On Safe Operating of Ageing Oil and Gas Pipelines

The author considers that the ageing of oil/gas pipeline is a global issue, and operators should comprehensively take pipeline's original condition and maintenance condition as well as oilfield production into account to determine whether the pipeline at ageing stage could continue to operate safely, Take Trans-Alaska Pipeline System(TAPS)for example, the paper introduces TAPS's original condition, maintenance condition and economic factors and service life, and points out that TAPS's successful experience in operating ageing pipeline can be referenced for the purpose of promoting and ensuring safety operation of China's Northeast Oil Pipeline Networks.For the program worked out for intermittently transporting Daqing crude and Russian crude through QingTie Oil Pipeline, the author presents the viewpoint that the problems in pipeline's original condition and stress/strain should be investigated and studied thoroughly so as to make decision carefully.