American Gas - August/September 2013 - (Page 8)

issues Source Code Industry standard enhances tracking and traceability d ig e s t A new study by cornell University undergrad Oliver Lake reveals that 59.9 million Americans, or 19.4 percent of the nation’s population, live within four miles of a public CNg fueling station. The report used 2010 U.s. census data for its calculations, which also found that 21.5 million Americans live within two miles of a cnG station and 5.3 million live within one mile of a facility. Lake’s report refutes the belief that fueling infrastructure is a primary roadblock holding back cnG adoption in transportation. The planned Los ramones pipeline from texas to central mexico would triple mexican natural gas imports from the U.s. The pipeline, which would carry about 3 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day by 2015, will help mexican companies reduce their use of fuel oil. As one official told reporters, “A lot of investment is looking to come to mexico, so we have to respond by providing natural gas as part of our offer to get these companies to come.” constitution Pipeline co. has asked the Federal energy regulatory commission to approve a 122-mile pipeline connecting northeastern pennsylvania and eastern New York state. The pipeline is designed to carry enough gas to serve some 3 million homes and link Pennsylvania gas-producing areas to northeastContinued on page 10 8 AmericAn GAs august/september 2013 i n 2011, a new standard for keeping track of plastic natural gas pipes and fittings was created, and today, that standard is starting to have a real impact in the industry. The standard—known as ASTM F2897— specifies a 16-digit alphanumeric code that contains a range of information about an individual component, such as the manufacturer, lot number, production date, material, and size. This can be printed on each component as text or as some type of barcode. Compliance with the standard is voluntary, but a number of companies are beginning to take advantage of this capability. “Today, manufacturers are just starting to put these codes on pipes and fittings, and utility companies are just starting to ask for it,” says Alicia Farag, program manager at the Gas Technology Institute in Des Plaines, Ill. With the traditional approach, various manufacturers and vendors each used different methods to identify parts. “Prior to this specification, a utility would get components and the information on them would be all over the place as far as how it was designated, where it was placed, and those sorts of things,” says Greg Goble, an engineering manager for R.W. Lyall, a Corona, Calif.-based manufacturer of pipeline components. With the standard code, on the other hand, “we have a common way for manufacturers to be able to convey information about a particular component and certain attributes about that component,” he says. That, in turn, helps utilities find specific components for maintenance efforts, or to respond with greater speed and accuracy in the event of a recall or equipment failure. It also assists with documentation and visibility for the purposes of regulatory reporting. Many manufacturers see a significant benefit in using the standard, and the Plastics Pipe Institute has established a website (www.componentid.org) where manufacturers can register their two-character, company-specific identifier, which is part of the overall code. For its part, Lyall started putting the codes on its below-ground pipeline products in early 2012. “As a manufacturer, we see this as something that enhances safety within the industry, because when an issue comes up, it gives you a way to understand and mitigate the risks quickly,” says Goble. In addition, he says, the code provides a “standardized language and syntax” that makes it possible for utilities to build information systems that automate more record-keeping activities. GTI is one of the organizations creating such a system to take advantage of the standard barcodes. “We have developed a system that uses high-accuracy GPS, tablet computers, and barcode scanning to automate the installationmapping process,” says Farag. “It helps increase accuracy and data quality by eliminating manual data entry and back-office processing while creating a record of all the assets you have installed. If you start seeing leak trends in a certain type of component, for example, you can know exactly where those components are so that they can be quickly located and replaced.” The system should be commercially available in the fall, she says. The benefits of the standard identifiers will only increase over time, as components reach the end of their life cycle and older workers—and their knowledge—leave the workforce. As Goble explains: “Twenty or 30 years from now, instead of having to be super sleuths to figure out what in the world it is we just dug out of the ground, we’ll have a very good record of what was put in there, who made it, what it was, and what it was intended to do.” —Peter Haapaniemi issues In Harmony Gas and renewables are complementary, Texas-focused report says t o meet its fast-growing needs for clean electricity, the Texas power market should look for ways to co-develop and integrate natural gas and renewable energy resources says a new report produced by The Brattle Group for the Texas Clean Energy Coalition. Texas is already the nation’s top-consuming http://www.componentid.org http://www.componentid.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - August/September 2013

American Gas - August/September 2013
Contents
President’s Message
Subject Index
Dual-Fuel CNG Beauties
Digest
Issues
Issues
Issues
Need to Know
By the Numbers
Places
In Las Vegas, Another Man-Made Wonder
State House
State House
Elm Street
Main Street
A Matter of Trust
Profile
Here Comes the Grid
Marketing
Jobs
Vendor News
Marketplace
Headway

American Gas - August/September 2013

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