Many offshore pipelines in the North Sea are over 30 years old and may be required to operate well into the 21st Century as the North Sea continues to supply oil and gas. It is essential that the pipeline infrastructure is maintained in order to meet these future energy demands. Accordingly, engineers need to be aware of the latest developments in pipeline inspection, maintenance and analysis.
 
The North Sea is also presenting new challenges:
 
1.    fluctuating energy prices have led to pipeline decommissioning and recommissioning projects; and,
 
2.    an increased awareness of global warming effects and CO2 emissions has led to an interest converting depleted gas fields for carbon capture and storage (CCS).
 
All these challenges mean that maintaining pipeline integrity is a key consideration for the future of the North Sea.
   
This seminar will cover:

• An overview of the past 30 years of North Sea pipelines.
• The regulators position (HSE will give their position on key integrity and regulatory issues)
• Latest inspection technology: intelligent pigging; subsea survey; acoustic survey; etc.
• Life extension for aging pipelines, including re-certification and design appraisal.
• Re-commissioning.
• Future potential uses, including carbon capture and storage of depleted gas fields.
• Security of supply, damaged pipelines and emergency readiness.
• Risk assessment.