covid-19 Investor-State Arbitration: CMS and LG&E Revisited

Covid-19 has spread its wrath on every aspect of human affairs. Foreign investment is no exception to that. To combat the pandemic, different States have deployed various restrictive measures having a direct bearing on foreign investors. Such actions are likely to result in an influx of investor-State disputes. It can be reasonably assumed that the States will invoke the necessity plea, among other grounds, to negate their responsibilities in such situations. The cases of The CMS Gas Transmission Company v. The Argentine Republic (2005) and LG&E Energy Corporation v. The Argentine Republic (2006) previously sparked debate about the necessity defence’s applicability in investment arbitrations. This article examines the suitability of the defence in investor-State arbitrations in the post- Covid-19 era in light of the CMS and LG&E cases. After careful scrutinization, this article proposes that the unique nature of the crisis borne from the Covid-19 pandemic should be taken into consideration while applying the defence in any pandemic-induced arbitration. It concludes that unless the catalysts associated with the pandemic are taken into account while applying the defence, it will be invariably futile in investor-State arbitrations.
 Dhaka University Law Journal, Vol. 33(1), 2023 P.1-22

A new method for managing multidimensional risks in Natural Gas Pipelines based on non-Expected Utility

Enhancing safety and maintaining profitable operations in various types of organizations, including in gas transmission and distribution companies, is a challenging task. Multidimensional risk analysis of Natural Gas Pipelines (NGP) has been carried out in decision-making in order to guide the decision-maker (DM) in managing resource allocation and prioritizing risks in pipeline sections. Although the Literature puts a spotlight on Expected Utility (EU) methods for assessing DM's preferences, the NGP problem is based on the probability of the occurrence of hazard scenarios being small, and yet there being high impacts when a failure occurs. That is why this paper proposes a new multidimensional model for assessing NGP risks: the MRDU model. To the best of our knowledge, there is an absence in the literature of studies on using non-Expected Utility (non-EU) methods. Non-EU is a new approach which is based on Utility Theory. Deviations of utilities are explored and this incorporates contributions from the Rank-Dependent Utility (RDU)-based risk approach. Relevant results are compared and an extensive sensitivity analysis is conducted. Results show that the risk approach based on non-EU gives greater support to the recommendations made to the DM with regard to prioritizing NGP sections.

Presenteeism and Productivity Loss Among Employees of Iranian Gas Transmission Company Manufacturers

Presenteeism and Productivity Loss Among Employees of Iranian Gas Transmission Company Manufacturers

Анализ влияния опасных действий работников и условий на их рабочих местах на возникновение происшествий на предприятиях топливно-энергетического комплекса

Majority of industrial injuries continue to be caused by the human factor due to a low level of occupational safety culture. The international practice of forming the high culture of industrial safety has become widespread in the behavioral safety audit procedure, the implementation of which considers the methodological foundations of ISO 45001:2018 code Occupational health and safety management systems. Requirements and recommendations for use in the context of any of the selected business processes of the organization. In this study, based on the results of processing 1505 behavioral safety audits conducted at the gas transmission company, 4572 violations of employee actions and conditions at their workplace were identified. When analyzing the distribution of violations according to the observation criteria, it was established that the prevailing number of violations falls into three observation categories: Actions of employee/employees, Reaction of employee/employees and Workplace. Using statistical data processing, a correlation dependence was established between the number of detected violations and the category of observation. Analysis of the actions of employees and the conditions at their workplace allows to establish the potential severity of the consequences of violations for each type of incident and is an integral part of practical implementation of the concept of a risk-oriented approach of the industrial safety management system. Quantitative assessment of behavioral safety audit procedure results makes the industrial safety management system more adaptive, oriented on the research of the role of the human factor in the prevention of potential threats and detection of potential opportunities for the development of the organization. This contributes to ensuring the achievement of an acceptable corporate level of industrial safety culture, improvement of working conditions, and as consequence, reduction of occupational injuries and occupational illness.

