Pipeline Project Research Articles

The Thin Green Line: Coast Salish and Indigenous Resistance to Energy Transmission Projects

ABSTRACT Indigenous alliances have been central in stopping the export and transmission of fossil fuel products from Alberta through the west coast. This article compares two pipeline projects, the Enbridge Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain pipelines, to examine the ways that Indigenous activism works to counter the settler colonial state. The Trans Mountain case objected to by many Coast Salish nations on both sides of the international border is a unique case because the Coast Salish assert a unified nationality as a part of their environmental activism. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted with Coast Salish nations, this article argues that the Coast Salish reject the structures of a settler colonial state despite continuing to encounter obstacles. While the Enbridge pipeline was defeated, the Trans Mountain project is ongoing and uncertain. Both cases show the impacts of Indigenous and non-native alliance making. The Coast Salish case adds an important transnational component to theorizing alliance making that shows innovative strategies used by Indigenous nations to confront the settler colonial state.

The Iroquois Pipeline Project: A Study in Federal/State Conflict

In this paper, the author reviews the genesis of the Iroquois Pipeline Project, outlines the regulatory authorization process, and discusses the construction of the pipeline and conflicts which arose in New York and Connecticut, prior to and during construction. He then analyzes the litigation arising in the aftermath of construction, specifically the National Fuel decision, as well as future regulatory control over the pipeline.

The Active Asteroids Citizen Science Program: Overview and First Results

We present the Citizen Science program Active Asteroids and describe discoveries stemming from our ongoing project. Our NASA Partner program is hosted on the Zooniverse online platform and launched on 2021 August 31, with the goal of engaging the community in the search for active asteroids—asteroids with comet-like tails or comae. We also set out to identify other unusual active solar system objects, such as active Centaurs, active quasi-Hilda asteroids (QHAs), and Jupiter-family comets (JFCs). Active objects are rare in large part because they are difficult to identify, so we ask volunteers to assist us in searching for active bodies in our collection of millions of images of known minor planets. We produced these cutout images with our project pipeline that makes use of publicly available Dark Energy Camera data. Since the project launch, roughly 8300 volunteers have scrutinized some 430,000 images to great effect, which we describe in this work. In total, we have identified previously unknown activity on 15 asteroids, plus one Centaur, that were thought to be asteroidal (i.e., inactive). Of the asteroids, we classify four as active QHAs, seven as JFCs, and four as active asteroids, consisting of one main-belt comet (MBC) and three MBC candidates. We also include our findings concerning known active objects that our program facilitated, an unanticipated avenue of scientific discovery. These include discovering activity occurring during an orbital epoch for which objects were not known to be active, and the reclassification of objects based on our dynamical analyses.

ADAPTIVE LOB SCHEDULING FOR OPTIMIZING RESOURCE LEVELING AND CONSUMPTION

Several techniques were developed to improve resource allocation in construction projects, yet few in repetitive construction projects. Accordingly, this research aims at minimizing resource consumption and fluctuations using Line-of-Balance (LOB) repetitive scheduling technique. An optimization model has been developed consisting of three modules: LOB schedule module, resource leveling module, and optimization module. The model helps determine the optimum (a) start time for each activity considering any needed delays to level resources, (b) number of crews travelling from one unit to another, (c) unit to change the number of crews, and (d) the new changed number of crews. Unlike the existing efforts, the developed model provides the capabilities of (a) allowing the change of number of crews of an activity at a certain repetitive unit to increase or decrease the progress rate; and (b) accommodates non-serial repetitive projects to enhance the model’s practicality. Using a pipeline project, the model outperformed the existing LOB-based models in minimizing resource consumption and fluctuations within the desired project duration. This study offers the project planners a useful tool to efficiently utilize their projects’ resources and avoid hidden costs due to inefficient resource utilization on-site as well as overcoming shortage in resource availability.

Investigating the Value of Parallel Pipeline Projects for Water Supply: A Contingent Valuation Study in South Korea

Parallel pipeline projects can contribute to ensuring a safe and stable water supply and preventing or mitigating losses caused by water pipeline accidents. However, because these projects require a significant investment, feasibility tests are essential prior to their implementation. Considering the public nature of the water supply, the direct beneficiaries of the project and people from other regions can place value on such projects. Thus, this study estimates the value of parallel pipeline projects using the contingent valuation method (CVM) and the swing weighting technique. We constructed two contingent valuation surveys: one asking about the willingness to pay (WTP) for a parallel pipeline project within the respondent’s region and the other asking about the WTP for a project outside the region. The results show that the annual WTP per household for projects within and outside the region was 113,669 KRW (87.98 USD) and 5493 KRW (4.25 USD), respectively. These results indicate that the value perceived by people from outside the region should be considered. Additionally, the results from the swing weighting technique and WTP analysis show that the values that respondents generally consider important and those that can leverage the overall project value are distinct. This study’s results provide insights into the implementation of parallel pipeline projects in South Korea. Furthermore, this study’s analytical framework can be used for the valuation of other public infrastructure projects.

