Natural Gas Pipeline Maintenance Training for Your Team

A pipeline maintenance team is established to preserve the health and safety of both the public and the environment. In recent years, improving deliverability and efficiency has become increasingly important. In 2011, a U.S. government study found that roughly 69 billion cubic feet of natural gas was lost to the atmosphere, almost enough to meet the state of Maine’s gas needs for a year and equal to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of about six million automobiles. Within the oil and gas industry, aging pipeline infrastructure has become a costly problem, requiring highly qualified teams of inspectors and technicians to properly maintain and protect pipelines from corrosion.

Pipeline management teams are required to complete several certificates, workshops, and courses to ensure these standards are met. These certificates and trainings focus on natural gas measurement, pressure regulation, flow control, and other measurement related areas. Ranging from general to very specific, these trainings are essential for the safety of your facility, as well as the communities you are providing gas to. In the United States, your team has access to several regional and national training resources, including:

• Southern Gas Association
• MEA Energy Association
• NACE International
• GTI
• American School of Gas Measurement Technology
• American Petroleum Institute

These organizations are paving the way for a safe and efficient future for the oil and gas industry. With many organizations providing both in person and online courses, obtaining these certificates can be achieved by anyone. These classes and certifications require a relevant degree, or verifiable work experience in the field. Along with the experience, an exam must be passed to obtain the certification.

In one of our recent blog posts, “Three Key Principles for Building a Pipeline Safety Program”, we touch on a commitment to having zero safety incidents. Although this goal is difficult due to unforeseen accidents, having a team trained and certified in relevant areas in the industry will lower your team’s chances of work-related accidents and provide the public with safe, and reliable natural gas.

In addition to safety and construction training, many facilities find it useful to have specific product training for their engineers and operators. YZ Systems is building a library of resources for your team to utilize. This series is filmed on-site by our engineers to ensure accuracy and relevance. Additionally, all the videos can be easily found on our YouTube channel and are formatted for easy viewing on your mobile phone.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the first few we have developed:

• Odorizer Purge Restart
• N-300 Controller Set Up
• F-pump Re-build

For those members of your team who also like to have a hard copy, you can find a transcript of all instructions attached to the video or download our manuals from the website. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for easy access and updates when new videos are added.

Training is a continuous process, as the industry keeps advancing, employees most constantly undergo new training programs and certifications to stay up on new technologies and procedures. The resources listed before constantly update their catalog of courses to help your team stay up to date on what’s new in the industry.

We’d love to hear from you! Do you have suggestions on other topics we should cover? Submit your suggestion here.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990- 2011,”April 12, 2013, available at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions/US-GHGInventory-2013-Main-Text.pdf. Maine gas consumption levels are based on data reported to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), available at http://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/annual/pdf/nga11.pdf.