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Request for Information (RFI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Main Line Valve Replacement PROJECT INTRODUCTION Introduction The U.S. Department of the Interior, The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is ... Request for Information (RFI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Main Line Valve Replacement PROJECT INTRODUCTION Introduction The U.S. Department of the Interior, The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is conducting acquisition planning for the potential replacement of 40 Main Line Valves (MLV). These Valves are located along approx. 425 miles of pipeline between Amarillo, TX and Bushton, KS as well as three lateral lines with an operating pressure up to 1500 PSIG. The MLV¿s are located approximately 10 miles apart along the length of the line. The uninterrupted operation of this pipeline is critical to both the Bureau of Land Management and its partners in private industry. This RFI is intended as a means of conducting market research which will help determine the best method for the anticipated Request for Quote (RFQ) and subsequent procurement. THERE IS NO RFQ/RFP AT THIS TIME. This RFI does not constitute an RFQ/RFP. Submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary. The government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred in your firm¿s response to this RFI. Location Performance of this contract would take place along the route of the pipeline (Map and GPS data below), this will require travel within Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Background The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Amarillo Field Office (AMFO), currently operates a 425-mile crude helium gas transmission pipeline that allows crude helium plants to transport gas to grade-A helium refineries. The gas mixture is typically 65 to 75 percent helium with the balance being nitrogen and a small percentage of other hydrocarbons. This mixture is non-flammable; however, the high pressure and breathing hazard present some safety risks while working on the pipeline. The pipeline was built to a high-quality engineering standard for gas transmission piping and included 40 automatic shut-off valves. The mainline valves are Grove through-conduit, ASA Series 900, gate valves equipped with Shafer hydraulic-pneumatic actuators with automatic line break controls. These valves are regularly spaced along the pipeline at approximately 10-mile intervals and are set to automatically close in the event of a pipeline failure, thereby preventing excessive loss of product. The valves may also be actuated manually to isolate sections for maintenance purposes. All mainline valves have position indicators. Each of the mainline valves, is equipped with a gate valve actuator which will automatically close the valve in response to a preset rate of pressure drop exceeding normal operating pressure fluctuations. Due to the age and condition of these valves, it cannot be assumed that the devices would function as intended. As such we are intending to begin replacing each unit. Each valve installation is enclosed by a chain link fence with a padlocked gate. The pipeline is coated with an asbestos and coal-tar enamel wrap. The pipeline consists of two mainline segments and three lateral lines as follows: 1. Mainline - Cliffside field (Amarillo, TX) to Satanta Maintenance Station (Satanta, KS). 1. The pipe is 184.5 miles of 8.625¿ OD x 0.25¿ WT API, X-46. 2. MLVs 1-20 (19). 2. Mainline - Satanta Maintenance Station to Bushton, KS. 1. The pipe is 166.9 miles of 4.5¿ OD x 0.219¿ WT, API Gr. B. 2. MLVs 21-38 (18) 3. Lateral-line (Sher-Han) ¿ Satanta Maintenance Station to Guymon, OK. 1. The pipe is 37.4 miles of 3.5¿ 0.188¿ WT, API Gr. B. 2. LLV Guymon (1) 4. Lateral-line (National) ¿ Satanta Maintenance Station to Liberal, KS. 1. The pipe is 22.7 miles of 4.5¿ OD 0.219¿ WT, API Gr. B. 2. LLV Liberal (1) 5. Lateral-line (Jayhawk) ¿ Satanta Maintenance Station to Ulysses, KS. 1. The pipe is 11.7 miles of 3.5¿ OD 0.188¿ WT, API Gr. B. 2. No automatic shutoff valves. Scope (project description) The intent of this project is to determine the best strategy to replace all mainline valves. The strategy should include a trade-off analysis between system drainage, line stopping, and hot tapping replacement methods that balances the concern for loss of product, down time, and cost of replacement. It should address the following: 1. System drainage 1. What is the lowest attainable pressure that can be obtained from refinery draws? 2. How much gas can be pumped into temporary storage and what is the cost? 3. How fast can each valve be replaced with a drained system and how many crews can be mobilized at one time? 4. What is the cost per valve or for multiple valves (ROM)? 2. Line Stop. 1. What is the additional cost of line stopping versus system draining? 2. Time to replace each valve and how many could be replaced simultaneously. 3. How far can a PIG type plug be inserted into line scrappers to temporarily block flow? 4. What are the tradeoffs between a PIG plug and a typical STOPPLE fitting and plug? 3. Hot Tap 1. What additional costs will be incurred for hot tapping and installing a temporary or permanent bypass? 4. What are the recommendations for remote sensing / monitoring / actuation technologies? What software/Hardware would be required to locally manage the system. 5. What are the recommended strategies or phases if it is not feasible to execute in one iteration? 6. What is the life expectancy of the recommended equipment and the associated maintenance requirements? 7. Are there any other option to consider to complete this project safely and efficiently? Mainline Valve Virtual Meeting (January 24, 2024) In addition to this posting, the BLM will be hosting an open meeting to allow industry professionals a better understanding of Federal Helium System and the associated challenges with replacing 38 MLVs. The meeting will take place Wednesday, January 24th, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. CT. Should any firm be interested in attending the virtual industry day, please contact Zachary Webber, zwebber@blm.gov, for more information and a link for the meeting be sent out.