Pipeliners Podcast

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, host Russell Treat talks with Jerad Stack, co-founder and CEO of Flowstate, about why "leak detection" means different things to different people in the pipeline industry.

The conversation covers how Flowstate models pipeline behavior with physics-informed neural networks instead of traditional real-time transient or purely statistical models, and how that approach handles gathering systems, slack line, and the ongoing trade-off between sensitivity and reliability.

Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, host Russel Treat talks with Kyle VanLandingham, Director of Business Development at Texas811, about the Guardian program. They discuss how distributed fiber optic sensing is being layered onto existing 811 infrastructure to catch excavation activity that happens without a call to 811, why that "no-ticket" digging drives a disproportionate share of underground damage, and what it takes to deploy and scale the technology across Texas.

Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

Russel Treat talks with Vickie Cain, who chaired the American Petroleum Institute committee that led the update to API RP 1168, the recommended practice for pipeline control room management.

Vickie, who spent about thirty years as a pipeline operator before moving into consulting, walks through what changed in the new edition, including point-to-point verification, control room applicability, director/supersede procedures, backup control room testing, and shift turnover, and explains why each change matters to operators.

Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, Russel Treat talks with Mark LaCour, Director of ModalPoint and editor-in-chief of the Oil and Gas Global Network (OGGN), recorded live at the API Pipeline, Control Room and Cybernetics Conference. Mark, who delivered one of the event's keynotes, discusses shifting public perception of the oil and gas industry among Generation Alpha, the origins and growth of OGGN, and the long-term case for keeping the industry central to humanity's energy and space exploration future.

Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, Russel Treat talks with Walter Nusbaum, keynote speaker at the 2026 API Pipeline Conference, about his framework for pursuing excellence as a way of life. The conversation explores how unaddressed hazards and violations can gradually normalize failure, using real world examples ranging from the 1999 Texas A&M Bonfire collapse to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster to illustrate concepts like latent error and enabling conditions.

Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

This week on the Pipeliners Podcast, Russel Treat talks with Mona Haggag about in-situ mechanical testing, a nondestructive technique used to determine the mechanical properties of pipe still in the ground. Mona, whose father pioneered the technology, walks through how the ball indentation method works, what it can and cannot tell an operator, and how the tool is being adapted for field use in high-stress and high-security environments. The conversation covers the history of the technology, practical field application, data security considerations, and where the technology is headed.

Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

This episode of the Pipeliners Podcast commemorates the 27th anniversary of the tragic Olympic Pipeline rupture in Bellingham, Washington, which resulted in a catastrophic explosion and the loss of three young lives. Larry Shelton shares his insights from the incident and the conversation serves as a reminder of the responsibilities of those in the pipeline industry.

On the 20-year anniversary of the Bellingham Incident in Bellingham, Washington, Pipeliners Podcast host Russel Treat welcomed retired pipeline professional Larry Shelton to share his first-hand recollections and reflect on the importance of pipeline integrity management.

Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions for insider terms.

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, host Russell Treat joins Mike Radich, Senior Account Executive at Live EO, for a live webinar conversation on what happens after a right-of-way issue is identified — how it moves through the organization, how it gets prioritized, and how it ultimately reaches the field for resolution.

Drawing on more than thirty years of pipeline operations experience, Russell applies principles from control room management, alarm management, and human factor science to the emerging challenge of real-time satellite-based right-of-way monitoring.

For more detailed show notes and a full episode transcript, visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com.

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, Russel Treat speaks with Alois Multerer of Primus Line about reinforced thermoplastic liner technology and its role in pipeline rehabilitation.

The conversation explores how Kevlar-reinforced composite liners are installed, where trenchless remediation technologies are most effective, and the ongoing industry challenges around inspection, integrity management, and long-term operational confidence in non-metallic pipeline systems.

Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript, as well as detailed show notes with relevant links and insider term definitions.

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, host Russel Treat speaks with Travis Greenstreet and Ahmed Hassanin about full scale pipeline integrity testing, failure analysis, and the role testing plays in validating integrity management decisions.

The conversation explores burst testing, strain analysis, digital modeling, repair validation, and how operators can use testing and analysis to better understand pipeline behavior, improve confidence in engineering assessments, and support regulatory decision-making.

Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript, as well as detailed show notes with relevant links and insider term definitions.