CORRIB ONSHORE PIPELINE:

ENHANCING SAFETY
PIPELINE SAFETY
To ensure the safety and long-term
integrity of a pipeline the following
key elements must be managed
effectively
1. Design
2. Construction
3. Operation and Maintenance
The Corrib pipeline project is
applying best industry practice to
all of these aspects, with safety as
its first priority.
1. Design
The pipeline must be designed for the key operating parameters of pressure,
flow rate and fluid to be transported.
• Pressure
The normal operating pressure of the onshore pipeline will be 90 to 100 bar.
The maximum pressure in the pipeline onshore will be limited by the Landfall
Valve Facility to 144 bar. The pressure to which the onshore pipeline will be
hydro-tested (strength tested using water as the test medium) is in excess of
500 bar. This provides a very significant margin of safety. As gas is produced
from the Corrib field and the gas reservoir is depleted, the operating
pressure will decrease and is predicted to fall to 60 bar after 4 years, further
enhancing the margin of safety.
• Flow rate
The pipeline has been designed to transport 10 million cubic metres per day
at a velocity of 6 metres per second equivalent to 22 kilometres per hour.
• Fluid
The onshore pipeline will contain natural gas, hydrocarbon liquids, water and
inhibitors that are injected at the wells. The inhibitors are used to protect the
internal wall of the pipeline against corrosion, and to prevent the formation
of gas hydrates, which can lead to pipeline or valve blockages.
The application of knowledge and experience gained over many years through
operating pipeline systems similar to Corrib will ensure the safe and stable
operation of the pipeline.
The design must also take into account the terrain to be traversed, soil
conditions such as stability and corrosivity and social factors such as land
use and housing.
In areas of deep peat proven construction techniques similar to those used
by Bord Gáis Eireann for the Mayo Galway pipeline will be used to make sure
the pipeline is stable.
The pipeline will be routed in compliance with separation distances specified
in the relevant Irish and international pipeline design codes. A quantified risk
assessment of the onshore pipeline carried out by Advantica on behalf of the
then Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources in 2005,
confirmed that the risks associated with the Corrib onshore pipeline are
acceptable according to international norms.
The onshore pipeline will have an outside diameter of 508mm / 20” and
wall thickness of 27.1mm. To put this in context, the pipeline linking the ring
main in Galway to the terminal at Bellanaboy has an outside diameter of
660mm / 26” and is 9mm thick. The Corrib pipeline has been fabricated
from high-grade carbon steel and will be capable of safely transporting the
gas from the gas field to the terminal.
2. Construction
The construction of pipelines on land, whether in farm lands or bog, is
a routine activity for the construction industry. The way any pipeline is
constructed depends to a large extent on soil conditions and terrain.
The geophysical and geotechnical characteristics of the route will be
investigated and assessed before construction takes place. The construction
methodologies proposed for the onshore pipeline will be described in the
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) submitted with the upcoming pipeline
consent applications, which will be the subject of public consultation during
the application process.
3. Operation and Maintenance
The offshore and onshore sections of the pipeline will be protected against
internal and external corrosion throughout the lifetime of the operation. In
order to prevent internal corrosion, inhibitor chemicals will be continuously
injected into the pipeline at the offshore gas wells. The inhibitor will be
pumped out to the wells via a small pipeline, which is incorporated into a
group of service pipes and cables referred to as an umbilical, and is linked
to the terminal.
The outside of the pipeline will be protected by a polypropylene
thermoplastic coating, as well as an impressed voltage system. Monitoring
tools and techniques will be used to gather data to allow regular assessment
of the internal and external condition of the pipe and to ensure its integrity
throughout the lifetime of the operations. Pipeline inspection tools that travel
through the pipeline will be used to inspect the condition of the pipeline.
The Advantica Independent
Safety Review
In August 2005, the Minister for The Corrib Gas Partners’
Communications, Marine and Natural response to the Safety Review’s
Resources commissioned a consultant recommendations
company, Advantica, to carry out an
Independent Safety Review to address
Pipeline Pressure:
concerns expressed by local residents
Advantica recommended a system to ensure that the onshore pipeline
regarding the safety of the onshore pressure could not exceed 144 bar, suggesting this to be a practical and
section of the Corrib gas pipeline. effective measure to reduce risk in light of societal concerns that had
been expressed.

The findings of this review were published in early May 2006 and In response to this recommendation The Corrib Gas Partners have designed
concluded that: “proper consideration was given to safety issues in the a Landfall Valve Facility, which automatically shuts off the pressure from
selection process for the preferred design option and the locations of the offshore in the very unlikely event that the pressure in the onshore pipeline
landfall, pipeline route and terminal”. should rise towards 144 bar.

