TPT May 2024

TUBE INSPECTION & TESTING

Pipeline pigging and testing specialist celebrates important anniversary

innovation of this team – many of whom have been with us for more than 25 years – who have played an enormous and integral part in making iNPIPE the successful business that it is today.” iNPIPE Products designs, manufactures, supplies and hires pipeline pigging, maintenance and testing products across the oil and gas, petrochem, powergen, mining, nuclear, water and food processing industries. The business exports 70 per cent of its turnover worldwide and, as a result of growth, prides itself on increased opportunities for apprentices with almost 12 per cent of the workforce now being made up by its apprenticeship programme.

saw the company invest in a new service centre in Aberdeen and grow its global customer base. The visit also provided the chance to tour the six-acre site, now one of the largest single employers in the Richmond (Yorkshire) constituency. Speaking about the 40 th anniversary, Simon Bell, MD at iNPIPE Products, said: “The business is obviously very proud to have achieved such a remarkable milestone and it is the commitment and expertise of our team members and our global customers who have very much contributed to this success. “Throughout our 40 years in business, iNPIPE Products has carved a reputation for ingenuity, professionalism and expertise with our teams delivering leading pigging products across the globe. It is the huge experience and

UK-BASED manufacturer and suppliers of pigging products, iNPIPE Products, is celebrating its 40 th year of trading. Formed in 1984, iNPIPE Products employs 68 members of staff, including eight apprentices, from its Brompton-on Swale and Aberdeen sites and works with many of the world’s largest brands across Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America and Asia. Last year the business welcomed UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak in one of its most successful years to date, which

The company delivers pigging products across the globe

iNPIPE Products www.inpipeproducts.com

Overcoming carbon issues with pipe sensors FLARING, driven primarily by safety concerns, is a vital part of energy production, serving as a responsible alternative to releasing greenhouse gases directly into the atmosphere. However, the presence of high concentrations of CO 2 in the gas stream has long been an insurmountable challenge to achieving accurate measurements. predictive performance tool, which can accurately assess the performance of all Fluenta sensors in almost any process condition. assessing flare gas, it is essential to acknowledge that ultrasonic signals can be absorbed by CO 2 . This absorption effect is significant, with signal attenuation reaching extreme levels of up to 100,000 to one, even in smaller pipe sizes.

“We are proud to overcome a long known limitation of ultrasonic flow meters,” Dr Neil Bird, chief scientist at Fluenta, said. “Fluenta flow meters can measure flare gas with high CO 2 concentrations in any pipe size up to 42" using appropriate sensor configurations. This breakthrough enables us to support more companies with challenging installations in achieving dependable and accurate measurement.” The primary technique for measuring flare gas volumes with ultrasound relies on the time-of-flight principle to determine gas velocity. Placing two transducers at an angle across a flare line, capable of sending and receiving signals, allows accurate calculation of the flow velocity. However, CO 2 strongly attenuates ultrasonic signals, which is a key technical challenge. Flare gas with CO 2 levels exceeding 40 per cent has historically posed challenges for precise ultrasonic measurement. While ultrasonic measurement provides a much more accurate approach for

Using a novel approach to this challenge, Fluenta has brought its extensive signal processing expertise to bear as well as developing a proprietary physics based tool to accurately predict performance in various process conditions. In practice, test measurements can only represent a limited portion of the gas compositions present in flare gas. Therefore, the challenge lies in measuring the diverse compositions encountered under various operating conditions. Flare gases typically exhibit different compositions depending on whether the facility operates under normal conditions, abnormal conditions, or during blow down scenarios. Fluenta’s tool calculates capability based upon combinations of up to 20 different gases at a full range of concentrations.

In 2023, Fluenta launched a completely new range of ultrasonic sensors, called FlarePhase, available in three models with an industry leading range of wide operating temperatures from -200°C to 350°C. These sensors were targeted, among other benefits, at overcoming the specific challenges in measuring in high CO 2 . In January 2024, Fluenta conducted a confirmation test at IPT Brazil that verified stable and accurate flow measurement in a composition with 99 per cent CO 2 flowing through a 10.5" pipe. Currently, only Fluenta can achieve this level of accuracy the company said. In addition, Fluenta measured in a wide range of other gas compositions and conditions, demonstrating the accuracy of its proprietary physics modelling and

Fluenta www.fluenta.com

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MAY 2024