Oil & Gas Pipeline

Introduction to Oil and Gas Pipeline Products
1、 General Overview
Oil and gas pipelines are a critical infrastructure for transporting oil, gas and other petroleum products. With the continuous growth of global energy demand and the deepening of oil and gas resource exploitation technology, oil and gas pipelines play an important role in the energy supply chain. Oil and gas pipelines not only serve to transport crude oil and natural gas from oil or gas fields to refineries and gas processing plants, but also play an important role in transporting refined oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG) to end-consumers.
The construction and maintenance requirements of oil and gas pipelines are strict, and the safety, corrosion resistance and pressure resistance of pipelines shall comply with international standards. Modern oil and gas pipelines adopt advanced technologies, such as intelligent pipeline monitoring, automatic control, etc, to ensure long-term stable operation of pipelines, reduce accident risks, and improve energy transmission efficiency.
2、 Classification of Oil and Gas Pipelines
Oil and gas pipelines can be divided into the following types according to the functions, materials and service environment of oil and gas pipelines:
Crude oil transmission pipeline
Crude oil pipelines are dedicated to transporting crude oil from oil fields to refineries. Generally, steel pipes with large diameter and high strength are used, and they have high pressure resistance and corrosion resistance.
Natural gas transmission pipeline
Gas pipelines are used to transport natural gas from gas fields or liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals to urban or industrial users. These pipelines need to bear high pressure to ensure stable transmission of natural gas.
Product oil pipeline
The product oil pipeline is mainly used to transport refined petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, etc. Product oil pipelines are usually used for oil transportation between refineries and oil storage facilities and gas stations.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline
The LNG pipeline is used to transport LNG from the terminal to the end market. The design of LNG pipeline shall consider special requirements under low temperature environment to keep natural gas in liquid state.
High-pressure pipeline
High-pressure oil and gas pipelines are used for long-distance and high-flow oil and gas transportation. Generally, pipes with thicker wall and higher strength are used to ensure that the pipeline can withstand extremely high transmission pressure.
Low pressure piping
Low-pressure oil and gas pipelines are generally used for short-distance oil and gas transmission, with relatively low pressure requirements, and are suitable for short-distance transmission and urban pipe network construction.
Subsea oil and gas pipeline
Submarine oil and gas pipelines are used for the development of deep-sea oil and gas fields, and transmit oil and gas from offshore platforms to land across the sea. Such pipelines need to have strong corrosion resistance, pressure resistance and wear resistance, and be able to withstand pressure, temperature and salt water corrosion in seabed environment.
Water injection pipeline
Water injection pipelines are used to inject water or other fluids into a field during secondary production of a petroleum field to maintain subsurface pressure and improve oil recovery.
3、 Main material of oil and gas pipeline
The material of oil and gas pipeline has an important impact on its service life, transportation efficiency and safety. Common oil and gas pipeline materials include:
Carbon Steel Pipe
Carbon steel is the most commonly used material in oil and gas pipelines. Due to its high strength, good welding performance and relatively low cost, it is widely used in various oil and gas pipeline systems. However, carbon steel is susceptible to corrosion in some environments and requires corrosion protection.
Alloy Steel Pipe
By adding other alloy elements (such as chromium, molybdenum, nickel, etc.) to carbon steel, alloy steel pipes greatly improve their high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance and wear resistance. Alloy steel pipes are commonly used in high temperature, high pressure or highly corrosive transmission environment.
Stainless Steel Pipe
Due to its excellent corrosion resistance, stainless steel pipes are applicable to the oil and gas transmission occasions containing sulfide, carbon dioxide and other corrosive substances, especially in offshore oil and gas exploitation and deep sea pipelines. Stainless steel pipes are often widely used.
Polyethylene (PE) pipe
PE pipes have strong corrosion resistance and low thermal conductivity, and are usually used for low-pressure transmission and short-distance oil and gas transportation. PE pipe has good low temperature resistance, impact resistance and flexibility, which is applicable to urban natural gas pipeline and small oil and gas transmission system.