The Corrib Gas Partners are committed to safety; it is their first

priority. Therefore, recognizing that the implementation of Advantica’s
recommendations would further enhance the safety of the pipeline, they
accepted the findings of the Independent Safety Review and announced
that they would adhere fully to Advantica’s recommendations.
Ground stability:
The potential for ground movement to damage the pipeline due to
instability of peat and the possible unsuitability of peat for pipeline
construction were reviewed by Advantica.
Their report noted that peat is one of the most difficult materials in which
to construct pipelines and concluded that the “recommendations made
by AGEC (expert advisors on ground investigations along the pipeline
route) should be followed in full and the proposed construction methods
revised accordingly, in order that the ground stability issues are managed
appropriately”.
In response to this recommendation a technical report on the analysis
of potential for ground instability (Landslip Analysis) has been
prepared and submitted to The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of
the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
for their review. The detailed design for construction of the pipeline
along the final route will incorporate the necessary support and
stability measures determined through landslip analysis and detailed
soil conditions data gathered from site investigation.
Integrity Management Plan:
The Corrib gas pipeline project already had an Integrity Management
Plan, however, Advantica recommended that the plan should
include an operational and maintenance philosophy as well as the
implementation of an independent audit and inspection regime before
and during construction and in operation.
A Draft Pipeline Integrity Management System (PIMS) report
incorporating these elements has been submitted to TAG for their
review.
Pipeline design codes:
The onshore section of the Corrib pipeline had been designed to
British Standard BS8010, but this standard has since been replaced
by the European standard, PD 8010. Advantica recommended that if
the onshore pipeline was to be reclassified as a Class 2 (Suburban)
Pipeline, the pipeline design should be revised in accordance with
PD 8010. They also stated that the alternative approach of basing
the revised pipeline design on the Irish standard IS EN 14161,
supplemented by the use of PD 8010 and IS 328, would also be
acceptable provided that the more onerous requirements of PD 8010
and IS 328 were adopted where appropriate.
The use of Irish standard IS EN 14161, associated with the use of
the recommended parts of PD8010 & IS 328 where they exceed IS
EN 14161, have been agreed by TAG. These codes deal with pipeline
operation and maintenance, as well as design, construction, testing
and commissioning.
Conclusions
Advantica’s report concluded: “Provided that it can be demonstrated
that the pressure in the onshore pipeline will be limited effectively,
and that the recommendations made elsewhere in this report are
followed, we believe that there will be a substantial safety margin
in the pipeline design, and the pipeline design and proposed route
should be accepted as meeting or exceeding international standards
in terms of the acceptability of risk and international best practice for
high pressure pipelines”.
Controlling pressure
along the length of
the pipeline In addition to normal operator control, there
are three independent and automatic levels of
pressure protection in place for the Corrib
onshore pipeline (See below):

sea bed -
approx 350m below sea level PIPELINE

2 manifold
wellhead wellhead

wellhead integrated services

umbilical
wellhead
1

wellhead

THE CORRIB RESEVOIR

- APPROX 3000M BELOW
THE SEA BED

Approx 83km from shore

 approx 9km inland

treated water outfall pipe

[12.7km to sea]

Bord gáis eireann

pipeline

Normal Operator Control: Routine control adjustments from the control room.
Non-routine Operator Control: Alarm indicates to Operator that pressure is rising above the normal range and will go to automatic
closure if corrective control is not initiated.

1 automatic Safety Step 1: 3 automatic Safety Step 3:

Well Control Valves: the flow rate from each well will be controlled Landfall Valve Facility: automatic shut-off feature to limit the pressure
from the terminal by valves (known as chokes) located at each well- in the onshore pipeline. Again, this valve is fail safe and would close
head on the seabed. These valves will be closed to fully stop the flow in the event of failure.
of gas if required.

The combination of these three levels of pressure protection exceeds

industry ‘best practice’ and provides a level of safety above what
2 automatic Safety Step 2: would normally be required for a similar gas pipeline elsewhere in the
Well Shutdown Valves: in the unlikely case that the control valves fail world.
to close, there are additional subsea valves that will then be closed. In
fact, for each individual well there are a total of three subsea isolation
valves between the reservoir and the inlet to the offshore pipeline.
These valves are fail safe, therefore in the event of an electrical
failure in the control system, one of these valves would close. In the
event of a hydraulic failure, all three would close.

