Pipe toughness not world class, panel told
TERRACE - The Northern Gateway pipeline can't be world class unless it adopts American standards for the type of pipe it will use, according to one intervener.
Hugh Kerr, a professor emeritus in engineering at the University of Waterloo, told the National Energy Board's Joint Review Panel that the category of pipe Northern Gateway is proposing to use isn't tough enough and doesn't meet all international standards.
Kerr, who was speaking on behalf of Prince George-based engineering firm C.J. Peter Associates Engineering, said category-one pipe isn't appropriate. He would prefer the company adopt the American standard and use category-two pipe, which requires toughness tests not performed on the type of pipe Northern Gateway is planning to use.
"All American pipelines require the equivalent of this tougher pipe - so-called categor-two pipe - we should in Canada have the same sort of [rules]," Kerr said. "Because pipe becomes more brittle at low temperatures and in Canada we have some very low temperatures, we should insist on tougher pipe. How can they be world class if we're behind the Americans?"
Northern Gateway engineering manager Ray Doering countered Kerr's assertion that the pipe the company is planning to use to build dual oil and condensate pipelines from northern Albert to Kitimat is inferior.
Although the Canadian regulations allow for category-one pipe, Doering said Northern Gateway is planning to use category three for most of the route.
"[Category three] has properties in between category one and category two, you perform a number of fracture toughness tests that you wouldn't perform on category-one pipe but not to the same extent as category two," he said. "This pipe that we're producing is unheard of in Canada in terms of its wall thickness . . . so there are certain notch toughness tests that may or may not be possible on pipe with such heavy wall thickness."
Doering said Northern Gateway is planning to use category-two pipe in certain segments of the route, where the company deems its needed. He said the nature of the products Northern Gateway plans to carry mean it's not required for the entire length of route.
"Natural gas is a highly compressed commodity, whereas liquids are essentially incompressible, so that drives the difference between category one and category two," he said.
Kerr said it's possible Northern Gateway has put some specifications in its pipe requirements to make it safer, but since the company has deemed the composition of the pipe as proprietary, it's impossible to judge its effectiveness. He's also concerned that if there is a pipe shortage, the company may be forced to source its pipe off-shore.
"The compositions and way the different pipe manufacturers are different," Kerr said. "So their compositions can be quite different or the way they have rolled the pipe prior to welding could be different, the welding process they use is not the same for all pipe and so they can end up with poor pipe."
Additionally, Kerr took issue with some of the figures Northern Gateway presented to defend its application.
"There could be errors in Northern Gateway's so-called science and the figures they use and their track record is far from being re-assuring," he said.
Northern Gateway has committed to doing more research on the type of toughness of pipe it plans to use and Doering said when that process is complete he's confident it will meet all requirements.
"We're in the design process, we're evaluating different technologies and pipe specifications, however we believe that the category-three pipe we're considering for this project will satisfy all the requirements and concerns that Dr. Kerr has raised," he said.
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