The sustainable development of gas transmission companies of Ukraine through the formation of an effective energy saving mechanism

The annotated article deals with the features of formation and functioning of the energy saving mechanism for business under the implementation of sustainable development concept. Herewith, the energy saving mechanism has been considered as an organic component of the mechanism of business management enabling to integrate energy saving problems with effective current business management problems. The main focus of this study is to develop the algorithms and the evaluation methodology for energy efficiency of the enterprise. In particular, the article suggests evaluating the effectiveness through the following stages: the assessment of energy saving potential use of the enterprise; the development of a system with operating performance indicators of the energy saving mechanism; the determination of the integrating indicator of the energy saving mechanism. The article approves the suggested methodology by means of highly specialized gas transmission companies and discovers the level of use of such components of energy saving potential of the enterprise, as technics and technology, finances, management, personnel. An assessment of the average annual energy saving potential was performed and the forecast of the integrating indicator of the energy efficiency mechanism of the gas transmission companies was carried out The suggested methodological approach has been proven to be useful in the system of energy saving at the enterprise.

Factors Hold Key to Job Satisfaction of the Human Resources: A Study on Titas Gas Transmission & Distribution Company Limited

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited is the largest gas distribution company in Bangladesh. A total numbers of employees 2100 have been working in this sector. To measure factors hold key to job satisfaction of the human resources of the company, a sample of 115 employees were selected from head office, Dhaka, Gazipur, Mymensingh, Narayanganj offices on a random purposive sampling basis and data were collected through closed end questionnaire from field study on offices. To ascertain job satisfaction, 13 factors like job security, salary, promotion, job status, working condition, supervision, award, relation, communication, duration, participation and training were chosen. Different types of statistical tools like descriptive statistics, regression analysis, factor analysis, Mann-Whitney U- Test and Kruskal Wallis Test were used for analyzing and interpreting data. The study revealed that low level salary holders were more dissatisfied. It is shown that higher level of pay holders was highly satisfied on autonomy, participation, location, training etc. The study further indicated that the employees of Dhaka and Narayanganj revealed in foremost facilities than that of other located areas. The study also identified three factors are Factor-1: Developed monetary based human resources facilities; Factor-2: Technologically advanced facilities based on working conditions; Factor-3: Satisfactory level of practicing autonomy to be the most influential that in fact reflect as key factors of job satisfaction of human resources of TGTDCL in Bangladesh. Management of the company should provide adequate facilities and allocated to the employees maintaining equity to ensure legal rights disregarding manipulations of outwards intervention that damages the congenial environment of the organizational environments and lead to dissatisfactions of the human resources.

Корпоративная система аккредитации ПАО «Газпром» как инструмент обеспечения единства измерений организации

The relevance of the research is predetermined by factors as the strengthening of the role of chemical analytical (testing) laboratories of gas transmission companies in the implementation of Gazprom’s PJSC strategy in the field of reliable and trouble-free transportation of natural gas and the need of testing laboratories to constantly confirm their impartiality and ability to carry out production tasks at a competent level. Protection of the interests of the consumer and the rights of the supplier is ensured by the accuracy of determining the quantity and quality indicators of the supplied products established in technical regulations, standards and by minimizing risks to life, human health and the environment on the basis of reliable measurements. The issue of the quality of measurement results is acute today. Depending on the direction of measurement processes and applications of the measurement results the shape of laboratories attestation has different requirements. All types of measurements carried out in an organization should be subject to mandatory or voluntary accreditation. Ensuring the competence of chemical analytical laboratories at Gazprom PJSC subsidiaries and companies of in the field of product conformity assessment is facilitated by the corporate accreditation system operating in accordance with Company Standard STO Gazprom 5.8-2020. Uniform requirements adapted to the industry specifics of activities and sufficient for reliable measurement results, encourage subsidiaries to become participants in the updated accreditation system. Gazprom Transgaz Kazan LLC acts as the research base. The object of the study is to ensure the uniformity of measurements through compliance with the accreditation criteria, the subject is the accreditation of a testing laboratory in the corporate system. The article considers the procedure and activities carried out by the testing laboratory during accreditation

