The Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Maintenance (PPIM) Conference and Exhibition, organised by Tiratsoo Technical, a division of Great Southern Press, and Clarion, drew engineering management and field operating personnel from both transmission and distribution companies concerned with improved operations and integrity management. Reporter Lyndsie Mewett was in attendance and here delivers a wrap of the pigs, people and program at PPIM.
The event encompassed training courses, a varied Conference program and an Exhibition including 74 companies. Approximately 1,500 people attended, with 400 delegates representing 22 countries enrolled in the Conference and training courses.
A captivating Conference
Tiratsoo Technical Principal John Tiratsoo chaired the Conference sessions, which included topics such as the importance of pig trap assessment, integrity management plans, multi-diameter bi-directional pigging, magnetic flux leakage (MFL) inspection capabilities, pipeline regulatory updates, performance management assessments and remediation, and unpiggable pipelines.
Article continues below…The Conference program also included a panel discussion on the cleanliness of pipelines from an owner/operator perspective. Six panellists from different parts of the pipeline industry outlined what ‘clean’ means to them, which proved a useful insight for contractors to assess what products would best suit proponents’ needs.
Pigs on show
In conjunction to the Conference, the well-attended Exhibition highlighted the latest products and services available to the pipeline pigging and inspection industry.
Companies displaying products included A.Hak Industrial Services, Apache Pipeline Products, Baker Hughes Pipeline Management Group, BJ Pipeline Services, DNV, Dresser, Girard Industries, Hebna Corporation, Knapp Poly Pig, Rosen and T.D. Williamson, plus many more.
Event gold sponsors BJ Pipeline Services and Rosen provided evening drinks and nibbles in the Exhibition area during the event. This gave Conference delegates and exhibitors alike a chance to talk shop in a relaxed environment or simply unwind with new and old friends.
A bright future for PPIM
The importance of the pipeline inspection industry continues to grow. As 60 per cent of the world’s major oil and gas transmission pipelines are now more than 50 years old, keeping up with the latest inspection and rehabilitation technology is vital.
The success of the 22nd PPIM Conference and Exhibition echoed this sentiment, with many Exhibitors already signing on for Houston’s 2011 PPIM event.
In addition to the Houston PPIM Conference and Exhibition, PPIM Asia Pacific will be held later this year in November. Training courses will be held 8–9 November with the Conference beginning on Wednesday 10. Why not drop by following Singapore International No-Dig?
Make sure you keep an eye out for more details on PPIM Asia Pacific – visit www.clarion.org
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