The way you've phrased your question makes it a little hard to answer. I'm not sure what you are asking, and you may want to simplify your questions until you have a better handle on sentence structure and vocabulary, just to make sure you are saying what you mean to say. The example that you provide is a correct sentence. Although, it would be equally correct to use another determiner, like "a." For example: The pipeline can by lifted by a crane. Replacing "the" with "a" changes the meaning of the sentence a little (instead of referring to a crane that you possess, you would be referring to the idea that a crane could life a pipe), but both are grammatically correct. However, I also want to mention that using passive voice is not a good idea. We don't like our native English speaking students to use it, either. Instead, try sentences like these: 1) A crane can lift the pipeline. 2) The crane can lift the pipeline. These are all things I would be happy to talk to you about more in any of my sessions. If you are interested, please check out my teacher page! Hope this helps.

You can only use "the" if it is absolutely clear to the listener which crane you mean. Either you have already mentioned the crane, or it must be very clear from the situation. Simply adding "the" won't create this clarity. "By crane" simply indicates a method, and not a certain crane. I'm not sure what you mean to say by "sporadic reference" and "as an institution".

I'm afraid you're asking the wrong question. The use of the article has nothing to do with the phrase. It all depends on the NOUN you use. The standard rules of articles apply here. Learn them.