🛢️ Oil and Gas Pipeline New Project: Route Survey and Design 

1. Project Planning and Preparation

Objectives:

• Define project scope, budget, and timeline.

• Identify stakeholders, including landowners, authorities,

• and communities.Activities:

• Obtain existing topographical and cadastral maps.

• Gather geological, hydrological, environmental, and socio-political data.

• Set up a GIS database for data integration and visualization.

2. Preliminary Route Selection (Desktop Study)

Tools:

• Satellite imagery (Google Earth, GIS)

• Topographic maps

• Existing utility and infrastructure maps

Considerations:

• Shortest feasible distance

• Avoid environmentally sensitive areas (wetlands, forests, etc.)

• Bypass urban areas and heritage sites

• Crossings: rivers, roads, railways, power lines

Deliverable:

• Preliminary route corridor (typically 1–5 km wide)

3. Reconnaissance Survey (Walkover Survey)

Purpose:

• Ground-truth desktop data

• Identify major obstacles (rocky terrain, swamps, unstable soils)

• Meet with local stakeholders

Activities:

• Visual inspections

• Preliminary GPS tracking

• Photo documentation

4. Detailed Route Survey

Technologies Used:

• DGPS (Differential GPS): Accurate centerline marking

• Total Station / Theodolite: For topographic details

• UAV/Drones: For aerial imagery and terrain modeling

• LIDAR (optional): For high-resolution elevation data

• Geotechnical Surveys: Boreholes, test pits, soil sampling

• Hydrological Surveys: At river/stream crossings

• Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA)

Deliverables:

• Centerline coordinates (with chainage)

• Cross-sectional profiles

• Longitudinal profile

• Topographic map (with contours and features)

5. Pipeline Route Finalization

Steps:

• Evaluate alternative routes (technical, economic, environmental)

• Finalize centerline alignment

• Identify:

  • Valve stations

  • Pigging stations

  • River/road crossings

  • Right of Way (ROW) width (typically 20–30m)

6. Engineering Design

a. Mechanical Design

• Pipeline diameter and wall thickness (per ASME B31.4 / B31.8)

• Pressure and flow design

• Pipe material (API 5L grade)

b. Civil Design

• Earthworks and trenching

• River/road crossing methods:

  • HDD (Horizontal Directional Drilling)

  • Open cut

  • Boring/jacking

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d. Stress and Stability Analysis

• Expansion and contraction

• Buoyancy control in swampy/wet areas

e. Construction Planning

• Access roads

• Storage yards

• Construction sequence and schedule

7. Permitting and Approvals

Includes:

• Land acquisition and Right of Way (ROW) approvals

• Environmental clearance

• Utility crossing permissions

• Local authority and governmental approvals

8. Documentation and Reporting

Final Deliverables:

• Route survey report

• Detailed route map (AutoCAD or GIS-based)

• Design drawings (plan & profile)

• Material specification sheets

• Construction drawings and method statements

• Risk assessment and mitigation plan

📌 Key Standards and Codes

AreaStandards

Pipeline DesignASME B31.4 (liquid), ASME B31.8 (gas), API 5L

SurveyISO 17123, ASTM D5777

CP SystemNACE SP0169

EnvironmentalIFC, EIA guidelines (country-specific)

Would You Like Templates?

I can provide templates or samples for:

• Route Survey Report (DOC/PDF)

• AutoCAD drawing samples (plan/profile)

• Pipeline Design Calculations (Excel)

• ESIA checklist