Keystone Pipeline's CP Journey Spans Three Years And 2,147 Miles

摘要

T he Keystone Pipeline is a 2,147- mile (3,456-km) pipeline that transports crude oil from Hardisty, Alberta, to U.S. Midwest markets at Wood River and Patoka in Illinois, and ultimately to Cushing, OK. On June 30, 2010, TransCanada (TCPL) began commercial operation of the first phase of the Keystone Pipeline System. Keystone's first phase was highlighted by the 537-mile (864-km) conversion of a natural gas pipeline to a crude oil pipeline, and the construction of a bullet line that brings the crude oil non-stop from Canada through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois to market hubs in the U.S. Midwest (Figure 1). In late 2007, Cimarron Engineering teamed with TCPL Corrosion Specialists to serve as Keystone lead designers and project managers for the cathodic protection (CP) system development and installation program. Aside from the task of preparing CP design specifications, the primary function of the CP team was to work with multiple project design teams, regional and national regulators, construction managers, regional contractors, and multiple foreign pipeline operators.