Two lengthy sections of pipeline associated with the Trans Mountain Expansion Project are already in the ground.

That’s because the Project includes reactivation of about 193 kilometres of 24-inch pipe that was part of the original Trans Mountain Pipeline — but taken out of service in the last decade.

The larger of the two sections, about 150 kms, ranges between Hinton, Alberta and Hargreaves, British Columbia, through both Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park. It was removed from service when Trans Mountain’s Anchor Loop project was completed in 2008.

The other, between Darfield and Black Pines in BC, is about 42 kilometres in length. It was removed from service in 2004.

Returning these segments to service is necessary to complete the twinning of the pipeline system. In accordance with National Energy Board (NEB) regulations, these sections have been maintained in their deactivated state. They are monitored and maintained similarly to active segments, in anticipation of future use.

We connected with Bob Zeleny, Project Manager for Reactivation on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project to learn more.

What does your job involve?

My responsibility covers reactivation of two sections of pipeline. Reactivation involves a lot of work to qualify the pipeline for fitness for service. What that means is we have to investigate the condition of the pipeline and implement remedial measures to make sure it’s fit for service as it was intended — to transport oil.

Why are these sections needed for the Expansion?

When the Anchor Loop was built and put into service, the section between Hinton and Hargreaves became redundant. Our plan is now to reactivate the original Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMPL) in this segment. Also, many years ago the TMPL was looped (or twinned) between Darfield and Kamloops. The section between Darfield and Black Pines is currently out of service and will also be reactivated.

How do you determine they are still safe to operate?

To make sure the deactivated pipeline becomes fit for service, we carry out a number of activities. The first will be to run in-line inspection tools through them. This will gives us a very strong indication on the condition of the pipeline in terms of potential defects such as corrosion, dents, geometry and cracks. We will be running multiple in-line tools with two different technologies for crack detection.

The tool runs will generate a great deal of data, which we will process to identify the anomalies or defects within the pipeline, and which we will target for further investigation. This means digging up sections of the pipeline and doing detailed inspections and assessments.

If the anomalies don’t meet certain criteria to ensure pipeline integrity they will be repaired by “cut out,” or removed from the pipeline, and new pipeline sections installed. That’s going to be our first priority and that’s going to be quite a large job.

Secondly, we have a number of sleeves that were installed as repairs or to enhance the integrity of pipeline sections where previous anomalies had been found. We intend to cut those out as part of an ongoing program the company has been carrying out for a number of years.

Tell us about work at stream crossings.

Substantial amounts of reactivation work will be at stream crossings or what we refer to as natural hazard sites. For example, stream erosion can leave a section of pipe with shallow depth of cover or potentially exposed. In those circumstances, we would remediate the sites so the pipeline is reset below the stream with adequate depth of cover. Some of those activities will be in the form of a complete pipe replacement. We will be cutting out the pipe and removing it, building a new section of pipeline and installing a new stream crossing. In other cases, we will be simply providing additional mechanical protection to the pipeline.

What about other aspects of the pipeline, such as valves?

We will be carrying out a variety of work on valves — this is another significant component of the program.

We will install four new Remote Mainline Block Valves, including one in Jasper National Park, three of which will be remotely operated — and one of which is in Jasper Park. Also, we’ll automate four existing valves – including one in Jasper Park. We’re also installing six new check valves, including four in Jasper Park.

All the valves we reactivate will be disassembled, inspected and refurbished.

How do you confirm the reactivated sections are ready to carry oil again?

The final step to confirm the integrity of the reactivated pipeline will be a hydrostatic test. That involves putting water into the pipeline in sections and then pressurizing it for a period of time at levels higher than normal operating pressure.

Will the reactivated sections of pipeline be as strong as the new ones?

I believe these sections of pipeline can be appropriately reactivated and the integrity confirmed with hydrostatic testing, which establishes a minimum safety factor equivalent to the new pipeline segments.

We will be completing a comprehensive engineering assessment with respect to the condition of the pipeline, and will satisfy the NEB’s requirements for reactivation of a pipeline as well as the condition applied to the Board Order. As well, the NEB has required us to have that engineering assessment certified by an independent third party.

How will Trans Mountain work to ensure the environment is protected — including within the parks?

All of us on the Project team recognize the sensitivities around working in Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park — a knowledge generated through more than 60 years of operating a pipeline within the parks. This knowledge was further enhanced through our experience implementing the Anchor Loop project. Anything we do is going to respect the environment and also the safety of the public and all the people involved, including our workers and all of our staff.

We have procedures, policies and environmental protection plans. We intend to follow all of these. And of course, we will have frequent discussions with parks officials. I’m confident we can meet all of the requirements and conditions for which we are responsible.