Devon's new technique called Innovative Pipelining Strategies reduces right-of-way impact by approximately 50 per cent.
Devon Energy’s 90 per cent reduction in its pipeline footprint on agricultural land started with a bump.
Or make that many bumps, frowns, and choice words from farmers to Devon employees including Marc LaBerge, Devon’s Leader of Facilities Construction.
Reducing Pipeline Footprint Through Partnerships
Over the course of a growing season, a farmer has to cross over pipelines hundreds of times and when they hit sunken ditches or depressions caused by pipeline installation, they have to adjust their speed, spray, fertilizer, and seed rates. Sometimes, farmers don’t even see a depression until they’re on top of it and that can damage their equipment – and their nerves. LaBerge thought there must be a way to both do the work and build better relationships with the farming community.
The new technique impacts less land, is less expensive overall and is definitely less aggravating for farmers. Devon worked with the Alberta Environment’s Partners in Resource Excellence Initiative - a collaborative effort with producers, contractors, inventors, landowners and regulators - to develop systems for minimizing pipeline disturbance.
On a traditional 15 metre right-of-way, eight to twelve metres of topsoil would be stripped to house a three to four foot trench (for only a three to six inch pipe) and the excess subsoil feathered across the stripped area. When soil is removed from the ditch line, it expands. Without compaction, the result is excess. As the subsoil eventually settles in the ditch line, the depressions appear at surface.
The new approach minimizes the size of the trench. In some cases as small as eleven inches – and therefore reduces how much subsoil has to be compacted, avoiding feathering. Consequently, less topsoil has to be stripped. After the pipeline is lowered into place, the subsoil is returned to the trench and compacted with specially built compaction equipment. The compaction is one of the keys to re-stabilization of the soil, eliminating the risk of sunken ditches.
Devon piloted this method on several projects in 2007 and it’s now the company’s standard operating procedure for installing pipelines on agricultural land. In September 2009, Devon took a similar approach on forested lands.
LaBerge and Doug Kulba of the Alberta Environment’s Partners in Resource Excellence program have presented IPS to thousands of contractors, landowners, municipal officials, federal and provincial regulators, other operators and more.
“The old standard for pipelining has been in place for over 40 years,” says LaBerge. “It’s taken patience and perseverance but we’re very pleased to have created a new paradigm for pipelining.”
Not only does IPS use less land, operators shouldn’t have to re-enter land to repair sunken ditches, saving time and resources for energy companies and frustration for farmers.
Every year, Devon installs about 150-200 kilometres of pipeline; about 40 per cent of that is on agricultural lands. Across the province there are about 380,000 kilometres of oil and gas related pipeline.
EMPLOYEE STORIES
“Pipelining hasn’t changed much in Canada over the last 40 years so this is really industry leading work.”
- Marc LaBerge
Read more about Marc LaBerge