Cryogen-free 400-MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer as a versatile tool for pharmaceutical process analytical technology.

The discovery of new ceramic materials containing Ba-La-Cu oxides in 1986 that exhibited superconducting properties at high temperatures in the range of 35 K or higher, recognized with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1987, opened a new world of opportunities for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMRs) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) to move away from liquid cryogens. This discovery expands the application of high temperature superconducting (HTS) materials to fields beyond the chemical and medical industries, including electrical power grids, energy, and aerospace. The prototype 400-MHz cryofree HTS NMR spectrometer installed at Amgen's chemistry laboratory has been vital for a variety of applications such as structure analysis, reaction monitoring, and CASE-3D studies with RDCs. The spectrometer has been integrated with Amgen's chemistry and analytical workflows, providing pipeline project support in tandem with other Kinetic Analysis Platform technologies. The 400-MHz cryofree HTS NMR spectrometer, as the name implies, does not require liquid cryogens refills and has smaller footprint that facilitates installation into a chemistry laboratory fume hood, sharing the hood with a process chemistry reactor. Our evaluation of its performance for structural analysis with CASE-3D protocol and for reaction monitoring of Amgen's pipeline chemistry was successful. We envision that the HTS magnets would become part of the standard NMR and MRI spectrometers in the future. We believe that while the technology is being developed, there is room for all magnet options, including HTS, low temperature superconducting (LTS) magnets, and low field benchtop NMRs with permanent magnets, where utilization will be dependent on application type and costs.

VOLTA: A tool for battery screening bridging the gap between virtual electrode materials and practical applications

We present a battery screening Python pipeline, VOLTA. It allows for a novel battery active material explorative workflow, prioritizing the cell level performance indicators, such as cell capacity and voltage profile. This is achieved by the construction of a starting dataset of both observed and virtual active materials from the Materials Project, the implementation of the physics-based ARTISTIC project pipeline for the assessment of practical electrode properties like porosity and thickness, and the coupling of the electrodes into virtual cells, whose figures of merit such as voltage and capacity are calculated. The screening can be conducted by applying filters to these cell-level properties, achieving a indirect selection of the most suitable active materials.The approach is validated through comparison to current commercial battery technology, and we demonstrate that VOLTA is able to identify promising electrode materials for high energy batteries, like the well-known LiCoO2, LiNiO2 and graphite phases. We also illustrate a case-study, where the pipeline is used to identify suitable low-voltage, realistic virtual batteries obtained by combining entries of the Materials Project battery database (a battery revealing type of task).

Influence of Xinjiang Saline Soil on Corrosion of X80 Pipeline Steel

A large-scale gas transmission pipeline project will pass through typical saline soil areas in Xinjiang, China, to find out the influence of the saline soil on the long-distance pipeline in this area, this paper investigates the corrosive behavior of X80 pipeline steel embedded in saline soil with multiple corrosion intensities. Firstly, NaCl, Na2SO4, NaHCO3, and deionized water were used to simulate the saline soil with different corrosion intensities, and then the corrosion test of X80 steel was carried out. A scanning electron microscope was used to observe the X80 steel before and after corrosion. Finally, the weight loss method was used to calculate the corrosion rate, and the corrosive behavior of X80 pipeline steel in Xinjiang saline soil environment was analyzed. The results show that: (1) X80 steel is susceptible to pitting corrosion in the saline soil environment; (2) the rate and level of corrosion were mainly related to the content of Cl− and SO4 2−. The greater the content, the stronger the pipeline is corroded; (3) the rate and level of corrosion were positively correlated with the corrosion intensities of saline soils.

The Monumental Kurgans in Bronze Age in River Kura Basin

The article contains with the archaeological excavations of the Deller Jayir kurgans at 322.700 km of the SCPX (South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion Project) pipeline corridor. These kurgans are located in the territory of Deller Jayir village of Shamkir district of Azerbaijan Republic. About 10 kurgans were recorded in the kurgan field located on a relatively high hill on the right bank of the river, about 100-150 m away from the Jayir River, only 2 of them fell into the pipeline corridor, excavated and explored.
 The surface of the Deller Jayir kurgans consists of stone formations with a clearly visible circular shape and a relatively concave center. They are located close to each other at a distance of 5-6 m. Preliminary analysis of the structures and burial rites in the Deller Jayir kurgans and the forms of the few pottery fragments found in these kurgans show that these kurgans date the transition stage from Middle Bronze Age to the Late Bronze Age, to be precisely, to the 15th-14th centuries BC.

