TPT January 2025

Business & market news

Hydrogen pipeline guidance for gas distribution piping systems

More than 200 individuals from ASME, PRCI and the broader pipeline community reviewed the project and provided comments as the project progressed. “This collaborative effort exemplifies PRCI’s mission to advance pipeline safety and innovation through research driven solutions,” said Cliff Johnson, president of PRCI. “By combining our Emerging Fuels Institute with ASME’s expertise, we’ve created a practical framework to help standardise hydrogen pipeline requirements within the widely used B31.8 standard. This achievement demonstrates how industry-led research can effectively strengthen standards and accelerate the safe deployment of emerging fuels through the global pipeline infrastructure.” Moving forward, the PRCI project team will support the ASME B31.8 Hydrogen Task Group in presenting the proposed language in the CER for review and approval through a consensus process by the ASME B31.8 and B31 Standards committees for inclusion in the 2026 edition of B31.8. ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical carbon, increasing the efficiency of steel-framed buildings. Atlas Tube’s own engineering experts, who have seen and evaluated hundreds of designs, were also on hand to help engineers leverage HSS in a better way. “Quite simply, we want engineers to know that Atlas Tube has your back,” said Brad Fletcher, senior sales engineer, Atlas Tube. “In addition to product education, our engineering experts can help you solve design challenges, address sustainability requirements, support connection challenges and take advantage of the largest HSS and pipe pile size ranges in North America.” Visitors to the Atlas Tube booth received a preview of another engineer support tool – Fabricator-Friendly, Connection

The Emerging Fuels Institute (EFI) of the Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) have completed a Consensus Engineering Requirement (CER) project to translate and update the pipeline language from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B31.12 Hydrogen Pipelines Standard to establish a new exception chapter for hydrogen pipelines in the ASME B31.8 Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems Standard. The resulting report is a comprehensive, practical guide that will support fit-for purpose projects and help maintain pipeline safety. The final report with the proposed language and project details and a corresponding webinar are now available free on the PRCI website. “This change will result in a more efficient application of clear, consensus based hydrogen rules for piping systems by consolidating these rules into the standards that are most often used by our industry partners,” said Chris Cantrell, ASME’s senior managing director of standards and engineering services. “ASME would like to thank our volunteers, our staff and PRCI staff and volunteers for working with us to meet pipeline industry needs and to advance the use of hydrogen to promote a clean energy future.” Atlas Tube, a division of Zekelman Industries – a steel pipe and tube manufacturer based in North America – demonstrated how engineers can optimise their structures using its products and expertise at the recent NCSEA Structural Engineering Summit held at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. At the Atlas Tube booth, structural engineers interacted with the company’s new HSS vs Wide Flange Comparison Tool that offers an easy way to calculate savings in both pounds and dollars when converting from wide flange to hollow structural sections (HSS) in gravity column applications. Lightweighting a structure’s steel frame using HSS can reduce both the overall cost and the amount of embodied

The final report with the proposed language and project details and a corresponding webinar are now available free on the PRCI website

Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organisation that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. Since 1952, PRCI has been recognised around the world as a unique forum within the energy pipeline industry for delivering value to its members and the industry through the development and deployment of research solutions to improve pipeline safety. American Society of Mechanical Engineers www.asme.org Details. The company will be offering downloadable connection details that integrate with Revit, AutoCAD and other leading design programs to further streamline the design process. Atlas Tube will be officially launching the tool in early 2025. Zekelman is a family of operating companies which include Atlas Tube, Picoma, Sharon Tube, Wheatland Tube, Western Tube and Z Modular. With 20 manufacturing locations and more than 3,200 employees across North America, the company a leading independent manufacturer of HSS and steel pipe and a producer of electrical conduit and elbows, couplings and nipples in North America.

Atlas Tube shows engineering expertise at Structural Engineering Summit in Las Vegas

Zekelman Industries www.zekelman.com

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January 2025 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL