A brief history of pipes - from the Romans to today's oil and gas technology
Pipes and pipelines have been used for thousands of years to transport resources from one location to another. From the very first recorded copper pipes used by the Egyptians in 3000BCE to today’s hi-tech oil and gas lines, pipes have played a key role in human survival. Records suggest that a rudimentary pipeline was used as long ago as 2500BCE to transport natural gas to Beijing to provide light for the city.
Roman pipeline technology
The Romans used aqueducts to transport fresh water from mountain springs, keeping drinking water fresh and free from human waste and vastly improving public health. When the Roman Empire collapsed the knowledge of fluid transportation, hygiene and sanitation went it. Europe headed into the insanitary Dark and Middle Ages, characterised by diseases such as dysentery, cholera, tuberculosis and the catastrophic Black Death. Renewed interest in sanitation and the impressive engineering works of the Romans started with the Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries and from then onwards pipe and pipeline technology started to improve.
Steel pipe fabrication
Methods for creating welded steel pipes were developed in the 1820s, after William Murdock created his system for transporting coal gas via the deeply inefficient method of joining together the barrels of discarded muskets. Comenius Whitehouse’s butt-welding method was developed in 1825 and forms the foundation of current pipe fabrication. In this process thin sheets of iron were heated then drawn through a cone-shaped opening to create a pipe shape.
Increased production and efficiency
From the mid-1800s steel production increased in volume and efficiency, particularly with the discovery of the Bessemer process in 1847, and thus the fabrication of steel pipes rose. Pipe production techniques continued to improve in the mid-1800s, with seamless pipe welding techniques, in which a pipe is fabricated by piercing a steel billet to create a tube, beginning to appear in the late 1800s.
Early oil and gas pipelines
The first commercial oil well in the US, Drake Well, was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859, sparking America’s first oil boom. But although the well produced great quantities of oil, transporting the oil from the well to refineries and onwards was a big problem. Moving barrels via horse-drawn cart or waterway was slow and expensive, inspiring oil companies to invest in pipeline technology, and in 1865 the first successful oil pipeline was built. Oil companies quickly discovered that transporting oil via pipeline left them less susceptible to theft or damage, was more convenient, more economical and more reliable. Increased production of high strength steel pipes meant it was now possible to transport oil and gas over large distances, and pipelines began to appear all over the world.
Pipe innovations
Pipes for transporting oil and gas are still fabricated in the same way, either by folding and welding metal sheets together or making seamless tubes from steel billets. Since the mid-20th century technology has moved on and more recent innovations include the creation of corrosion-resistant coatings, increased use of computers and sensors to control pipelines, the development of “pigs” to clean pipe interiors, cathodic protection systems to reduce corrosion and extend pipe lifetime, machines to bend pipes in the field and new inspection systems to detect leaks or weak spots.
Safety and standards
Oil and gas operators are more focused on safety and standards than ever. The consequences of pipeline failure are so enormous, both to the environment and a company’s fortunes, that operators have invested heavily in increasing safety and inspection standards, with the result that pipes and pipelines are the safest they have ever been.
Pipes and pipelines usually exist out of sight, buried under the ground, sunk deep in the sea or even hidden under the floors and in the walls of your house, so their importance in our lives often goes unrecognised. But without pipes to deliver the water and fuel we need and remove waste our existence as we know it would be threatened.
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Posted 20.01.20
[5 minute read]