Opportunities for rail in the transport of carbon dioxide in the United States

The deployment of carbon management strategies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) at scale will require significant investments in transport infrastructure to deliver CO2 to reliable storage. While pipeline transport has dominated the conversation due to economic reasons, there is increasing evidence that other modes may become viable alternatives when considering scale, regional opportunities, and social acceptance. This paper assesses the viability of rail for CO2 transport in the United States using market analysis, techno-economic assessment and geographic information systems mapping. We believe rail presents many advantages, notably in existing infrastructure with established right-of-ways, but also as an instrument to address unwanted effects of our energy transition, particularly in coal communities. We find that the strategic replacement of coal as a freight commodity could translate into 100 Mt/yr of CO2 movement by rail by 2050, and support up to 60,000 jobs in that industry. Further, we find that while rail pricing is notoriously volatile, there is strong support for rail being the least cost option over pipeline for volumes under 2 Mt CO2 per year, which aligns well with smaller, more risk-averse, and distributed carbon management projects that are scheduled to deploy over the next decade. Rail can also be an alternative in regions where CO2 pipeline projects have had limited success, like in the Midwest, where CO2 is captured from ethanol plants that are already serviced by rail networks. Likewise, rail can service roughly 25% of point-source CCS opportunities that are not proximal to projected trunk pipeline networks, of which 94% are located 1-mile from railroad. Finally, rail may be an integral part of CDR development in regions that are not coterminous with geologic storage, particularly in the Western and Northern US.

A chromosome-level genome assembly for the dugong (Dugong dugon).

The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a marine mammal widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea, with a Vulnerable conservation status, and little is known about many of the more peripheral populations, some of which are thought to be close to extinction. We present a de novo high-quality genome assembly for the dugong from an individual belonging to the well-monitored Moreton Bay population in Queensland, Australia. Our assembly uses long-read PacBio HiFi sequencing and Omni-C data following the Vertebrate Genome Project pipeline to reach chromosome-level contiguity (24 chromosome-level scaffolds; 3.16 Gbp) and high completeness (97.9% complete BUSCOs). We observed relatively high genome-wide heterozygosity, which likely reflects historical population abundance before the last interglacial period, approximately 125,000 yr ago. Demographic inference suggests that dugong populations began declining as sea levels fell after the last interglacial period, likely a result of population fragmentation and habitat loss due to the exposure of seagrass meadows. We find no evidence for ongoing recent inbreeding in this individual. However, runs of homozygosity indicate some past inbreeding. Our draft genome assembly will enable range-wide assessments of genetic diversity and adaptation, facilitate effective management of dugong populations, and allow comparative genomics analyses including with other sirenians, the oldest marine mammal lineage.

Change of location class in gas pipelines from a regulatory perspective

AbstractLocation class is an essential factor in the gas pipeline project because it considers factors such as population density and the number of buildings along the gas pipeline route. As these parameters change, the pipeline operator needs to review the location class, also requiring a possible assessment of changes in allowable pipeline operating pressure. Brazilian regulations related to the safety of pipeline processes are defined in the Onshore Pipeline Technical Regulation and this document indicates the application of the requirements of the ASME B31.8 standard for changing the location class. Although there are preventive and mitigating measures in the ASME B31.8 standard, they are seen as overly conservative. Other international standards have different concepts, with evaluation criteria based on risk analysis. The issue has also been a challenge for other countries, which are reviewing their regulations and developing guidelines for gas pipeline operators. The main objective of this study is to carry out a survey of international practices related to changing the location class of gas pipelines and to propose a criterion based on the best international practices based on risk management, allowing a more comprehensive view of this subject.

Liquid hydrogen superconducting transmission based super energy pipeline for Pacific Rim in the context of global energy sustainable development

The global energy issue is undergoing transformation owing to various factors, such as climate change and geopolitics. In the long term, the primary pathways to achieve sustainable energy development remain the clean energy and global cooperation. As the largest energy consumption centers, the Asia Pacific and North America possess complementary energy profiles and developmental needs for cooperation. This paper analyses various electricity or hydrogen transmission technologies suitable for the Pacific Rim energy system. The liquid hydrogen superconducting energy pipelines possess the potential to fulfill the demands of long-distance and large-scale energy transmission. Building upon this technology, a super energy pipeline project connecting East Asia and North America across 12 time zones was proposed. It is composed of pipelines and relay energy stations, which can realize large-scale storage and transportation of renewable energy as well as the diversified energy supply at terminals. The techno-economic evaluation of the project has been comprehensively conducted, and the investment can be recovered within 10 years. The project is expected to boost the progress of renewable energy, ensure regional energy security and promote the sustainable development of global energy.

