Detection and monitoring firm Tracerco launched a new external pipeline flow assurance and integrity monitoring system at UTC (Underwater Technology Conference) in Bergen today.
The system, TRACERCOTM Discovery, is a subsea CT (computed tomography) scanner designed to scan unpiggable pipelines from the outside.
It provides a real-time 360 degree high resolution imaging of pipe wall condition and contents, including pipe-in-pipe and bundle systems, with defect resolution of 1-2mm and without the need to remove protective coating or interrupt operations.
Discovery was developed to help detect hydrate restrictions and verify integrity in flowlines from the outside and in real time.
It is the latest development in more than 10 years’ cooperation between Tracerco and Norway's Statoil.
Tracerco has been working with Statoil to develop detection technology with the primary goal of use in flow assurance applications; although the applications have since expanded to include integrity issues on a variety of subsea transportation functions.
Presenting Tracerco during UTC, Lee Robins, head of subsea services at Tracerco, says: “Inspection of subsea pipelines is often a challenge where pigging is not an option or is deemed too risky.
"Before now, inspecting pipelines from the outside has often been difficult and/or too costly, but TRACERCOTM Discovery is a totally non-intrusive device that provides asset integrity and flow assurance information quickly and accurately.”
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