| Program & Project Updates | |
PRCI Participation in PHMSA Leak Detection & Automatic/Remote Valve Workshops (read more)
Report from the 6th Annual PRCI Pipeline Program Research Exchange Meeting (read more)
Third Annual CORE Symposium Planned for May 2012 (read more)
API-2-1 Workshops on Welding of High-Strength Pipeline Steels (read more)
EC-2-4 Evaluate Regulatory Proposal for Responding to Pipeline Corrosion Metal-Loss (read more)
MATV-1-2 Wrinklebend Evaluation Study and Evaluation Tool Development (read more)
MEAS-5-18 Effect of Thermowell Temperature Measurement on Orifice and Ultrasonic Flowmeters in Gas (read more) |
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Upcoming Events |
Pipeline Program Technical Committees Meeting
Barcelona, Spain co-hosted by Applus RTD
May 14-18, 2012
Third Annual CORE Symposium and OBD Workshop
Houston, Texas
May 21-23, 2012
Subsea Forum
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil May 22-25, 2012
Measurement Technical Committee Meeting
Antwerp, Belgium hosted by Elster-Instromet May 29-31, 2012
Compressor & Pump Station Technical Committee Meeting
Denver, Colorado
June 5-7, 2012
5th Annual Pipe Tech World Summit
Istanbul, Turkey
June 13-15, 2012
Executive Committee & Board of Directors Meeting
Calgary, Alberta
September 19-21, 2012
International Pipeline Conference
Calgary, Alberta
September 24-28, 2012
(see more events) |
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CHECK OUT THE PRCI STORY!
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Throughput NEWS & NOTES FROM PRCI
April 17, 2012 | Volume 6, Issue 2 |
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Recent Final Reports
MEAS-5-7 High Pressure Differential Pressure Calibration (member link)
MEAS-6 New Interface for the Multi-Run Uncertainty Tool - V2.0 (member link) |
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Special Tax Day Edition! Is a Discount Available for Your PRCI Subscription?
The US Tax Code provides an opportunity for qualified research & development expenditures to be partially paid for by a tax credit. Surveys over the years have found that a surprising number of companies do not take advantage of this opportunity, and those that do may not be realizing the full value available to them. Originally introduced in 1981, it has gone through a number of incremental changes over the year and like many corporate tax regulations is rather complex. However, the general profile of the R&D Tax Credit is that for "Qualified Research" (as defined in a four-part test specified by the IRS), up to 20% of those expenditures can be recovered as a tax credit against taxes that are payable in that year. If no taxes are paid in that year, the credit can be carried back one year or carried forward for 20 years. This is in addition to the normal deductibility of these items as regular business expenses. While this is a greatly simplified and generalized description, and many accounting details are involved to properly calculate the exact credit, the potential for significant immediate recovery of R&D expenditures - including any PRCI member subscriptions - should be considered by member company financial staff. (read full story) |
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PRCI Works with Industry to Respond to NTSB Recommendation
On March 26, 2012, PRCI in conjunction with Operations Technology Development (OTD), NYSEARCH, the American Gas Association (AGA), the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), the American Petroleum Institute (API), and the Association of Oil Pipelines (AOPL) met with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to discuss the industry response to the NTSB Recommendation that was issued following the San Bruno pipeline failure in September 2010. The NTSB recommendation was to:
Report to the National Transportation Safety Board on your progress to develop and introduce advanced in-line inspection platforms for use in gas transmission pipelines not currently accessible to existing in-line inspection platforms, including a timeline for implementation of these advanced platforms. (P-11-32)
Working with the industry stakeholders mentioned above, PRCI supported the effort to develop a comprehensive report on the state of ILI technology and the future development plans. The report was summarized in a presentation to the NTSB with the emphasis on managing pipeline integrity threats, the development of ILI tools and technologies, the current state of the ILI industry, and developing the next generation of tools. As a result of the information presented, NTSB requested that supplemental information on expected timeframes and costs for new technology development and deployment. PRCI will provide additional information regarding the supplemental information to be prepared and submitted to NTSB in the next quarterly issue of Throughput and as general postings on our web page. |
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PRCI Hosting Roadmapping Summit & TC Meetings to Develop the Industry Research Program
