Enbridge case study

Getting your pipeline system off the runway can be an intimidating prospect. But it sure helps when Enbridge Technology Inc. (ETI) steps aboard as your co-pilot.

"Operators can invest a sizeable amount of capital in building a pipeline system, but eventually need help in getting this pipeline actually commissioned to start flowing gas, and to train their people to operate it," notes Bill Trefanenko, Director of International Operations at ETI.

"The analogy I use is this: They've built a $3-billion or $4-billion airplane, but they still need training on how to fly the thing safely."

That was the situation in late 2007, when one of India's largest pipeline companies approached ETI, the consulting arm of Enbridge Inc., seeking assistance with an ambitious project - India's longest natural gas transportation pipeline, a 1,440-kilometre endeavour that would run all the way from Kakinada, in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, to Bharuch, in the western state of Gujarat. The Indian company was close to the end of construction, but needed help with the final, critical steps - specifically, commission, training, and operation.

They came to the right place. Very few operators in the pipeline industry offer operations training and advisory services these days, and fewer still with an open, collaborative approach like that of Enbridge Inc. The Calgary, Canada-based outfit owns and manages the longest crude oil and liquids pipelines system in the world, about 22,800 kilometres long. ETI's clients benefit from Enbridge's 60-plus years of hard-won expertise and experience. ETI also draws on Enbridge's strength in numbers - nearly 6,500 employees worldwide - and can pull resources from the parent company as necessary for an enviable resource network. ETI collaborates with clients to identify operational challenges, makes objective recommendations based on industry best practices, provides resources, and designs plans for long-term support.

Despite pressing time constraints and a wide variety of requirements, ETI was more than able to meet the challenge faced by its Indian client. Over the next year-and-a-half, ETI provided the following services to make the pipeline fully operational:

* Line management training for technical and administrative support staff, and operations and maintenance supervisors;

* A required set of operations and maintenance procedures;

* Discipline training for control centre operations, field or local operations, electrical/instrument technicians, mechanical technicians, and pipeline maintenance technicians;

* Line commissioning and startup assistance;

* Operations and maintenance support and mentoring.

"Through six decades of growth, we've experienced and successfully responded to nearly every situation and event that a pipeline operator might encounter," says Trefanenko. "Like any successful company, we've had to be adaptable and flexible to changing circumstances and evolving technology.

"Because of that, our clients can get out ahead of the challenges that Enbridge has encountered over the decades. In short, there are few companies better able than Enbridge to provide solutions for the world's oil and gas pipeline industry."

ETI's line management training in India took a three-step approach - beginning with the study of web-delivered modules, under an instructor's supervision, that introduced a pipeline lexicon and ensured a technical base language for all students. From there, students entered the classroom for four weeks' worth of theoretical and practical instruction, in the form of case studies. The line management course established by ETI for this client introduced basic technical aspects of pipeline operations, maintenance, and various other management functions, and evaluated the client's levels of operations and maintenance readiness.

ETI also assisted its Indian client in developing a required set of operations and maintenance procedures, using Enbridge Inc. standards as a template. The final operating and procedures manuals satisfied and exceeded regulatory requirements, while supporting eventual owner/operator customization. It included a maintenance plan for major equipment and field devices, and included subjects such as safety, an emergency response plan, operational philosophy, and gas quality and measurement.

ETI's discipline training component for line managers, pipeline controllers, field operators, pipeline maintenance technicians, electrical/instrument technicians, and mechanical technicians involved a rigorous program of self-study (through ETI's Operator Performance Support System, or OPSS, web delivery system), theory, practical knowledge, and operations and support mentoring. ETI's real-world education process included mandatory completion of qualification requirements at field facilities for the mechanical, electrical, instrument, and pipeline maintenance groups.

The commissioning plan for ETI's Indian client followed the best practices of experienced pipeline operators such as Enbridge, while the commissioning team included representatives from the client, ETI, and constructor/vendors who would be wholly involved in the preparation, training, and implementation of the commissioning process. Key elements of the plan included line fill program, procedures, schedule, and activities; environmental policies and procedures; safety procedures; and deficiency lists, with accountability and timing commitment.

ETI also undertook an ongoing mentorship program with its Indian client, following the successful implementation of its training program and development and implementation of its operation and maintenance procedures. Experienced industry specialists were made available during the initial months of operation to provide pipeline staff with support, direction, and real-time mentoring.

All told, ETI's consultation services for its Indian client were carried out by a team of about 24 professionals, approximately half of whom were based in India.

"In the pipeline industry, there's no shortage of challenges. It could be a logistical challenge, a geographical challenge, a cultural challenge, a race against time," says Pat Laniuk, an ETI project analyst based in Edmonton, Canada, who worked on the Indian pipeline project. "But we definitely believe in our expertise, and we like to share it with others.

"As for the rewards, it's all about seeing, upon the completion of training or the delivery of services, that our clients are able to successfully operate and maintain that asset."

Besides operations and management training and assistance with the commissioning process, ETI offers a wide-ranging assortment of consulting services in the pipeline industry. One essential area of expertise is a full range of regulatory Operator Qualification (OQ) programs for operations and maintenance staff. Many of these programs are designed to meet or exceed the requirements of regulators such as the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Pipeline Safety. Subject areas include cathodic protection, measuring corrosion in the field, and working with pumps, compressors, and valves.

ETI's advisory services go beyond commissioning and O&M procedures. They include conducting feasibility and hydraulic studies, helping operators with open seasons to determine market and shipper interests and demand, and developing pipeline integrity management plans.