Optimal location of gas network maintenance centres: A case study from Poland

The delivery of natural gas to consumers requires significant infrastructure that consists of numerous technical units and other gas transmission assets. The failure of a single component in a gas transmission and distribution network might compromise the reliability of the gas supply system. Thus, the proper location of facilities for employees and contractors performing inspections and maintenance activities is of critical importance for the uninterrupted operation of a natural gas network. In this context, this study addresses the problem of identifying the optimal location of gas network maintenance centres (GNMCs) in a natural gas transmission company which is actively seeking to improve its maintenance and service response times while minimising costs. In an effort to determine the optimal number of GNMCs required to maintain assets in areas covered by the company, a decision-support tool based on a mixed-integer linear programming approach (MILP) is proposed. The tool is applied to the case study of a natural gas transmission company operating in central Poland. The case study is extended to explore four alternative scenarios which illustrate the additional functionalities of the proposed model. The model results indicate that the total system cost of the gas network maintenance infrastructure can be reduced by up to 13% with the operation of only two out of five existing GNMCs and one candidate facility. The results also demonstrate the versatility of the optimisation model since it enables decision-makers to evaluate the effects of changing maintenance strategies.

Development and Implementation of Methods for Behavioral Safety Audit Conducting in the Fuel and Energy Complex

The analysis of the accident and industrial injury statistics shows that the majority of accidents and industrial accidents (more than 70%) are caused by the mistakes of the operational personnel servicing the hazardous production facilities connected with violation of requirements of the organization and production of hazardous works. One of the priority directions of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of industrial safety till 2025 is the development of industrial safety culture, awareness of personal responsibility for a condition of industrial safety, formation of the intolerant relation to violations of safety requirements, in particular, due to implementation of scientific and technical achievements and the best practices. This study proposed a new approach to ensuring safety on objects of fuel and energy complex establishing rules of conducting the behavioral safety audit (BSA), assessment of identified hazardous actions and use of preventive measures. Within approbation of this new approach to safety ensuring we have made the procedure of mathematical processing of results of 264 conducted BSA on one of gas transmission companies. Implementation of approach boosts safety culture of production, prevention of the industrial accidents and accidents caused by unsafe behaviour and actions of workers.

Justification of energy efficiency of the use of a trigeneration system for a compressor station

Today, the efficiency of transportation of natural gas is of paramount importance. Within this framework, the design and operation of compressor stations are a key factor significantly influencing the operating costs of gas transmission companies. Such conditions are characterized by a growing level of complexity, not only the choice of gas compression technology, but also the integration of systems due to energy needs, including electricity, heat, and cooling. The problems associated with fossil fuel prices, resources and environmental impact have led to increased efforts to develop more efficient systems in recent decades. One way to do this is to create several outlets in one system, which are the simultaneous generation of energy, heat, and cooling from the combustion of natural gas. The aim of the article is to develop recommendations for the implementation of innovative trigenerative optimization of the compressor station. At the same time, as part of the study, an exergy analysis was applied, which is aimed at assessing the energy efficiency of the selected trigenerative system. The data obtained indicate the possibility of not only introducing the adopted trigenerative configuration, but also of its individual elements to improve the energy efficiency of the system as a whole.

The Optimal Periodicity of the Gas Transmission Systems Cleaning

The technical and economic aspects of improving the hydraulic efficiency of pipeline transmission are considered. Hydraulic efficiency of gas transmission systems reveals directly their economic efficiency and practicability, as well as the process of "aging" of the main gas pipelines over time. One of the effective methods of improving the hydraulic efficiency of a gas pipeline is its periodical cleaning with the use mechanical cleaning units. The process of cleaning gas transmission systems with cleaning pistons is technologically complicated and expensive. Therefore, when planning, it is necessary to create all the conditions that guarantee maximum cleaning efficiency and are costeffective. The increase of the number of gas pipeline cleanings improves the hydraulic effi-ciency of the systems. It increases the profit of gas transmission organizations. As a result, the cost for cleaning goes up and leads to the decrease of profit of the gas transportation companies. Therefore, the number of clean-ings of gas pipelines and gas transmission systems should be equal to the optimum number of cleanings over a period of time. The indices of economic efficiency of gas pipelines pigging are analyzed. The authors find that a more specific indicator of the evaluation of gas pipeline cleaning procedure is the increase in the total profit of the gas transmission company. The dependence of the gas transmission company profit on the number of gas pipe-line cleaning over a certain period of time is investigated. The method of specifying the optimal periodicity of gas transmission systems cleaning is offered. The mathematical model of the process is constructed. On the basis of the model, a transcendental equation for finding the optimal number of gas transportation system cleanings for a certain lifetime is obtained. A grapho-analytical method for the solution of the equation is offered. Based on the calculations, a graphical dependence of the optimal periodicity of gas transmission systems cleaning is constructed.

Application of fuzzy AHP and TOPSIS methods for risk evaluation of gas transmission facility

Today, the use of risk assessment methods in various industries is expanding, as there are currently more than 70 different types of qualitative and quantitative risk assessment methods in the world. These methods are usually used to identify, control and mitigate the effects of hazards. Organizations should be able to select one or a combination of several types of risk assessment methods that are explored and studied in this article. In some cases, and for the direction of some sensitive processes, especially in the chemical industry, the production of explosive and combustion products such as the gas transmission company should be analyzed before determining the type of method of all methods and the best approach with regard to financial resources, requires qualitative or quantitative or qualitative and quantitative information, time limits, trained personnel limitations, the type of application of the risk identification method, the advantages, and disadvantages of each of these systems. Generally, acceptable risk levels are different for each organization or individual, depending on financial and economic resources, technological constraints, experienced human resources, discretion and management, and underlying risks such as hidden risks. Organizations usually require a system that, in addition to assessing their activities and processes can help them determine the risk situation, determine risk tolerance criteria, and accurately determine the exact risk of their processes, and ... lead them, depending on the complexity of the activity of each industry, the type of system that can bring them to the target. Is different. In this study, the assessment of the risks of gas Transmission facilities in the 9 regions, has been studied and reviewed. After identifying the various activities of the facility, which included three safety measures for equipment, personal and environmental health, and 28 sub-criteria, from previous studies and surveys, and staff comments. Then, using AHP, the fuzzy questionnaire was completed. Pairwise comparison of criteria and sub-criteria by experts and the use of excel software resulted in the weight of the sub-criteria and the compatibility rate. Then, using the verbal variables, five boost pressure facility with Fuzzy TOPSIS was ranked according to the relevant criteria, and the Rasht boost pressure gained the first rank.

Концепция организационно-экономического механизма функционирования внутреннего контроля

Th e presented article touches upon topical issues of the functioning of internal control at the enterprise. A toolkit has been developed for the organizational and economic mechanism for the functioning of internal control, which includes principles, functions, logic, the time aspect, controlling, and norms. Th e structural and functional components of internal control are highlighted. An adaptive organizational structure of the risk management and internal control system has been formed, which can be the basis for the formation of a model for the functioning of the internal control of a gas transmission company

Концепция организационно-экономического механизма функционирования внутреннего контроля

Th e presented article touches upon topical issues of the functioning of internal control at the enterprise. A toolkit has been developed for the organizational and economic mechanism for the functioning of internal control, which includes principles, functions, logisation, the time aspect, controlling, and norms. Th e structural and functional components of internal control are highlighted. An adaptive organizational structure of the risk management and internal control system has been formed, which can be the basis for the formation of a model for the functioning of the internal control of a gas transmission company.

Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) Using Standardized Plant Analysis Risk-Human (SPAR-H) and Bayesian Network (BN) for Pipeline Inspection Gauges (PIG) Operation: A Case Study in a Gas Transmission Plant

Background: Pigging operation is one of the maintenance activities that is used to check pipeline functionality in operational conditions using a PIG device and high pressure of liquid/gas, which is potentially hazardous. Objectives: The present study aimed at customizing SPAR-H methodology for the pigging operation using Bayesian networks (BNs). It also aimed at identifying and analyzing human errors in pigging operation in a gas transmission company. Methods: The current article was composed of two main steps. In the first step, the SPAR-H BN model was developed using expert-elicited prior probabilities of pigging operation applied to Bayesian network. In this step, CPTs of PSF nodes are constructed using prior probabilities, which are achieved from expert opinion. The CPT of error node is developed using coding process of SPAR-H formula in a simulation node. In the second step, a descriptive study was carried out to estimate the probability of human errors in pigging operation in a gas transmission plant in Iran. First, hierarchical task analysis (HTA) was conducted by walking through the pigging operation and interviews with workers. Next, the SPAR-H BN model was utilized for estimation of human error probability. Results: The developed model was tested on the pigging operation subtasks. In the considered case study, the mean probability of human error was estimated as 0.184. The highest probability of human error was related to “opening the kicker valve for enhancing pressure” subtask. Conclusions: The BNs were helpful to adapt the SPAR-H methodology to the pigging operation using dedicated prior probabilities. Beside that, the probabilities of human error can be updated taking into account the more realistic operational and environmental conditions.

Validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Dutch musculoskeletal questionnaire.

Background: Dutch Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (DMQ) is used to examine physical and environmental risk factors and to identify high-risk groups for exposure to the risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders at workplace. The aim of this study was to develop the Persian version of the DMQ and to assess its psychometric properties. Methods: This study was conducted on 212 employees of Gas Transmission Company. Using a standard forward-backward translation procedure, the English version of the questionnaire was translated into Persian and culturally adapted. Content validity was established by 10 expert opinions. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used for the statistical analysis of reproducibility. Kuder-Richardson-20 was used for internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis for structural validity. Results: This study revealed high internal consistency and good test-retest reliability for the Persian version of the questionnaire. The means of the content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) for the total 35 items of the questionnaire were 0.96 and 0.91, respectively. The internal consistency of the factors was satisfactory, ranging from 0.83 to 0.88. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the existence of 7 factors in the questionnaire and an acceptable fit for the Persian version of the DMQ. Conclusion: The Persian version of the DMQ has acceptable psychometric properties. Thus, it can be used as a valid instrument to assess workload and to identify high-risk groups of musculoskeletal disorders at workplace.

A mixed integer nonlinear programming model for optimizing a gas pipeline transmission linear network

The technical equipment developed and used in both installation and operation processes in refineries, oil and gas pipelines, and gas booster stations has always been expensive. Hence, managers at different organizational levels are keen to find methods to control and reduce these costs. Generally speaking, the operators in a gas booster station choose the operating devices without considering the related costs. This research presents a mixed integer nonlinear programming model designed to minimize the operational costs of gas booster stations in a main pipeline distribution network. The goal is to optimize the choice of operating devices in these stations to minimize costs while still meeting customer demands. Turbo compressors are chosen as the operating devices and the operational costs are fuel, maintenance, start-up, and penalty costs. However, the significance indexes of these costs are valued differently by the three expert managers: the executive officer, operating head, and the overhaul repairing director. Consequently, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method is used to calculate the overall weights of costs, and a gas transmission company in the north of Iran is considered as a case study. The model can minimize the total cost, when compared to the selections of ten experienced operators; however, the absolute weights of choosing measures and the essence of the objective function under study mean that an operator choice exists that would represent the optimum selection of turbo compressors.

Ergonomic evaluation of welders posture and biomechanical analysis of loads on spine by CATIA software in Iran Gas Transmission Company

Ergonomic evaluation of welders posture and biomechanical analysis of loads on spine by CATIA software in Iran Gas Transmission Company