PRCI will be holding a meeting of its pipeline technical committees in Barcelona, Spain in May 2012. This meeting will bring together leading technical representatives from PRCI's membership of pipeline operating companies and service providers from all over the world, as well as other stakeholders that are invited to participate. PRCI is a memb  ership organization comprised of many of the world's leading energy pipeline companies operating in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. PRCI develops and implements comprehensive research programs that are directed to pipeline safety and operations improvements. These programs address the design, inspection, and integrity challenges that are common across the energy pipeline industry through a collaborative model. On behalf of its member companies and, more broadly, the entire pipeline industry, PRCI develops and delivers new technologies and technical solutions, guidelines and industry Best Practices, as models and methods for assessing the integrity and ensuring the safe and efficient operation of pipelines. ( read full story) |
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PRCI Develops New Strategic Partnerships with CTDUT & GERG
Recently, PRCI has executed two separate Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with Centro de Tecnologia em Dutos / Pipeline Technology Center (CTDUT) and the European Gas Research Group (GERG). While PRCI has established relationships with these organizations, the MOUs provide a more formal framework for the partnerships and establish certain commitments between PRCI and each organization. These MOUs will further solidify the relationships and help PRCI continue to extend its international footprint. The MOUs will also provide additional opportunities for collaborative R&D with these international organizations. (read full story) |
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Schedule Set to Vote the 2013 Research Program Ballot
 At its last meeting in March, the PRCI Board of Directors gathered to identify and dicuss the current industry drivers which the PRCI Technical Committees will use to develop project and program proposals for the 2013 PRCI Research Program Ballot. The schedule to vote the ballot is as follows:
- Ballot Posted to PRCI Website: July 30, 2012
- First Round of Online Voting: August 6-17
- Second Round of Online Voting: August 27 - September 7
- Third/Final Round of Online Voting: September 20 (conducted in-person at Board of Directors Meeting in Calgary)
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Welcoming New Members to PRCI
PRCI is pleased to announce that the Nuclear Power Sector of the Electric Power Research Institute has joined PRCI in 2012 as Pipeline Industry Organization Member. Also joining PRCI in 2012 is KROHNE Oil & Gas B.V. as a Technical Program Associate Member in the Measurement Technical Committee.
 The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is an independent, non-profit company performing research, development and demonstration in the electricity sector for the benefit of the public. EPRI's broad array of collaborative RD&D programs focuses on the many specific technology challenges of helping its members provide society with reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible electricity. EPRI is funded by membership participation in its research activities. Members represent more than 90% of the electricity generated and delivered in the U.S. International participation extends to 40 countries. EPRI's Nuclear Power Sector will be participating in PRCI which includes the Nuclear Plant Technologies Group and Non-Destructive Evaluation Group. We would like to welcome NDE Director, Greg Selby, who will be representing EPRI on the PRCI Board of Directors.
 KROHNE designs and supplies products, systems and engineering services to the measurement, metering and monitoring sector of the Oil and Gas industry, from design and engineering to start-up and commissioning. We provide complete integrated flowmetering systems using any desired technology, complete with instrumentation, piping, sampling systems, supervisories, and meter provers. We would like to welcome Director CT Products - Gas, Jan Drenthen, who will serve as the Voting Representative for KROHNE on the PRCI Measurement Technical Committee.
New Measurement Technical Committee Chair
 | | Mike Whelan, PRCI's Director of Research Operations and Jim Witte |
PRCI would like to welcome Kerry Checkwitch of Spectra Energy as the new Chair of the Measurement Technical Committee. Mr. Checkwitch will replace longstanding Chair since 1997, Jim Witte of El Paso. At its recent Board of Directors Meeting in March 2012, PRCI honored Mr. Witte for his years of service to the organization. |
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New PRCI Program Manager Gary Choquette
On February 1, 2012 we welcomed a new staff member to the PRCI team. Gary Choquette is a Program Manager and he will be managing the projects and programs under the Compressor & Pump Station and Measurement Technical Committees. Mr. Choquette has worked in the natural gas transportation industry for more than 27 years. He has experience in facility design, construction, technical support, hydraulic modeling, compression performance, noise, vibration, pulsation and controls, software design, SCADA, gas measurement, and gas control. He has served in management roles in gas measurement, engineering design, construction and right of way, operations software development and SCADA support, and gas control. He earned a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Nebraska and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Texas. |
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