Cross‐Regional Energy Dispatch and Firm Energy Intensity: A Quasi‐Natural Experiment from China’s West‐To‐East Natural Gas Pipeline Project

Cross‐Regional Energy Dispatch and Firm Energy Intensity: A Quasi‐Natural Experiment from China’s West‐To‐East Natural Gas Pipeline Project

INVESTIGATION DYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF SOIL (THE DAMPING RATIO AND SHEAR MODULUS) FOR RESISTANCE DESIGN AT THE LNG BAC LIEU GAS PIPELINE PROJECT BY CYCLIC TRIAXIAL TEST

The LNG Bac Lieu gas pipeline project is part of the 3.200MW LNG power plant complex in Bac Lieu province. The entire pipeline will be designed underground at the sea floor to be directly subjected to dynamic loads (earthquakes, waves ...). Soil response to dynamic loads is measured by the soil's dynamic properties such as dynamic strength, shear modulus and damping ratio. These soil parameters are very significant to study the movement of the ground as well as the local reaction of soil sediments under the effect of loads and cyclic soil structure. Therefore, it is very important to investigate the earth's dynamic properties (dynamic strength, damping ratio and shear modulus) to design seismic resistance for this project. From the relevant literature, it is known that the dynamic properties of the soil are influenced by the soil type and the position of the soil structure. 6 soil samples were examined randomly at different depths to determine soil properties. When studying dynamic strength, people often use direct test methods such as torsion cutting, cyclic flat cutting and cyclic triaxial test to determine the dynamic strength (dynamic resistance) of the soil. In which, the cyclic triaxial test method allows the simulation of real-world conditions to be easily simulated. The results of applying this method to soft clay and clay phases show that the damping ratio is 0.117-0.162D, the average is 0.136D, the shear module is 1650-2632kPa, the average is 2141kPa.

Cortical myelin and thickness mapping provide insights into whole-brain tumor burden in diffuse midline glioma.

Systemic infiltration is a hallmark of diffuse midline glioma pathogenesis, which can trigger distant disturbances in cortical structure. However, the existence and effects of these changes have been underexamined. This study aimed to investigate whole-brain cortical myelin and thickness alternations induced by diffuse midline glioma. High-resolution T1- and T2-weighted images were acquired from 90 patients with diffuse midline glioma with H3 K27-altered and 64 patients with wild-type and 86 healthy controls. Cortical thickness and myelin content was calculated using Human Connectome Project pipeline. Significant differences in cortical thickness and myelin content were detected among groups. Short-term survival prediction model was constructed using automated machine learning. Compared with healthy controls, diffuse midline glioma with H3 K27-altered patients showed significantly reduced cortical myelin in bilateral precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, insular, parahippocampal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, and cingulate gyrus, whereas diffuse midline glioma with H3 K27 wild-type patients exhibited well-preserved myelin content. Furtherly, when comparing diffuse midline glioma with H3 K27-altered and diffuse midline glioma with H3 K27 wild-type, the decreased cortical thickness in parietal and occipital regions along with demyelination in medial orbitofrontal cortex was observed in diffuse midline glioma with H3 K27-altered. Notably, a combination of cortical features and tumor radiomics allowed short-term survival prediction with accuracy 0.80 and AUC 0.84. These findings may aid clinicians in tailoring therapeutic approaches based on cortical characteristics, potentially enhancing the efficacy of current and future treatment modalities.

Risk Factors for Time and Cost Overruns of Pipeline Projects in Saudi Arabia

Evaluating risks is crucial for the smooth execution of pipeline projects. In Saudi Arabia, pipeline building projects frequently experience delays and cost overruns. This study tries to identify these risk factors. Thus, risk factors were collected from the literature and presented to four experts to identify the 26 most common factors for pipeline construction in Saudi Arabia. The risk factors were then assessed using a questionnaire to measure the degree of impact of the 26 factors by 135 participants. Partial least square structure equation model (PLS-SEM) and relative importance index (RII) methods were utilized to rank the significant factors after performing the reliability and discriminant validity of the questionnaire data. The findings show that the top five factors based on PLS-SEM were discrepancy between implementation requirements and specifications, financial failure/bankruptcy, poor pipeline material quality, supplying invalid materials, and weak ability to identify and monitor the threats. The ranking of the factors using PLS-SEM is different in the RII method. This difference is due to applying the Cronbach’s α formula in the two methods. The PLS-SEM computes the coefficients of the groups, while the RII computes the coefficients for all factors. The study results can assist pipeline project managers in identifying and ranking risk variables to efficiently utilize the limited financial and human resources available for the risk management.

