Field-proven subsea CT scanners: The benefits
The maintenance of subsea pipelines is crucial for oil and gas operators. From ensuring safe offshore operations to compliance with legal regulations, the importance of subsea pipeline upkeep really can’t be understated. As such, it is important that the equipment used in flow assurance and interwell processes is accurate and reliable, able to find pipeline integrity issues quickly as well as calculate wall thickness to a high degree of accuracy. All of this must be obtained with minimal disruption to the pipelines in operation.
Issues with ‘hotspot’ inspections
Techniques such as in-line expectations aren’t always feasible, therefore issues in subsea maintenance can arise. In this instance, operators may fall back on ‘hotspot’ inspections in localised areas. From this, more inspections can be carried out — but it isn’t efficient nor cost-effective to do this.
Operators don’t have to waste time on these expectations when using a field-proven subsea CT scanner. Instead, the software can find defects and inform the operator whether or not these issues are impacting the pipeline enough to push it out of its specified tolerance. With these issues accounted for, operators can then undertake a more detailed scan of that area, rather than extending the scanning scope blindly after hotspot inspections.
The Use of Technology for Any Coating Type
A field-proven subsea CT scanner using a non-intrusive method of scanning has the benefit of being able to work with any coating or covering the pipeline may have
Regardless of the type of covering or coating the pipeline has, a field-proven subsea CT scanner using a non-intrusive method of scanning will work successfully. One such subsea pipeline inspection scanner, Discovery, can scan for wall thickness in a number of different pipeline systems, from risers, piggyback lines, and pipe-in-pipe. The below shows how Discovery software does this in one, real-time scan:
Pros of Lloyd’s Register recognition
Another benefit of using field-proven subsea CT scanners such as Discovery, is the amount of experience and reliability it has accumulated. So much so, it has achieved third-party recognition from maritime classification society, Lloyd’s. For example, with over 2,000 scans and numerous accurate readings and findings in its repertoire, this scanner can surely help operators in the industry the world over. Not only does implementing such a scanner help save time, it also helps financially — operators could see savings of up to 1/3 on inspection campaigns by using a more accurate method than traditional scanning or hotspot inspections.
