Tracerco, part of Johnson Matthey Plc, reports it has recently been awarded seven subsea inspection projects to provide flow assurance and asset integrity data on a variety of pipelines, flowlines and risers in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and Offshore West Africa.
Through the use of Discovery, Tracerco’s Subsea CT Scanner, each operator will obtain full tomographic images of pipe wall thickness and contents to gain an enhanced understanding of their pipeline condition and the process fluid. As CT scanning provides a non-intrusive inspection method, all assets will remain operational throughout each project, limiting the potential of any (further) deferment of production.
The first of the two inspection projects awarded in the North Sea will focus on an integrity assessment following potential damage to an export pipeline. The pipeline coating had been noticeably damaged. Discovery will be used to determine whether the damage extended to the pipeline itself. The second project will be a repeat inspection of another export pipeline to assess whether there has been any further degradation to the pipe wall thickness since the initial inspection in 2015. This data will be used as part of an ongoing pipeline life time assessment program.
In the GoM, Discovery will be used to inspect the flowline and riser of a gas line for potential integrity issues and to look for potential condensate hold-up. Discovery will also be used in the GoM to obtain initial critical baseline integrity data on a new pipeline system. Discovery will then be deployed annually to reinspect the new pipeline system to identify potential corrosion / determine corrosion growth rates.
The final three projects, awarded in West Africa, will be the first subsea inspection projects in the region for Tracerco. Discovery will be used to inspect a number of flowlines to determine whether they can be extended past their original design life by gathering real time data on a variety of integrity issues including pipeline corrosion, pitting and wall thinning.