Analysing emotional discourse among allies and opponents in the news media

The sociology of emotions reveals how emotion contributes to and helps inform social and political issues. This study contributes to the literature by examining how competing advocacy coalitions ascribe emotions to their allies and opponents in the politically contentious issue of siting a gas pipeline project in the US. It analyses the emotional and belief expressions of people engaged in the debate in approximately 370 newspaper articles. Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework as a theoretical guide, people’s position on the pipeline and assignment to one of two advocacy coalitions coincides with similar emotional expressions. Moreover, allies tend to attribute more positive than negative emotions to other allies and more negative than positive emotions to opponents. This study concludes with a research agenda for furthering the empirical study of emotions in political and social life to understand the use of emotions in contentious politics.

CHINA’S NATURAL GAS MARKET AND RUSSIAN EXPORT OUTLOOK

The article analyzes the state of the Chinese gas market and factors in the long-term dynamics of gas demand in China. The author has attempted to assess the expansion of Russia’s presence in the Chinese gas market and provide intermediate recommendations on using the potential for developing energy cooperation between China and Russia. It must be taken into account that the northeastern provinces of China, located near the border with our country, will be supplied with Russian gas thanks to the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. However, the insufficient development of the relevant infrastructure in China – pipeline capacities, gas storage facilities, distribution networks – will not allow Russia to significantly increase exports through this gas pipeline. These limiting factors apply to an even greater extent to the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline project. According to the author, the most promising way to increase Russian gas exports to China may be to organize supplies of Russian liquefied natural gas to the coastal regions of China, where a steady increase in gas demand is predicted.

Prospects for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to decarbonize road transport

This paper explores the role of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) in helping to meet global climate goals of limiting long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1.5 °C. Employing the GREET Model and data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the study comprehensively compares the full fuel-cycle emission profiles of HFCVs and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The paper conducts an in-depth examination of the interplay between the carbon intensity of the electric grid and the resulting GHG emissions within the context of refueling HFCV vehicles via electrolyzers, and the analysis draws a comparison to BEVs charged using the same electric grid. The study finds that while emissions for BEVs increase, emissions for HFCVs are significantly larger when HFCVs are refueled from retail outlets producing hydrogen via electrolysis from grid electricity—a finding that was not previously reached in the current literature. The research underscores that countries operating electric grids characterized by high GHG emissions or lacking robust pathways to emission reduction would face suboptimal outcomes by adopting HFCVs powered by hydrogen sourced from distributed grid electricity generation. The gCO2e/mi for BEVs and HFCVs are also calculated when the electricity is produced from renewable energy resources. When electricity is derived from renewable energy sources, it becomes evident that the gCO2e/mi for both HFCVs and BEVs converge towards ‘zero’. The emission metric of gCO2e/mile for a HFCV refueled with the hydrogen produced from natural gas via steam methane reforming (SMR) without carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS), stands at 105 gCO2e/mile, whereas in the absence of CCUS, it escalates notably to 247 gCO2e/mile, an approximate 150% increase in stark contrast to CCUS inclusion. This quantitative portrayal serves to underscore the substantial potential for curtailing carbon footprints achievable through the integration of CCUS, thereby amplifying its significance within the realm of hydrogen-based transportation and the broader purview of climate change mitigation endeavors. In order to provide a comprehensive perspective, the study delves into the examination of hydrogen production pathways and associated costs for the years 2021, 2030, and 2050. The forecasted supply costs are elucidated, particularly in relation to the potential hydrogen supply originating from variable renewable energy (solar PV and wind) sources and from CCUS-equipped hydrogen production facilities (considering the project pipeline of projects upto 2030). These factors are of substantial importance in shaping the hydrogen supply landscape and subsequently influencing the adoption of HFCVs in the market. The study also examines the cost implications of hydrogen delivery for varying transportation distances (for 2030), acknowledging their important role in the broader context. The challenges posed by the integration of variable renewable energy sources are also addressed, along with the imperative for effective energy storage solutions. This discourse unfolds within the overarching framework of the energy transition, prominently characterized by the ascendancy of solar PV and wind energy. The intricate interplay of these aspects assumes a critical role in shaping the trajectory of future hydrogen supply dynamics over the medium and long term.