FIG 1.0
(NOT TO SCALE)
Controlling the pressure onshore:
the Landfall Valve Facility
Background
The original pipeline design for the Corrib project included an onshore
isolation valve located at the landfall. This was intended to allow the
onshore section of the pipeline to be isolated manually from the offshore
section – for instance if maintenance was needed. In response to
Advantica’s recommendations, the Corrib Gas Partners have undertaken
to install an automatic Landfall Valve Facility where the Corrib pipeline
comes ashore.
The Landfall Valve Facility in brief
The Landfall Valve Facility is a system that will shut off the flow of gas
automatically in the very unlikely event that the pressure in the pipeline
rises towards 144 bar at the landfall. When activated, the shut-off valves
close, resulting in complete isolation of the onshore section from the
offshore section of the pipeline. The pressure in the onshore pipeline
cannot rise above 144 bar.
The Landfall Valve Facility will be located at the landfall in Glengad, (See
Fig 1.0) about 50 metres from the edge of the cliff. It will consist of a
number of valves in the pipeline system, located below ground, together
with some supporting equipment that will be placed above ground. To
minimise visual impact the ground level of the installation will be lowered
into the landscape in this area ensuring that very little of the facility will
be visible from the public road.
How it works
The Landfall Valve Facility will function as follows (See Fig 2.0):
• Three pressure sensors/transmitters, located at the landfall valve
facility, continuously measure the pressure in the pipeline.
• If the sensors detect the gas pressure increasing above a certain
level, they send a series of ‘trip’ signals to a ‘control unit’.
• The control unit in turn commands the two shutdown valves to close.
• The flow in the pipeline stops, ensuring that the pressure on the
onshore side does not rise any further.
This function is automatic and requires no human intervention. In the
case of a control system malfunction or a loss of signal, the valves will
also close automatically.
The pressure in the production system from the wells to the terminal will
be controlled such that this safeguarding system should never have to
operate. The system will be tested on a regular basis, typically with a full
test once a year and partial tests of different components several times
a year.
ProgressING the Landfall Valve Facility
The Landfall Valve Facility will form a part of the modified onshore
pipeline system, which requires consent from An Bord Pleanála under the
Strategic Infrastructure Act, and from the Minister for Communications,
Energy and Natural Resources under the Gas Act.
 control unit

v3 v4
shutdown valves

v2
Maintenance
isolation valve
v5
Maintenance
isolation valve

v1
mainline PT
isolation valve
PT
PT

OFFshore pipeline onshore pipeline

PT
Pressure sensors. Measure the pressure
in the pipeline
Control Unit
THE Control Unit sends signals to
shutdown valves to close them when
pressure approaches 144 bar
V1
Mainline isolation valve. Closed during
normal operation
V3 & V4
Shutdown valves. Will close automatically
when pressure approaches 144 bar
V2 & V5
Maintenance Isolation Valves. Open
during normal operation, closed when
maintenance of the shutdown valves is
required.

FIG 2.0
(NOT TO SCALE)
Landfall Valve Facility:
Questions & Answers
Some of the most frequently asked
questions on the Landfall Valve Facility
are outlined below.
What back up plans are in place if the valves fail
to limit the pressure?
The valve itself is a backup system, which will only come into operation
in very exceptional circumstances, for example if the terminal has to be
shut down for any reason, in combination with the valves in the Corrib
Field failing to operate as they should. The valve system will be designed
with several layers of redundancy (safety), to make sure that the onshore
pipeline system never experiences pressures above 144 bar.
It should be noted that the onshore pipeline was originally designed to
withstand the highest occurring wellhead pressure, and that it will be
tested to over 500 bar before the system is taken into operation. Thus, in
the extremely unlikely event that all the above systems fail, the pipeline
will contain the pressure and no gas will escape. The new design will
have the pipeline rated at 144 bar, with a design factor of 0.3 which is
the factor used for suburban areas.
Will there be any emissions resulting from the
operation of the landfall valve facility?
The operation of the landfall valve facility will not cause any emissions.
How will gas leaks be prevented?
The design, manufacture, assembly, inspection and pressure
testing will ensure that the potential for leaks is minimised.
Connections located below ground will be welded where possible.
In addition, personnel from the terminal will carry out regular
inspections and gas testing on the landfall valve facility
What type of maintenance and monitoring
programmes are required?
The landfall valve facility will be subject to a regular inspection
and maintenance checks and testing, including visual and gas
tests, valve closure and leakage tests, electronic checks, and
communications checks. These will be set out in a planned
maintenance schedule, which will form part of the Pipeline Integrity
Management Scheme.
Are systems like this used elsewhere in
the world?
Pressure limiting systems as described above are widely used
across the world as means of protecting pipelines from over-
pressure. Similar equipment is incorporated into upstream
flowlines from subsea fields to offshore platforms, between
platforms offshore and between offshore and onshore facilities.
Others are used to protect distribution systems onshore. Examples
can be found in The Netherlands (e.g. NOGAT, Moddergat pipelines
in NAM), where shut-off valves are used between offshore/onshore
wells and pipelines. In some instances, these facilities are located
in quite densely populated areas, with considerably smaller
separation distances than those to be applied for the Corrib
pipeline.
Who monitors the system within Shell?
The operators working in the terminal will monitor and manage the
operations. Shell has internal and external audits of these systems.
Under current legislation, Shell will be required to report on an
annual basis the status and actions taken to ensure full technical
integrity of the Corrib Gas pipeline system.
 For Further information please
Visit: www.corribgas.ie
Contact: The Corrib Gas Project, 52 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2.
Tel: 01-669-4100
Email: info@corribgas.com