In recent years, technology and innovation have been prevailing itself as a vector of cost reduction and an essential mechanism to take advantage of available resources within the oil and gas sector. To get an idea of ​​the relevance of the theme, studies from the Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute (IBP), shows that more than US$7,5 billion should be invested in research and development in Brazil until 2026.

According to the Rio de Janeiro Oil Industry Yearbook: Panorama 2019, produced by the Rio de Janeiro Federation of Industries (Firjan) based on national data released by National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), the investments on development and innovation researches in the sector increased 66% from 2017 to 2018 – what represents a R$ 2 billion application last year.

At the pipeline segment, the digital transformation influence has been noticed in the whole chain, from professional qualification and increased efficiency to operational safety. Gathering specialists from around the world, the Rio Pipeline 2019 takes place in Rio de Janeiro from September 3 and 5, with different panels dedicated to digital technologies in this market.

The gap of qualified professionals in the O&G sector gets more noticeable with the industry 4.0 and its elements expands, mostly in a moment when new pipelines operators are entering the market. In this scenario, specialists will discuss aspects related to the need for skills training of professionals interested in working in the area.

Executives that work with digital transformation in the oil and gas industry will participate in a forum about digital era of pipelines to identify current technology and their insertion into the oil and gas logistics chain, highlighting potential performance gains.

The program of the 12^th edition of Rio Pipeline intends to cover these and other aspects related to this industry.

For more information, visit the Rio Pipeline website.

The framework of operations related to pipeline activity, which includes the transportation of dangerous products, drives stakeholders to require higher levels of operational safety and risk management by companies in the industry to ensure the protection of life, the environment, the country’s energy security and the integrity of facilities.

The program of Rio Pipeline Conference & Exhibition 2019, the meeting point of the international pipeline community in Brazil, will present workshops to debate the safety of pipeline operations in the country, between September 3^rd to 5^th.

The Pipeline Operational Risk Management workshop (9/5) will address relevant initiatives that have been developed in Brazil, in order to promote the discussion concerning prevention and mitigation measures related to operational risks inherent to the pipeline industry. The focus is to gather the members of the pipeline community to discuss issues related to risk management, organizational culture and accident prevention.

“One of the points of the workshop is to present the issues that have been discussed in the Brazilian Pipeline Risk Community, created in 2018 and joint coordinated by IBP, CCPS, ANP, Petrobras and Transpetro. Besides that, we will also have specialists from companies and institutions of O&G sector that will aggregate to the forum discussion”, explained Douglas Alves, consultant of operational risks at Petrobras, who coordinates the workshop with the moderator, Alexandre Glitz, consultant at CCPS.

Following the safety topic, the Stress Corrosion Cracking – SCC workshop (9/2), will debate a failure mode called “stress corrosion cracking”, classified as cracking induced from the combined influence of tensile stress and a corrosive environment. Although unknown in Brazil, the increase of incidents, aroused the interest of the technical community.

“We’ve decided to have a composition that will enable further technical debate. This year, in addition to pipeline SCC management specialists, we come out of the box a little bit and we’re going to bring in an aeronautical expert to talk about crack management in this industry and see what lessons we can apply in our industry”, said Alexandre Seewald, technical consultant/pipeline integrity at Petrobras Transporte and workshop moderator.

In total, four workshops will be presented during the event: Stress Corrosion Cracking – SCC, Integrity of Natural Gas Distribution Pipelines, Control Room Management and Pipeline Operational Risk Management.

The programming includes panels, forums, presentations of technical papers (oral session and digital poster), workshops and mini courses, that collaborates with the technical improvement of professionals and boosting networking among participants, as well as stimulating business among agents of the sector.

The subscriptions to Rio Pipeline Conference & Exhibition 2019 are open. The event is organized by IBP and sponsor by Rosen Group, NTS, AVEVA, Engie, TBG, Intero, Trapil, Plural + Combustível Legal, Worley and Emerson.

In this scenario, Rio Pipeline, which takes place between September 3^rd and 5^th, intends to address such subjects with an emphasis on the challenges and opportunities for the pipeline activity. In the event, a study will be presented first hand by the Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute (IBP), which points out the necessary investments in refining and logistics capacity expansion – including the expansion of the pipeline net, to ensure national supply until 2030. Studies will also be presented for the expansion of the gas net – transportation and outflow – developed by EPE.

With workshops, plenary sessions and forums, the event will bring together experts from all over the world, providing an international quality to the debate. At the plenary on perspectives for the global pipeline industry, the agenda will feature names such as Daniel Ridelener, CEO of TGN (Argentina); Patrice Brès, CEO of Trapil (France); and Patrick Smyth, vice-president of CEPA (Canada), to present the overview of the pipeline industry, highlighting the operators’ perspectives on the expansion of the global pipeline net, considering geopolitical, regulatory and technological aspects, among others.

The 12^th edition of Rio Pipeline is expected to provide qualified discussions that can contribute to the awareness of society about the importance of this industry to the development of the country.

