Marathon’s HALI Pipeline Project Crucial Natural Gas Link in Midwest
The HALI–the Harpster to Lima Pipeline – went live in July 2017, and now, almost a year later continues to deliver between 25,000 to 37,000, and up to 50,000 barrels of condensate and natural gasoline to producers, mid-streamers, marketers, diluent blenders, and refiners throughout the Midwest. The HALI pipeline project is part of Marathon Pipeline’s $500 million investment to connect four refineries in Ohio with other pipelines in the Midwest and third party pipelines into Canada.
More than 450 contractors worked an estimated 1 million hours to complete the project, workers from Southeastern Directional Drilling (SEDD) provided directional drilling and Energy Services South (ESS) constructed major portions of the pipeline. Both companies are subsidiaries of PLH Group.
Before the pipeline went operational, several safety and performance tests were conducted, such as X-raying the welds that connected each section of the pipeline and testing the lines with water.
“We pressured it with water, well above what we’d see during normal operating conditions to make sure it’s going to be safe when we go to operate it at lesser pressure,” said Ryan Schroeder, business development representative for Marathon Pipe Line.
After the pressure test, a “smart tool” detector was fished through the line to see if there was any damage to the pipe. According to Schroeder no problems were encountered during the testing phase. “Everything tested really well, we’re very happy with the quality that we got.”
As Paul Sparkman, Energy Services South President stated in an earlier article about the construction of the Marathon’s Harpster to Lima Pipeline, this project highlights “our employees and our commitment to continually exceed our client’s expectations.”
Safety is always a priority for any jobs SEDD and ESS perform.
To learn more about the HALI pipeline, click here to watch the video produced by Marathon Petroleum Corporation.
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