Although technology advancements have had significant impact on the energy industry, there are still ways we can improve on what the industry is already doing today.
It is a widely held opinion that pipelines are the most efficient and safest way to transport commodities like oil and gas products. This does not, however, ensure that they are indestructible because leaks in pipelines are a reality.
Regulatory bodies are in place to ensure the energy industry acts responsibly by enforcing integrity management and emergency response plans for when releases happen. Major releases tend to dominate headlines, but minor releases also impact the environment, and we can learn just as much from them. This is especially important as the industry strives to reach zero releases.
But can we improve on what the industry is already doing today to reach this aspirational goal?
Larry Young, founder and CEO of Total Containment Inc. (Total Containment), thinks we can improve. “Although monitoring pipelines is in place, the industry can do more to protect the environment.”
Where the heart of the problem lies is that although current technology exists today to alert companies about a release quickly, time is still required before it can be contained. Environmental impact, however, is immediate.
Young also observed that secondary containment currently exists for facilities, but not for pipelines, thereby identifying a need for a reliable, secondary containment system to help protect the environment from causing unnecessary damage.
Envirolock 2.0 secondary containment system, copyright 2023 total containment
Since its establishment in 2016, Total Containment has been continuously developing an innovative secondary containment system, the Envirolock Pipeline Leak Management System, that provides a failsafe barrier to reduce environmental impact, and ideally, supports the industry to reach their goal of zero releases.
Perfect for newly proposed pipelines, the system can also retrofit existing pipelines, which is especially important in high-risk areas.
Young says, “To determine our next best steps to take our secondary containment system to the industry, we engaged GDM for access to their Enhanced Pipeline and Facility database and for analysis via Converge, their flagship software application.”
In using the GDM Converge application, Total Containment had the ability to query and refine results that enabled them to:
- Create a database of newly proposed pipelines where a secondary containment solution could make the greatest impact.
- Create a database of existing pipelines in high-risk areas that would benefit from secondary containment.
- Create company profiles to highlight areas of interest where Total Containment can assist companies to reach zero releases. This was facilitated by accessing the same database as the industry to compile findings and perform risk analysis.
- Leverage GDM’s flexible licensing (important for a start-up or companies that do not need annual subscriptions) and use the information and software when they needed.
- Realize value quickly in a short time via an easy-to-use application.
- Access excellent customer support when needed.
“Within a three-month time period, GDM technology significantly improved the speed and accuracy of our business development exercise, which is the key to our success,” Young says.
“We will use the results to date to prepare for upcoming pilot projects and support with grant applications. The information and analysis will help Total Containment show proof of value and validation for our innovative approach to secondary containment to the industry, and market for future seeding for investors. We intend to leverage our findings as groundwork for commercialization and go-to-market strategy projected in 2024.”
Brian Hall, GDM President, further iterates that “there is a rich multi-decade history of innovation in our industry. What is truly fantastic to experience is the dawn of next level technology advancement where information and field application meet to disrupt the status quo.
Companies like Total Containment and GDM care about the success of our industry and will continue to push the technology envelope.”
To see for yourself, you can start a free 7-day trial of Converge today!
