One of Canada’s largest pipeline companies was mandated to relocate a pipeline in an environmentally and politically sensitive area on a tight timetable.
The section that required relocation is part of the major 30” natural gas corridor that traverses west to east across Canada, delivering energy to one-third of the nation’s population. The area around the pipeline was issued a safety class upgrade by the National Energy Board (NEB) when construction of a subdivision began near the pipeline. In order to maintain gas flow to customers, the pipeline was isolated upstream from the construction area and rerouted through a bypass line. The pipeline relocation project was complicated by the fact that the new section of pipeline would run along the edge of a national park in Quebec and near a Mohawk Nation reservation.
The operator partnered with pipeline service provider T.D. Williamson (TDW) to perform a Double Block and Bleed isolation using its STOPPLE Train system on the section of the pipeline being relocated to keep the product flowing while averting gas leaks that could endanger nearby workers, especially welders using open flames.
Because all work needed to be completed before the safety class change, TDW was charged with building and testing new custom 30” Stopple Train equipment within just 10 weeks.