pipelines | Common News Update

Jan92019 by adminNo Comments

Tapped-out pipelines cause gas shortage in Mexico

World

Motorists lined up for a fourth straight day at gas stations in western Mexico Tuesday as the government continued to restrict pipeline deliveries to combat illegal fuel taps. With pipelines riddled with illegal taps drilled by fuel thieves, the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has switched to shipping fuel by tanker truck in a few western and central states. But there aren't enough trucks for the task. Lopez Obrador said fuel theft gangs have grown so bold — and have so many connections inside refineries — that they've been stealing gasoline and diesel directly from plants. Lopez Obrador said soldiers dispatched to guard depots and refineries found a 2-mile (3 kilometer) long hose leading from one refinery to a tank outside. Authorities said Monday tha...

Jul242018 by adminNo Comments

Microbots capable of sensing environs could explore intestines, pipelines

Science

July 23 (UPI) -- Engineers at MIT have designed tiny, new robots capable of sensing their surroundings. The microbots, roughly the size of a human egg cell, could be used to explore hard-to-reach passageways, like the human intestines or a gas pipeline. Scientists designed the tiny robots by coupling electric circuitry to colloids, a mixture feating insoluble particles so small they never settle in water or air. Colloid particles always remains dispersed. "We wanted to figure out methods to graft complete, intact electronic circuits onto colloidal particles," Michael Strano, a professor of chemical engineering, told MIT News. Researchers have previously tried to turn small particles or molecules into robots, but scientists have mostly focused their efforts on improving the mobility of mi...

Aug32017 by adminNo Comments

Enbridge: Michigan, North Dakota pipelines working as planned

Business

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The source of opposition, pipeline company Enbridge said in its second quarter report that pipelines in Michigan and North Dakota were operating as expected.Second quarter net income was $ 92.6 million, up 10 percent from the same period last year. For the six months ending June 30, the company reported net income of $ 158.1 million, down about 3.5 percent from the same period in 2016.One of the larger pipeline operators in North America, the company attributed some of the weakness to increased operating costs, completion of tests on its Line 5 system through the Great Lakes and weakness in its natural gas business, which was sold off in June.Enbridge is facing push back from residents in the northern part of Michigan's lower peninsula worried about the integrity of Line 5,...

Jun122017 by adminNo Comments

Subsea pipelines offer shelter to important commercial fish species in Australia

Science

June 12 (UPI) -- For conservationists and environmentalists, pipelines and the oil they carry are mostly viewed as a threat to ecological health. But new research suggests they serve as a safe haven for important commercial fish species off the coast of northwest Australia.The North West Shelf, which lies off the coast of Western Australia, features an array of gas wells, subsea pipelines and other kinds of underwater infrastructure necessary to support oil and gas exploration in the region.Oil and gas companies regularly use remote operated vehicles, or ROVs, to monitor their pipelines. Researchers at the University of Western Australia used video footage from industry submersibles to survey fish diversity and abundance around pipelines at varying depths.Their analysis revealed a surprisi...