Pipeline Equities
PO Box 571977
Houston, Texas 77257
Phone: 713-623-0690

Pipeline Recovery

excavation & removal

Damage Assessment

of easements

Pipeline Appraisal

pipeline property valuation

Asbestos Testing Procedures

The standard procedure for testing asbestos on pipe coating is a simple procedure for pipeline salvage and recovery companies. There are many labs for testing and currently Pipeline Equities uses J-3 Resources, Inc. of Houston for most asbestos testing procedures.

J-3 tests more than fifty samples of pipe coating per month at their Houston lab. Their clients generally are consultants and environmental companies working on behalf of pipeline companies and other contractors. Overwhelmingly, they consist of a tar/felt mixture of some variation. This could be layers of tar-felt-tar, a layer of tar and felt, or a combination that mixes the felt in with the tar. Generally, the asbestos in the coating will always come from the felt wrap or paper rather than the asbestos being mixed into the tar, unless a heavy concentration of asbestos in the felt wrap migrates to the tar during manufacture of application.

When determining the overall content of asbestos in the material or coating involved, only the felt would be tested as very seldom is the asbestos part of the tar coating. For example, the felt wrap might contain fifty per cent asbestos while the tar layer has none. In this case the overall coating would have possibly a fifteen percent asbestos content by volume depending on the thickness of the tar portion of the coating.

Sometimes the content of asbestos is reported separately with the analysis showing forty percent asbestos in the felt and zero content in the tar portion.

Not all coating contains asbestos. In this case, the report from the lab would should no asbestos present. (See Crane 8″ and 10″ in exhibit section). Samples were taken of coatings on two pipelines at a random point. Other samples will be taken at different junctures as the job progresses. On a pipeline, the coating may vary from one location to another reflecting different materials used at different times and different circumstances. A prudent and knowledgable recovery or salvage operator will check the pipeline coatings he is dealing with periodically along the line testing for asbestos content every ten to twenty thousand feet. He will be careful to take samples on the body proper of the pipe and not at an angle, weld, or connection where the angle or joint of pipe is joined together. Many times these sections could have a different material or is a “patching” type substance which probably would not have Asbestos Containing Materials. A good operator knows this and would avoid sampling in these areas.

    J-3 has three methods for testing for asbestos in materials:
  1. TEM or Transmission Electron Microscopy.
  2. PLM or Polarized Light Microscopy.
  3. PCM or Phase Contrast Microscopy.

The Polarized Light Microscopy or PLM is the method most used in chrysotile asbestos testing in pipeline coatings.

The exhibit of Section E contains an actual test report taken by J-3 Labs regarding a current job in Crane, Texas. This report shows no asbestos present. The accompanying “chain of custody” report tracks the sample.

The exhibit of Section F shows the results of testing on the Slaughter project indicating 25% Chrysotile asbestos content in the coating material along with the date and tracking information.

pipeline recovery

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Pipeline Recovery Manual

A complete guide to the business of recovering out of use pipelines

Sign up for our free newsletter to receive your complimentary copy of our Pipeline Recovery Manual that explains our entire process for recovering or salvaging idled or abandoned pipelines.

You will see how we deal with landowners regarding notification and recordings. How to draft a contract of sale with models by: Exxon, Texaco, Koch and others and pictures showing actual work in process.

The manual shows Pipeline Equities job references, right of way releases, agreements and the history and background of Pipeline Equities and managing partner David Howell. These references touch on parts of the six million feet of line removed or handled by the company over the past twenty years.

A line pipe table describing various weights, grades, and pressure ratings of ERW and seamless line pipe is included. This section is an indispensable tool for anyone doing operational word with line pipe.

Also included are extensive glossaries of pipe, pipeline, and right of way terms.

pipeline appraisal

Request a complimentary Pipeline Appraisal Handbook

Fill out this short form and you will be sent a confirmation link to our Newsletter. Once you click the link you will be subscribed to our newsletter and taken to a page where you can download the Pipeline Appraisal Handbook.

Pipeline Appraisal Handbook

The Definitive How-To Guide on Establishing Values for Pipelines

This handbook written by David Howell, managing partner of Pipeline Equities is the basic text of any pipeline valuation. All of the essential factors for establishing the value of a pipeline are discussed along with exclusive proprietary formulas and tables essential to a certified appraisal.

Also included are 32 pages of pipe weight and grades tables that cover virtually any situation which might be encountered regarding line pipe requirements. Additionally you’ll find an extensive glossary of pipe, pipeline and right of way terminology is part of the Handbook.

Subjects include: Replacement, Right of Way, Surface Inventory, Throughput, Salvage/Recovery, and comparable sales histories to name a few of the basic factors of pipeline appraisal.

The author recognized a need for a report or “how to” manual for properly appraising pipelines and pipeline right of ways. Currently the work is being done by accounting firms, engineers, and real estate appraisers.

This handbook draws from 45 years of experience.

Howell has forty-five years experience in many sectors of the petroleum industry from drilling contractor and oil and gas operator to pipe and supply distribution throughout the world. He has published Tradex Equipment magazine, the Whole World Oil Directory, and the Texas Oil Register.

For the past twenty years, Howell has been almost exclusively engaged in pipeline sales and acquisition, appraisal, removal for salvage, environmental remediation and general pipeline operations.

Howell currently serves on board of the Pipeline Appraisal Institute and is a member of the International Right of Way Association. Howell is a graduate of Texas A&M University – Kingsville and a native of Alice, Texas. He is currently residing in Houston and is the managing partner of Pipeline Equities.