News

The last day of Rio Pipeline conference was marked by the debate on technological innovations for the pipeline industry. Data analysis and the use of drones were highlighted as faster and more economic solutions for the problems found by professionals in the field.

Due to recent regulation for the use of drones in Brazil, the market can adapt and use the tool in its favor. Carlos Hennig, Skydrones technical director, talked about how the use of these devices help in capturing high-definition images and inspecting, during the special forum on the subject.

Henning pointed out the need to integrate the use of drones with information collection and data analysis. “Current technology demands, besides a specialized pilot, a person to process post-flight images and analyze the data. So, we come to more precise results,” he explained.

Danny Aronson, from Transpetro, said Big Data & Analytics resources in midstream (pipelines and terminals) systems are still in development. “The use of Big Data can help find solutions to what we didn’t even know existed. The logistics of fuel transportation, for example, can bring us data that optimize the purchase and delivery of the quantity of product”, he stressed.

Another important issue brought upon the last day was the future of regulation. For Luciana Rocha, from the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), changes need to be made to adapt to the future of the sector. “Since the approval of legislation for natural gas, in 2009, no gas pipeline was built. Proposals such as “Gas para Crescer”, if approved, will bring more opportunities to the industry, such as the approval for the exploration and no longer a concession as it is today”, she explained.

At the end of the event, Rio Pipeline 2017’s chairman, Marcelino Guedes, demanded focus on the Brazilian industry’s internationalization, with an exchange of experience with other countries.

“After the success of this edition, with 1,400+ delegates, we have to occupy our space in the international community and showcase our competence at the International Pipeline Conference (IPC), in 2018, in Canada,” Marcelino highlighted, still on the internationalization of the pipeline segment.

Awards

On the event´s third day, projects were awarded. Pedro Altoé Ferreira won the Calgary Award, established by IBP in 2001. As part of the award, the winner will present his paper at the International Pipeline Conference, in 2018, in Calgary, Canada.

Tran Mah-Paulson, from TWD, won the Global Pipeline Award, granted by the Pipeline Systems Division (PSD) of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), since 2005, in acknowledgment of innovations and technological advance accomplished by organizations in the area of pipeline transportation.

The ceremony also paid homage to Orfila Lima dos Santos, Petrobras’ former director, with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his pioneer work in the pipeline industry. Deceased in 2016, his daughter Isabel received the award.

Rio Pipeline 2017 is sponsored by Petrobras; Rosen; Transportadora Brasileira Gasoduto Bolívia-Brasil (TBG); Nova Transportadora do Sudeste (NTS); Mattos Filho Advogados; and Tory-Tech.