Operations/Pipeline network
Operations · Pipeline network

Pipeline network

Gas from the Permian to an IC export terminal on the Gulf coast in one 48-inch line, shipped on IC carriers, every valve and compressor dispatched by The Brain.

Phase 8 · 2035+Planned
Throughput, m³ a day
≈ 83 million
LNG exported
16 Mt / yr
Compressor stations
every 250 km
Crew on the line
0
The network
Supply hubs to the Gulf coast, lit as they carry gas
SeattleLos AngelesHoustonChicagoNew YorkAtlantaDenverCushingMidlandWillistonPittsburghLake Charles
Supply
Stakes in existing header lines at the supply hubs, and new laterals where a hub has no spare capacity.
Trunk
One IC 48-inch line from the Permian to the Gulf coast: 1,000 km, 150 bar, four compressor stations.
Export
An IC export terminal ships 16 million tonnes of LNG a year on IC carriers: four cargoes a week.
I · The operating model

Buy into the headers, build the trunk.

IC enters through stakes in existing header lines at the supply hubs, builds its own 48-inch trunk to the coast, and runs the export terminal that loads its carriers.

01 · Entry

Stakes in header lines

IC takes stakes in existing header systems at the supply hubs and adds laterals where a hub has no spare capacity. Gas enters the trunk already measured and nominated.

02 · Trunk

One 48-inch line

1,000 km of 48-inch line at 150 bar, laid by IC robots, with a compressor station every 250 km and a line site every 32 km.

Line pipe →
03 · Export

Sixteen million tonnes a year

Four liquefaction trains of 4 Mt a year, three 180,000 m³ tanks and one berth loading at 12,000 m³ an hour: four cargoes a week.

LNG carrier →
04 · Liquids

Crude to the Gulf docks

Stakes in crude lines to the Gulf docks feed IC oil tankers, loaded offshore and dispatched voyage by voyage.

Oil tanker →
05 · Unmanned

No crews on the line

Stations and line sites run unmanned. Fibre hears every metre, and a robot passes through every segment every day.

Pipeline robots →
06 · People

Eight supervisors a shift

Eight supervisors a shift watch the line, four stations and the export terminal. They release work orders and set the next step; repair crews go out only to fix.

II · The trunk

Four stations, one pressure line.

Gas leaves each station at 150 bar and reaches the next at 110. The line sites between hold the valves, the fibre and the power; the robots ride the flow from trap to trap.

Midland – Lake Charles, 1,000 km
690 kg/s of gas: 81% goes to the export terminal, the rest to customers on the way. Each station burns 0.23% of the flow; four burn 0.92%.
Throughput
690 kg/s
≈ 83 million m³ a day, 2.9 Bcf a day
To the terminal
81%
557 kg/s of feed gas for 16 Mt of LNG a year
Fuel
0.92% / 1,000 km
four 30 MW stations at 40%
Linepack
43 million m³
held in each 250 km segment, 12.5 hours of flow
III · The equipment

Pipe, stations, robots and ships built by IC.

The network runs on IC line pipe, IC compressor stations and IC robots, and ships on IC carriers. Each links to its own page.

Line

Line pipe

48-inch X80 at 150 bar with fibre in the trench and a line site every 32 km.

Line pipe →
Compression

Compressor station

One 30 MW turbine train and a 6 MW helper motor, 110 to 150 bar, unmanned.

Compressor station →
Inspection

Pipeline robots

In-line robots that ride the flow, and laying robots that build the line at 5 km a day.

Pipeline robots →
Gas

LNG carrier

174,000 m³ from the export terminal to Europe: fourteen ships, four cargoes a week.

LNG carrier →
Crude

Oil tanker

Two million barrels, loaded offshore in the Gulf.

Oil tanker →
Overview

Pipelines

The pipe, the station and the robot as one system.

Pipelines →
IV · On The Brain

Every molecule to the cargo it fills.

The Brain plans flow, pressure and linepack against the cargo schedule, sets every station each second and schedules every robot run.

Runs on The Brain
How the line takes its orders
Common pictureEvery metre of line heard through the fibre; every valve, station, robot and cargo positioned live
Digital twinThe line’s hydraulics run forward hours ahead: pressure, linepack and flow at every point
Data modelOne record per nomination, from the header meter to the cargo on the ship
Decision layerStation set-points and linepack held to fill each cargo on time at the least fuel
OrchestrationHeader nominations, stations, terminal trains, berth and carrier booked together
AgentsOne per station, line site, robot and cargo
RedundancyEvery sensor is wired to both compute modules. Each module is primary for its zone and hot standby for the other.
SafetyA software fault can never drive the line outside its certified safe envelope. The SIL 3 channel has its own pressure transmitters, overspeed pickups and fire and gas detectors
LinkFibre along the line, 10 Gbit/s; 5 ms over 1,000 km. Surge, overspeed and shutdown close at the station
The Brain plans; the station and the valve execute. Commands pass from the station agent through the certified safety channel to valves and compressors, never around it.
V · Operating figures

The first line.

Design specification.

Line
48 in · 150 bar
Length
1,000 km
Throughput
≈ 83 M m³ / day
Compressor stations
4 × 30 MW
Line sites
31, every 32 km
Fuel
0.92% / 1,000 km
LNG
16 Mt / yr
Cargoes
4 a week
LNG storage
3 × 180,000 m³
Carriers
14
Robot inspection
each segment daily
Supervisors
8 a shift
Today vs IC
US pipelines today beside the IC line
Today · US pipelinesIC design
Network300,214 mi of gas transmission and 228,207 mi of hazardous-liquid line (2025)One 1,000 km 48-inch trunk fed by stakes in existing header lines
LNG exports17.4 Bcf/d from 9 terminals (1H 2026)16 Mt a year, ≈ 2.1 Bcf/d, from one IC terminal
Station spacingEvery 50–100 mi (80–160 km)Every 250 km (155 mi) at 150 bar
Construction$12.1M a mile, of which $4.6M is labour (12 months to Jun 2025)Laying robots at 5 km a day a spread, day and night
InspectionIn-line tools pushed by the flow on scheduled runsA robot through every segment every day; fibre on every metre
The IC column is the design shown on this page. Sources for the Today column are listed in BUILD_NOTES.md.
Runs on The Brain
Every station, valve, robot and cargo is planned in The Brain’s digital twin and re-planned the moment the line changes.
See how it works →