To promote technical and regulatory development of the industry, the Rio Pipeline Conference & Exhibition 2019, the meeting point of the international pipeline community in Brazil, will gather specialists from around the world to discuss topics related to improvement, quality and safety in pipeline transportation, in the digital transformation context.

Permeated by highly relevant technical content, the agenda includes debates about the changes in Brazilian and global market, also discussions related to new topics, such as transportation digitalization and the technological challenges of operations.

The programming includes panels, forums, presentations of technical papers (oral session and digital poster), workshops and mini-courses, that collaborates with the technical improvement of professionals and boosting networking among participants, as well as stimulating business among agents of the sector.

The subscriptions to Rio Pipeline Conference & Exhibition 2019 are open. The event is organized by IBP and sponsor by Rosen Group, NTS, Intero, Trapil, Plural + Combustível Legal and Worley.

Accidents resulting from clandestine drilling reinforce the need to develop intelligence and safety measures to ensure protection of life, the environment, the country’s energy security and the integrity of facilities.

However, it is important to highlight that the deviation of pipeline products represents a huge cost to government in different countries. In Brazil, as reported by Petrobras, 42 million liters of products have been stolen between 2015 and 2018, provoking 8,600 hours of pipeline unavailability. The state company operates through Transpetro more than 14 thousand kilometers (8,700 miles) of pipelines that transport oil and by-products all over the country. This month, the company announced the creation of a prevention program that intends to reduce by 75% the number of thefts until December 2021.

Gathering specialists from around the world, the Rio Pipeline 2019 takes place in Rio de Janeiro from September 3 and 5. The meeting point of the international pipeline community in Brazil will provide a qualified debate on this topic and many others related to improvement, quality and safety in pipeline transportation. In its 12^th edition, the conference expects to create channels that expand technical knowledge and social awareness about the relevance of this activity for the development of the country.

With the motto “safety and energy connected with you”, the Rio Pipeline 2019 intends to reinforce the need to intensify investments in safety and prevention that can detect clandestine drilling of oil pipelines.

In addition to discuss technological advances, the agenda of the event will promote discussion about changes in the infrastructure market in Brazil and in the world, new dynamics and new agents. The program also includes panels, forums, presentations of technical papers (oral session and digital poster), workshops and courses about relevant topics to pipeline segment, with the participation of national and foreign experts in the congress.

The registrations for the 12ª edition of Rio Pipeline 2019 are open.

During the event, Danny Aronson, Petrobras engineer, exposed a study about a business model used in the US market with financing mechanisms: monetization of assets.

After that, Wong Loon, 2019 Rio Pipeline chairman, illustrated the current moment of the logistics and transport activity, reinforcing the importance of broadening the debate about investment prospects for expansion of the Brazilian pipeline network and improvement of the regulatory environment. The digital transformation and its benefits and aftereffects to the sector was another topic the event´s next edition.

To Marcelino Guedes, pipeline committee coordinator, the committee member’s work is important to the success of another edition of Rio Pipeline. “We count with the attendance and engagement of the pipeline community to make this Rio Pipeline edition a breakthrough”, emphasized Marcelino.

Douglas Alves, Young Pipeliners Professionals Brazil (YPP) president, promoted the organization initiatives, led by young professionals that aims to motivate students to become “pipeliners” and ensure the continuity of the sector. The YPP Brazil will participate of 2019 Rio Pipeline, collaborating with many activities.

Call for papers open until January 25th

The papers presentation collaborates to technical improvement of professionals in the field and encourages the exchange of experiences and best practices. The abstracts must be submitted by January 25^th, 2019.

The calendar and the submission process are available here.

The Rio Pipeline 12º edition happens on September 3 to 5, at Centro de Convenções Sulamérica, Rio de Janeiro. Check out more information about the event: riopipeline.com.br/?lang=en

Organized every two years by IBP, it´s recognized as one of the main global gatherings in the pipeline sector. This year, the main theme is “Connecting the Future: Trends and Challenges”. The Conference agenda includes panels, forums, technical papers presentations (oral and poster session) and short courses.

Technological progress and innovation in the pipeline industry, besides challenges in midstream and the role of regulators in the future of the pipeline activity, were the chosen topics for the main panels.

The forums will address pipeline inspection, corrosion under tension, database failures, heated ducts, among other issues. Parallel events complement the schedule, like the Sustainability Arena, student and young professional’s activities, as well as a space dedicated for training, market and career, professional outplacement and gender issues.

The technical papers will be presented in the form of oral and poster sessions. The agenda comprises 16 topics, covering key subjects, such as project, construction & assembly, operation and maintenance, in addition as cross-cutting issues, such as corrosion, inspection, environment and others. The full list of authors selected is also the event’s website.

As in previous editions, the best papers will be competing for the Calgary Award, granted by Rio Pipeline. The award-winning author will have the opportunity to present his work at the International Pipeline Conference in Calgary, Canada, in 2018.