Temporary Saltwater Pipelines: Current Practice and Recommendations

Drilling and completing oil and gas wells, particularly when using horizontal and hydraulic fracturing techniques, requires enormous amounts of water. Generally, it is cheaper for the industry to move fluids by pipeline than by truck, hence the interest in using permanent and/or temporary pipelines to transport water in areas where oil and gas developments take place. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) uses two types of lease agreements for the installation of saltwater pipelines on the right of way. Short-term leases up to 180 days) are used for above-ground temporary saltwater pipelines, mainly intended to carry non-produced water. Longer-term leases are used for underground saltwater pipelines, mainly to carry produced water. Prior to temporary leases becoming operational in summer 2016, TxDOT used temporary permits for above-ground temporary pipelines. The purpose of research project 0-6886 was to review temporary pipeline installation practices, develop a guidebook to install and operate temporary pipelines, and recommend potential changes to policies and regulations based on field data collection and stakeholder feedback. The research included a review of standards, specifications, and practices in Texas and other states; data collection in the field to extract information about typical installation trends; a hydraulic analysis to estimate the impact of temporary pipelines in the hydraulic capacity of culverts; a review of the characteristics and impact of saltwater on the roadside; and stakeholder meetings to discuss trends and the draft guidebook.

• Record URL:
  http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6886-R1.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6886-R1.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://static.tti.tamu.edu/tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6886-R1.pdf
• 
• Summary URL:
  https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/Presto/catalogid=36974
• Summary URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/66270
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/43792
• Corporate Authors:

  Texas A&M Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System
  3135 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135

  Texas Department of Transportation

  Research and Technology Implementation Office
  125 E 11th Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Quiroga, Cesar
  • Holik, William
  • Li, Jing
  • Tsapakis, Ioannis
  • Bierling, David
• Publication Date: 2019-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Technical Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 142p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Guidelines; Hydraulic fracturing; Installation; Offshore drilling platforms; Pipe laying; Seawater; Standards; Temporary structures; Underwater pipelines
• Identifier Terms: Texas Department of Transportation
• Geographic Terms: Texas
• Subject Areas: Construction; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Pipelines; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01712017
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/TX-17/0-6886-R1, Report 0-6886-R1
• Contract Numbers: Project 0-6886
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jul 22 2019 8:00PM