Pipelines and Pipe Bending
Pipelines and Pipe Bending
Pipelines and Pipe Bending
Oil pipelines are a crucial element in the petroleum industry and in our daily lives. Without oil many of things around us would not be possible, from the food we eat to the cars we drive to the very products we buy, oil has taken part in each and every one of them.
Interesting Fact #1:
Before the invention of pipe bending for oil pipelines, oil was transported from oil wells to railway stations by horse in converted wooden whiskey barrels. It is because of these wooden whiskey barrels that we still measure oil by the barrel today.
The first pipeline was made out of wrought iron and it spanned over 6 miles from an oil field in Titusville Pennsylvania to a railway station in Oil Creek. Colonel Edwin Drake is credited with drilling the first commercial oil well in 1859 that used this revolutionary pipeline. Soon after the pipeline business grew and the type of metal used for pipes improved from wrought iron to steel.
Although when one thinks of pipelines they may immediately jump to those that are used for oil, there are many other types of pipelines that are used for different reasons. Generally pipelines can be categorized in three types, which are as follows:
(1) Distribution Pipelines
Distribution pipelines are those that send the finished product, such as natural gas, directly to the consumer's home. Pipelines that are located at shipping and storage areas that send the product to tankers and storage facilities are also considered distribution pipelines.
(2) Transportation Pipelines
Transportation pipelines are the ones that probably first come to mind when you think or an oil pipeline. These pipelines consist of very long pipes with large diameters and are used to transport products such as crude or refined oil and natural gas long distances. Transportation pipelines can stretch between cities, countries and even continents.
(3) Gathering Pipelines
Gathering pipelines are typically a group of smaller interconnected pipes that are used to gather crude oil or natural gas from a number of different areas or wells with the purpose of sending the material to nearby processing or treatment plants. The pipes used in gathering pipelines are smaller, both in length and diameter, than the large oil pipeline that most likely comes to mind. Gathering pipelines are also used in deep-water oil platforms.
As you can see, all three types of pipelines are important, and the pipes in each one would require bending at many points along the way.
Pipelines have been made from many different types of materials. Oil pipelines are typically made from bending steel while natural gas pipelines are made using carbon steel. The majority of water pipelines are now made from copper however there are still many households that use lead pipe.
Interesting Fact #2: The Romans were the first civilization to use lead pipes to transport water. Plumbum is the Latin word for lead and one who works with water pipes is still known today as a Plumber. (The next time a plumber comes to your house - may it be a long time from now - ask him if he knows where the word "plumber" comes from.)
In order to bend steel pipe for pipelines a significant amount of heat and pressure is required. This is why only a major metal fabrication plant can construct them. That's right - don't try this at home! Pipelines play an important role in both the energy and water industries. They provide safe, reliable and economical transportation for all our energy products, such as oil and natural gas, and keep our businesses and homes supplied with fresh water. As the population grows the need for more pipeline systems will increase resulting in systems that are more reliable and economical than they are today.
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