EITEP’s 2nd Virtual Pipeline Summit

Following the reorganization of Europe’s leading pipeline conference and exhibition, the Pipeline Technology Conference (ptc), into an online event, the EITEP Institute established a new series of online events called Virtual Pipeline Summits (VPS). For the 2nd VPS on “Leak Detection and Third-Party Impact Prevention” on 7 October 2020, 697 pipeline professionals from 74 different countries registered. More than 30% of those participants were pipeline operators.

Pipelines can face various internal and external conditions which cannot always be exactly predicted or controlled by pipeline operators. Pipeline leakages, third-party damage and illegal tapping are severe problems not only regarding economic aspects but also in terms of safety, integrity, and the environmental impact of pipeline systems. Pipeline operators can choose from a variety of both internal and external leak detection and third-party impact prevention and detection systems available on the market.

The summit was opened with a comprehensive overview on “Operational Experience with Various Leak Detection and Third-Party Impact Prevention Systems” by Dr. Axel Scherello, Project Leader at Open Grid Europe. The subsequent discussion round, led by Michael Cech of OMV and with participants from Canada, Brazil and Colombia, addressed the problem of illegal tapping in greater depth. In a lively discussion with the participants of the summit, various technical, economic and social aspects of the problem could be discussed. In order to further support the international exchange of experience, there will be another illegal tapping round-table discussion exclusively for pipeline operators at the upcoming Pipeline Technology Conference 2021 in Berlin.

Several market leaders in the field of leak detection were represented in a virtual exhibition and answered questions from the audience during their technical presentations. The participants made extensive use of the chance to get in touch with the participating companies and to talk to each other via a LinkedIn-like activity feed and to exchange virtual business cards with each other. Even beyond the date of the live event, the participants could follow up with the speakers and the other representatives from the virtual exhibitors in case there are questions that had not been answered during the sessions. Moreover, all live content will stay online as recorded videos for participants who were not been able to join the live video feed.

The EITEP Institute is now working on the upcoming 3rd Virtual Pipeline Summit to be held in December and on the 16th Pipeline Technology Conference and Exhibition that will take place in Berlin in March.