Pipelines visibility

Early in the morning of November 19, 1984, large quantities of LPG leaked from a pipeline or tank. The heavy LPG vapors dispersed over the 1-m-high dike (3 ft) wall into the surroundings. The vapor cloud had reached a visible height of about 2 m (6 ft) when it was ignited at a flare pit. 

Pipelines have a long history. In ancient times, pipelines were used for water transport. Examples are still visible in archeologic areas. However, it is clear that these early constructions could not bear large pressures. The advent of gas pipelines started between 1820 and 1830 with the distribution of town gas. Nowadays pipelines are indispensable in petroleum industries for the transport of various materials, including natural gas, crude oil of various types, and refined products. 

Fig. 1. Co-addition of four UVES pipeline spectra of NGC 6397/TO201432 (observing dates 2000-06-18 and 22, two spectra per night). The resulting spectrum was arbitrarily normalized at 6410 and 6690 A. As blaze residuals are not properly accounted for in the pipeline order merging, the echelle order pattern is clearly visible in the merged spectrum. With an amplitude of 2 %, these instrumental artifacts do not allow to derive Baimer-profile temperatures to better than 200-300K.

These plans envision assembling a portfolio of in-licensed drug candidates for which collective development risk is deemed to be relatively low. The idea is to in-license molecules that either are too specialized (small market potential) for large pharma or are not visible to their radar because they come from places like Eastern Europe. These stories are favorites of professional investors, because rNPVs can be calculated with relatively low development risk on the basis of demonstrated clinical utility and/or pipeline diversity. Examples include Dura Pharmaceuticals, who marketed prescription products that treat infectious and respiratory diseases, and Gilead who marketed antiviral nucleotides discovered in the Czech Republic. 

Fig. 7. Overpressures from LNG RPTs. Note All pressures are reflected values ( ) Shell Pipeline, 1972 tests (x) LLNL/NWC China Lake tests, 1980 (V) Shell Research Maplin Sands tests, 1980, outside visible cloud (A) Shell Research Maplin Sands tests, 1980, inside visible cloud.

Leaks from pipelines, process vessels, and small storage tanks are a common phenomenon in many chemical plants. It is not always possible to change the leaking pipe or the vessel immediately especially during night shifts due to practical difficulties such as insufficient manpower and less visibility. In such cases, it is imperative to stop the leak at least temporarily till proper repairs or replacement can be done. It may also become necessary to find some immediate practical solutions to operational or maintenance problems though they may not be workable on a long-term basis. These immediate solutions are to be treated like a first aid only. 

Glass pipeline A term describing a supply chain in which the visibility over the status of the product is high. One is easily able to track physical movement through the pipeline. 

The cheapest form is soda-glass, which is brittle and sensitive to thermal shock, but borosilicate glass, for example Pyrex or Hysil, is stronger and has a greater resistance to thermal shock. It has a wide range of application as pipes, valves, heat exchangers, and small vessels. It enables several acids to be handled in the same pipeline and has the added advantage that, since it is transparent, the interior of such equipment is clearly visible. 

When pipelines are identified by color-painted bands or tapes, are the bands or t es located at reasonable intervals and at each outlet, valve, or connection, and are all visible parts of the line so identified ... 

When the contents of pipelines are identified by name or name abbreviation, is the information readily visible on die pipe near each valve or outlet ... 

TLC felt its supply chain was already unique. But it was also considering alternative channels for its products, which promised further complication rather than simplicity. For this reason, TLC chose to customize a database for entering and tracking orders through the fulfillment cycle. The result was the conceptual design for the database to cover all the desired functionality. One advantage of this approach was the ability to add functionality incrementally. The top priority was gaining visibility over available-to-promise (ATP) product in the pipeline. This was selected as the first component of the database. 

Inventory management becomes a network responsibility. As the partners access information online, they find it becomes easier to match inventories in the visible pipeline to those which are needed to meet actual orders and planning. 

VMI involves a broader view of the inventory staging and deployment areas and what goes on in what becomes the visible pipeline showing flow of goods. This feature provides better inputs to the manufaeturer for planning and inventory flow at a level much closer to the retailer s aetual needs. This processing still includes limited joint business development... 

The common theme that links these points is that we seem to suffer in business from a lack of visibility of costs as they are incurred through the logistics pipeline. Ideally what logistics management requires is a means of capturing costs as products and orders flow towards the customer. 

Reducing the gap can be achieved by shortening the logistics lead time (end-to-end pipeline time) whilst simultaneously trying to move the customer s order cycle closer by gaining earlier warning of requirements through improved visibility of... 

In many cases companies have an inadequate visibility of real demand. By real demand we mean the demand in the final marketplace, not the derived demand that is filtered upstream through any intermediary organisations that may lie between the company and the final user. The challenge is to find a way to receive earlier warning of the customers requirements. What we frequently find is that, firstly, the demand penetration point is too far down the pipeline and, secondly, real demand is hidden from view and all we tend to see are orders. Both these points need further explanation we will deal with the concept of the demand penetration point first. 

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