The Role of Inspection During the Lifetime of a Pipeline

Technical Conference: 7th ASIAN PIPELINE CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION, 11-12 October 2011 Istana Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Jim COSTAIN Global Leader, Oil & Gas GE MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL SOLUTIONS

Industry Drivers
Aging Pipeline Infrastructure
> 20 Years 62%
11 to 20 Years 22 %

Consequences of Pipeline Failure

< 10 Years 14%

New 2%

Injury & Loss of Life Environmental Damage

Headlines from Pipeline Failures

Oil Major Is Fined $25 Million for 06 Spills at Pipelines By JOHN M. BRODER Published: May 3, 2011 in the NYTimes Gas Major fined P24.2 million over pipeline leak By ELLALYN B. DE VERA Published: November 23, 2010 in the Manila Buletin

Cost of Corrosion
Cost of Corrosion (US, 1998) was estimated at a total of $276 billion per year. Corrosion experts estimate that a net of 20 to 25% of that annual cost can be saved by applying currently available corrosion control technologies Global estimates at least 4x the numbers above

Lost Production.. Repair Costs.. Damaged Public Image

Corrosion Costs in the USA 4% of GDP annually

(Source: USA Department of Transportation)

Measurement & Control Solutions

High accuracy technologies
Nondestructive Testing
Cutting edge inspection solutions to smartly monitor plant asset health without major disruption

Monitoring assets through the lifecycle

Asset Condition Monitoring

Sensors, monitors and software to monitor asset integrity

Predictive Maintenance
Software and predictive maintenance strategies & solutions for safe, more efficient operation

Environmental Monitoring
Radiation detection and emissions measurement for cleaner operation

Sensors & Measurement

Instrumentation and systems for validating critical processes and applications in high growth industries
3 2010, General Electric Company

Inspection Technologies
Ultrasonic Remote Visual Inspection Radiography Eddy Current Testing Machines

Flaw Detectors Thickness Gauges Hardness Testers System Instrumentation Transducers Installed Sensors

Video Borescopes Borescopes Fiberscopes PTZ Cameras Robotic Crawlers Inspection Services Rentals

Film, Equipment and Chemistry Digital Radiography (FS, CR, DR) X-ray Generators

Instruments and Probes Automated Systems

Ultrasonic and X-ray Standard Customized

Metrology
Non-contact Air Foil System

Data Management Software

Rhythm Acquire Rhythm Review Rhythm Archive

Pipeline Inspections in the Manufacturing Process

Inspection Technologies During the Manufacturing Process

Depending on the manufacturing process (ERW, SAW) and on the subsequent use of the tube, there are several options where in the process and to what extent non-destructive testing can be applied. Testing machines are typically operated inline with the manufacturing process and need to be designed according to individual requirements based on flaw detectability and test speed.
Ultrasonic testing in the ERW process Strip testing
(at the inlet of the welding line, before forming) Inline weld testing (after welding/annealin g/sizing) Final acceptance test (at the finished product)

Ultrasonic and X-Ray testing in the SAW process

Longitudinally welded
Plate Online weld UT Final acceptance test UT Final acceptance test X-Ray

Strip body Edge

Weld Scarf monitoring Heat-affected zone

Weld Full body Tube end

Spirally welded

Strip Online weld UT Final acceptance test UT Final acceptance test X-Ray
6

SAW - Ultrasonic testing machines

Weld testing on SAW longitudinally welded tubes (linear transported tubes)

SAW Ultrasonic testing machines

Spirally welded tubes

Strip testing (body and edge) with stationary probes

SAW - X-Ray testing machines

Weld testing of SAW longitudinally welded tubes

Pipeline Inspections during Pipeline Construction

Weld Inspection
Weld quality is a critical part of any project in the O&G market whether a new refinery, offshore platform or cross country or subsea pipeline. GE S&I has a comprehensive portfolio of solutions from the pipe mill to the field. Using state of the art UT and RT technology, GE can provide fit for purpose tools to suit all types of weld examinations.