Epoxy coated pipe
In order to prevent rust and corrosion of the pipeline, many oil and gas pipelines are externally coated with epoxy resin coating or other anti-corrosion materials. These coatings effectively extend the life of the pipeline, particularly in chemical corrosion and marine environments.
Polyurethane coated pipe
Polyurethane coating can enhance the corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance of the pipeline, and it is widely used in long-distance oil and gas transportation in severe environment.
4、 Performance requirements for oil and gas pipelines
During the design and use of oil and gas pipelines, the following important performance requirements must be met:
Withstand voltage performance
Oil and gas pipelines, especially high-pressure oil and gas pipelines, shall bear the pressure from inside and outside during long-time use. The pressure resistance of the pipe must be considered in the design to avoid pipe rupture or leakage due to excessive pressure.
Corrosion resistance
Since corrosive substances (such as sulfide, carbon dioxide, seawater, etc.) are often encountered in oil and gas transportation, oil and gas pipelines must have good corrosion resistance. The application of anti-corrosion coatings and alloy steel materials is a common way to improve corrosion resistance.
Temperature resistance performance
The service environment of oil and gas pipelines often has extreme temperature changes, especially in high temperature oil and gas exploitation or oil and gas transportation in cold regions, the pipeline must have good high temperature and low temperature resistance performance to ensure that the pipeline can work stably under different temperatures.
Resistance to Abrasion
In the process of oil and gas transportation, there are often solid particles in the pipeline, which will accelerate the abrasion of the inner wall of the pipeline. Therefore, oil and gas pipelines need to have high wear resistance to extend the service life of the pipeline.
Seismic Performance
Especially in areas with frequent earthquakes, oil and gas pipelines need to have good seismic performance, which can maintain structural stability in earthquakes or other natural disasters, and avoid pipeline rupture or leakage accidents.
Frost resistance performance
In cold areas, oil and gas pipelines may be frozen or cracked due to too low temperature, so the pipeline materials and design need to have antifreeze performance to prevent pipeline freezing and cracking.
5、 Application of Oil and Gas Pipeline
Oil and gas pipelines are widely used in the exploitation, transportation and storage of oil and gas, including:
Oil and gas field development
Oil and gas pipelines are used to transport oil and gas from oil and gas fields to processing plants or refineries. High-pressure transmission pipelines can transport crude oil or natural gas from deep well areas to surface equipment or gathering stations.
Long haul conveying
Oil and gas pipelines are important means of global energy transportation, especially in transnational and cross-sea transmission pipelines, such as Russian gas transmission pipelines and Saudi oil pipelines, which ensure the circulation of oil and gas among different countries.
City Gas Supply
Urban natural gas networks typically use lower pressure natural gas pipelines to transport LNG or raw gas to urban residents and commercial users.
Offshore oil and gas transportation
Subsea oil and gas pipelines are used to transport oil and gas from offshore platforms to onshore or offshore facilities. This type of pipe requires strong pressure resistance, corrosion resistance and wear resistance.
Transportation of petroleum products
In addition to crude oil and natural gas, oil and gas pipelines are used for the transportation of refined oil products, chemicals and other petroleum products, connecting refineries with oil end-users or oil storage facilities.
6、 Summary of Summary
Oil and gas pipelines are an important part of modern energy supply systems and are widely used in global oil and gas transportation and distribution. With the progress of technology, the design and manufacture of oil and gas pipelines are developing towards high efficiency, energy conservation, safety and environmental protection. The safe operation of pipelines not only depends on high-quality pipeline materials and equipment, but also needs to realize real-time monitoring and maintenance of pipelines through intelligent monitoring, data analysis and other technical means, so as to minimize the risks in the oil and gas transmission process and ensure the stability and safety of energy supply.