Field-proven subsea CT scanners: the benefits
Maintaining subsea pipelines is vital. It helps to keep offshore operations safe, as well as aiding in compliance with legal regulations. It’s clear to see why maintenance is so important for this. The use of accurate flow assurance equipment is fundamental to this, as it is able to identify integrity issues and calculate the thickness of a subsea pipe wall. This is all done with minimal disruption to the operating pipelines.
In this article, waterflood monitoring experts Tracerco highlight the problems with hotspot inspections compared to a subsea CT scanner.
Hotspot inspections
In-line inspections aren’t always feasible due to the issues that can arise in subsea pipeline maintenance. 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. With a field-proven subsea CT scanner, operators do not have to waste time on these hotspot inspections. 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.
Technology for any coating
Another variable to consider is the pipe’s coating. 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. 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:
Lloyd’s Register
Of course, having the assurance that comes with a quality register is also beneficial! With third-party recognition from maritime classification society Lloyd’s, another benefit of using field-proven subsea CT scanners such as Discovery is the wealth of experience and reliability it has already amassed. 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.