History of Civil and Pipeline Engineering
An ancient branch of engineering, civil engineering has existed from the time of permanent settlements when humans started to mould their environment to fulfil their needs. Growing populations and the emergence of towns and cities created the need for reliable water supply, waste disposal, defence, and transportation networks and infrastructure such as roadways to facilitate studies, business, and leisure. The earliest civil engineers built walls, roads, bridges, and dams and dug wells, ditches for irrigation, and trenches. Famous ancient and pre-industrial civil engineering projects include Roman roads, the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, Mayan ruins and more.
Pipeline engineering has also existed for centuries. Ancient Egypt, Rome and Mesopotamia used pipes made of clay or stone, while ancient China used bamboo pipes. The discovery and use of petroleum and automobile development created the need for oil pipelines, which came into existence over a century ago and has led to more than 3,500,000 km of pipelines worldwide today, with new systems under construction.
What are Pipelines?
Pipelines are lines of pipe or conduits fitted with control devices to transport liquids, gases, and slurries. Pipelines vary in diameter from 5 centimetres for use in oil-well gathering systems to 9 metres for water and sewage networks. In most cases, they are laid underground, and sections of pipe are welded together. Construction materials include metal, such as steel, cast iron, and aluminium, or even concrete, clay products, PVC, and plastics.
What are Pipeline Systems?
Pipeline systems are complex structures that include pipes, fittings (valves and joints), and pumps (compressors or blowers). Essential parts of the system are the booster stations (intermediate pumping stations on the pipeline path) and storage facilities connected to the pipe. Also included in the system are the intake & outlet structures, sensors such as flowmeters, and automatic control equipment, including computers. A critical component is the communication system employing microwaves, cables, and satellites. When cryogenic liquids, such as liquefied natural gas and liquid carbon dioxide, need to be transported, refrigeration systems maintain them at low temperatures.
Pipeline Construction Processes
As a Pipeline Engineer, your work would often begin with surveying routes. Ditching or trenching would come next, followed by resourcing and transporting pipe sections, fittings, and necessary resources to the site. Next would come stringing pipes within the ditch, following its path and bending the lines as the topography dictates. Coating and wrapping the steel pipes joined before or after placing them underground is an important step. It is critical to check for any welding errors or leakage at joints and finally pack trenches up with soil, restoring the land to its original appearance. Segments of large pipelines may take up to six months to construct, and those of small pipelines may be done in days.
Pipeline Operations
Computers at the company headquarters maintain automatic long-distance control over pipeline operations. Computerised control includes monitoring parameters such as pressure and flow rates at locations along the length of the pipe, making online computations, and conveying commands to the field for valve and pump control. Manual intervention helps modify the automatic operation, for instance, to direct batches of fuel to different storage tanks or to shut down and restart the system.
Pipeline Precautions
Pipeline safety depends greatly on the materials to transport. Water does not harm the environment or cause an explosion. A rupture does not cause crude oil lines to explode but may pollute waters and soil. Volatile liquids, such as natural gas and gasoline, must receive the most significant protection. Even so, pipelines are considered the safest transportation method.
Pipeline companies educate the public about pipeline safety and inform construction groups about the locations of underground pipeline locations in order to reduce third-party damage. Corrosion control and leak detection are crucial to the prevention of pipeline failures and accidents.
Pipeline Pros
As a mode of transportation for liquids and gases, pipelines score over road and rail transport because they are more environment-friendly, more immune to theft, and more economical, safe, convenient, and reliable. Even solid cargo, such as grain, concrete, pulp, machine parts, and books, have been moved through them.