TPi March 2018

Tube inspect ion & test ing technology

Former five-month inspection completed in one day

specialised EM sensors to identify and locate pre-stressing wire wraps, which are the main structural components of PCP and PCCP, and the primary indicators that the pipe will fail. The purpose of the inspection was to locate and quantify the amount of the pre-stressing wire wraps on all 44 miles in one run, identify the individual pipe sections with distress growth, and drive repair/replacement decisions. The teams put more than six months of planning into the inspection logistics, and Pure Technologies worked closely with Homestake to ensure existing facilities could be used for the tool’s insertion and extraction. In order to inspect the largest portion of the pipeline, the PipeDiver was inserted into a surge tower located 600 ft above the pipeline. The mobilisation team installed 55 tracking sensors along the 44-mile pipeline route to monitor the PipeDiver tool as it progressed. The inspection was recognised as longest single-day run for the tool in the history of Pure Technologies. Following analysis of the electromagnetic data, Homestake will have information on the location and amount of broken pre- stressing wires on all 44 miles of the pipeline. Pure Technologies – Canada

The terrain around Buena Vista, Colorado, USA, is hilly, inhospitable and extremely remote. The logistics of inspecting a water pipeline that runs through the unforgiving territory makes the inspection time-consuming and hazardous. For the Homestake Water Project, the manned electromagnetic (EM) inspection that previously shut down the critical 44-mile (77 km) pipeline for at least one month annually over five years, was completed in one day, thanks in part to an enhanced PipeDiver ® EM tool developed by Pure Technologies. “With the PipeDiver tool travelling through the pipeline at three feet per second, we can do what we previously did in five months [over a five-year period], in just one day,” said Tom Hankins, supervisor for Homestake Water Project. Homestake is a joint venture between the cities of Colorado Springs and Aurora to collect and transport water from the mountains to the communities that serve almost one million people. The project includes a collection system, a series of reservoirs, a tunnel that brings water through the continental divide and a pump station that delivers up to 120mn gallons of water per day through the pipe. One of the pipelines managed by Homestake includes the 44-mile Otero Discharge Pipeline, a large-diameter

Preparing the PipeDiver tool for the inspection

non-cylinder pre-stressed concrete pipeline built in the early 1960s. The pipeline has recently suffered catastrophic failures. Homestake shuts down the pipeline each September to perform a condition assessment on certain sections. The shutdown previously included two weeks just to drain the pipeline to prepare it for a manned electromagnetic inspection tool, and another two weeks to perform the inspection. Pure Technologies suggested using an enhanced PipeDiver EM tool on the pipeline, without the need for dewatering. The PipeDiver platform is a versatile, free-swimming condition assessment tool that operates while the pipeline remains in service. The tool has

info@puretechltd.com www.puretechltd.com

Bibby Offshore completes inspection contract with Maersk Oil UK

contract was a direct result of work we previously carried out for Maersk Oil, and demonstrates the company’s confidence in our ability to successfully, and safely, deliver efficient services.”

construction vessel Olympic Bibby operate across Maersk Oil’s Gryphon and Dumbarton fields. The workscope was also supported by Bibby Offshore’s project management team based in Aberdeen, UK. Barry Macleod, UKCSmanaging director at Bibby Offshore, said, “Securing this

Bibby Offshore, a subsea services provider to the oil and gas industry, has completed a multi-million pound contract with Maersk Oil UK, providing both subsea structure and pipeline inspection support in the UKCS. The four-week campaign saw Bibby Offshore’s subsea support and

Bibby Offshore Ltd – UK info@bibbyoffshore.com www.bibbyoffshore.com

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March 2018 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL