Pipeline Overview
The pipeline is thirteen kilometres long and 355 millimetres (about 14 inches) in diameter. It is buried approximately ten metres underground for most of its route, and at least 2.5 metres underground along Bridgeport Road.
The pipeline consists of specialty steel pipe manufactured in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard A53 (Grade B) and was installed to the standards established by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Standard Z662 for Oil and Gas Pipeline Systems. The pipeline installation and operation are regulated by the BC Energy Regulator.
Construction included extensive use of directional drilling (particularly for water body crossings and intersections) to mitigate potential environmental impacts and avoid disruption of vehicle and marine vessel traffic.
Before commissioning, the pipeline was tested and cleaned in accordance with construction and operational requirements, and marked along its entire length. Similar to all other utility installation, location information was provided to the City of Richmond and locator services.
Pipeline System
- Was constructed with resilient materials to current seismic design standards
- Is controlled and monitored by operations personnel during all fuel transfer activities
- Is pressurized only during fuel transfer operations between the Fuel Receiving Facility and YVR (not 24/7)
- Includes state-of-the-art corrosion protection and leak detection technologies
- Is buried underground and well-marked, mapped and electronically located for reference by municipal and private contractors
- Is monitored by a control system using pressure sensors and automatic flow shutoff devices
