Oil/Gas Pipelines: Opportunities and Challenges

Oil has become the most in-demand product in the world. It has become the center of round-table discussions, and never that a single day passed without it organism on the news. Decrease in its supply could mean the downf entirely of res publicas, particularly the industrialized ones. This was evident in three world inunct crises in 1973, 1979, and a brief one in 1990, which reversed the flow of money, devising the inunct-producing countries in the Middle East the vital force that could change the way of the future of the world. Their cut-offs in production led to the creation of policies and rules on consumption, saving, and emancipation from oil.A nation, controlling the production, selling, and over-all management of oil, is assured of a significant posting in each field of the worlds lifestyle, but most significantly in politics and economics (Tanter, 2007). To become something uniform this, a nation should invest in ways on how to transport oil from its sources to its c onsumers, like the creation of networks of subwaylines.Research and development projects devour been carried out and continuously be through with(p) to meet the challenges in connection with oil and gas pipelines. One of these is the proceed drive to discover more oil and gas reserves locked nether the earth or offshore. There argon still many places in the planet that need to be explored. Even the most extreme environments should be included, like what they did to the North Sea.Designing and manufacturing pipes go forth still emerge as one of the important factors in the realm of oil and gas pipelines. Through the years, designs have been continuously improved to accommodate several factors like environment, and the nature of oil and gas. Researchers now consider the direct relationship of the size of the diameter of the pipe with the flow capacity of the product. Moreover, they besides examine the expansion and contraction of pipes during the dit of oil and gas callable to significant temperature change, which could result to cracks, collapse tensions, and early(a) similar effects. Materials will continuously be tested to determine the go against(p) for pipes. Though steel is already organism used, improvements are still being done to test durability. Stresses and fractures, curiously offshore projects, should be accounted for to minimize the dower of failure. Cathodic protection against corrosion should be upheld to the highest level to assure the survivability of the pipes throughout the project.Terrorism attacks on pipelines will remain one of the most feared human phenomena. This is due to the fact that whenever pipelines are bombed or attacked, industries are affected. With this, countries should strengthen their monitoring schemes to agree the safety and zero attack on their pipelines.Keeping with the laws of nature and environment also poses great challenge to companies engaged in oil and gas pipelines. uncovering of new sites for extra ction will always encounter similar scenario with the trans-Alaska jumpy pipeline project, which was delayed for nine years, because the verbalism of pipelines was attached to environmental issues (Kennedy, 1993). Environmentalists will still be around the corner to watch the movements of oil companies.A greater challenge is on the side of politics and regulation. Better policies and laws covering the construction of pipelines, and point of oil and gas should be enacted to cover threats and possible failure-causing movements, especially in explorations crossing two different countries. Faster approval of laws should be done to maximize the economic potentials of the discovered oil and gas reserves.The sterling(prenominal) challenge could be the offering of affordable price of pipelined products to consumers. Companies must fool away note that the advancements they make with pipe designs and manufacturing, and the entire pipeline construction and transportation project, should g o at par with the purchasing power of consumers, who are right away affected by any oil price hike.Since the drilling of the eldest commercial oil well in 1859 in Pennsylvania, the evolution of pipelines has bygone a long way, though remaining as the most stinting way (Kennedy, 1993). Oil and gas pipelines are efficient, using only 4% of the energy content of the transported product. This is far better in comparison with former(a) modes of transportation like water, rail, and trucks (Dykesteen & Frantzen, 1991).Higher levels of technology give way for the development of better pipes and more sophisticated pipeline networks. These could yield higher efficiency regularize and better service for the people, who basically need the product in their familiar living.The construction of countrys own pipelines could spell independence from import oil and gas from foreign countries. This could also alleviate problems on oil crisis, and cut-off on importation rate. This could consequently clip the country to economic prosperity because of the removal of the burdens of oil importation.Pipelines transport oil, and natural gas from extracting wells locate in the different parts of the globe, including the most hostile areas like Alaska and Siberia. These products are then refined, and prepared for consumption by all citizens in all corners of the world. These products when properly used could continuously fuel the economic progress of any country involved with it.ReferencesCBC News Online. 2006. The price of oil in context. Retrieved 29 June 2007. http//www.cbc.ca/news/background/oil/.Dykesteen, E & K Frantzen. 1991. polyphase Fraction Meter Developed and Field Tested. Oil & Gas Journal. 18 February 1991 50.Kennedy, JL. 1993. Oil And Gas Pipeline Fundamentals. 2nd ed. Oklahoma PennWell Books.Tanter, R. 2007. Pipeline politics Oil, Gas and the US Interest in Afghanistan. Znet. Retrieved 29 June 2007. http//www.zmag.org/tanteroil.htm.Tobin, J. 2006. Additions on the might of the US Natural Gas Pipeline Network 2005. Energy randomness Administration, Office of Oil and Gas. Retrieved 29 June 2007. http//www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/natural_gas/feature_articles/2006/ngpipeline/ngpipeline.pdf.