Thank you for taking the time to review this selection of peer-reviewed papers. The purpose of this section of the magazine is to publish new technical developments or case histories that have been reviewed by SPE professionals. The papers are evaluated for originality, technical content, a lack of commerciality, and ease of understanding. These key areas become the basic criteria for the reviewers, but their judgment is also another critical component in the evaluation.
The first paper provides a new methodology to evaluate the design pressure of flowlines and risers using a high-integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS). The proposed approach uses a design pressure lower than the well shut-in pressure, but maintains high reliability against burst failure.
Two papers discuss issues that arise in the operation of pipelines. Integrity assessment is an ongoing issue in all pipelines. The first of these two papers identifies the use of structural probabilistic analysis on the basis of the assumption of a stationary Gamma distribution of the corrosion process. The paper also reviews inspection data from two pipelines to show how the process would be applied.
The next paper discusses the available methods to treat and remove sand from pipelines. The discussion highlights the technologies that can be used for remediation of a pipeline affected by sand and provides examples of where these systems have been applied. Mature technologies, such as pigging, and newer technologies, such as gel-removal systems, are discussed.
The final paper discusses the considerations in controlled in-situ (water-surface) burning. The paper identifies the decision-making process, key issues of each phase, and proposes a process for analysis of the issues when in-situ burning of oil is planned. The burning of oil on water may be a viable means of mitigating the impact of marine oil spills, but there are many aspects of this activity that must be balanced to provide an effective solution.
Thank you for taking the time to read the papers. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I did when making the selections.
Jim Collins, Peer-Review Editor, ConocoPhillips
Associate Editors
Williams Chirinos, Inexertus
Galen Dino, AMEC Oil and Gas Americas
Sudhakar Mahajanam, ConocoPhillips
Gerald Verbeek, Verbeek Management Services