Automated UT
CR for offshore girth welds

USM Vision Weld Inspection Solution Key Features

Menu guided set-up and inspection to optimize time of inspector capabilities Meets international codes & standards Data analysis, reporting, and sharing with GEIT Rhythm
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Footer

USM Vision Weld Inspection Solution

Level I or II UT or Administrator RT inspector inputs data performs inspection Level III reviews plan Level II/III reviews data Adminstrator generates report and archives data

Inspection Plan Creation

Data Acquisition

Data Analysis

Reporting

Archive

Rhythm IPC

PA & TOFD

Rhythm Review

Rhythm Reporting

Rhythm Archive

Probe/Scanner Cal Blocks

USM Vision Guided Inspection Workflow

Inspection preparation

Non UT Specialist Non UT Specialist

UT Expert UT Inspector UT Expert (Remote)

In-Service Pipeline Inspections

The GE Rightrax system

The smart way to monitor wall thickness
1. Rightrax is a system that can measure wall thickness continuously by using permanently installed UT transducers. Rightrax consists of two product versions. A. A low temperature -40C <120C / -40F < 248F system B. A high temperature version -20C<500C / -4F < 932F system Both systems are non intrusive and can be installed on live pipelines Both system installed versions have hazardous area certification Installed without any welding Data can be easily read by Asset Integrity and easily transferable to existing RBI program
Rightrax Applications in Oil & Gas
Upstream, Exploration and Production Offshore Installations Unmanned Offshore Installations FPSO Midstream, Transportation Cross-country pipe lines Downstream, Processing and Refining Refineries Petrochemicals

2.

3. 4. 5. 6.

System configurations
1. PORTABLE
For both LT and HT systems Manually operated Data collection in the field Data download to PC or laptop Manual assessment of data ADVANTAGE Lower system cost Flexibility of system use

2. INSTALLED
For both LT and HT systems Automatically operated Fixed interval measurements Data storage Manual data collection Manual assessment of data

ADVANTAGE System is certified for HAZ use No human intervention for measurements Monitor process related events

3. INTEGRATED
For both LT and HT systems Automatically operated Fixed interval measurements Data storage Automatic data analyses Integration with third party systems with data and alarming

ADVANTAGE System is certified for HAZ use No human intervention required Monitor process related events System alarming on special events and conditions

Upstream Case Study

Concern:
Unmanned offshore installations require frequent wall thickness monitoring due to unpredictable sand erosion.
6 & 8 Lines: 6-8mm wall thickness Erosion rates can be up to 4mm / 24 hours Monitoring is required and location is remote

Solution:
Total of 96 Rightrax M2 sensors on 6 individual platforms
M2 sensors wired back to DL2 Datalogger and LD2 in hazardous area LD2 line driver connected to RTU using Modbus interface and VFC contacts

Normal Operational Temperature is 80C

Configuration:
Measurements made every 8 hours Data analysed on the LD2 line driver Measure to 5mm thickness with VFC dry contact alarm if threshold thickness value is violated Data sent to Onshore Control Room to analyse and monitor riser wall thickness Data by Modbus Via RTU HMI - PCS

Value and cost saving:

No bi-weekly mobilization of personnel Monitoring critical process and preventing incidents More operational control (pressure and flow) Less downtime

offshore

onshore

Midstream Case Study

Concern:
Measure Water, H2S, & CO2 Corrosion on Underground Natural Gas Allocation, Transmission & Distribution Lines Monitor reduction of pipe wall thickness at top, sides, and bottom locations along the pipes

Solution:
Initially Twelve (12) Measurement Locations

Four (4) M2 Sensors per TML

18 Mtr Extension Cable wired back to Data collection post Manual DL2 Datalogger

Configuration:
Measurements made manually as per customers required time frames Data stored on DL2 Data analyzed via downloading DL2 to customers PC w/ supplied software

Value and cost saving:

Covered known & suspected corrosion locations Long Design/Performance Life Inexpensive: Met Customers Needs Met Political & Regulatory issues/concerns

M2 sensors

Natural Gas Pipeline

Subsea Direct Radiography Development Project

Subsea Direct Radiography Project

Corrosion/Erosion ROV or diver deployed Now rated to 1800ft (600m) Planned 9000ft (3000m) All trials completed First inspection Oct 2011

The Power of Digital Data

Rhythm - Turning information into intelligence

Capture, share, analyze, report, and archive digital inspection information
Consistent Quick Reports Rhythm Report
LAN

Rhythm CR Rhythm DR Rhythm Visual Rhythm UT

Remote Review & Analysis Rhythm Review

LAN

Data Storage & Enables Trending Rhythm Archive

Multi-Modality Platform

Sharing RT and UT Images in Rhythm

GE Proprietary Information Subject to restrictions on the cover or first page

Common Rhythm Platform

Review

Inspect

DICONDE
One standard = One platform

Report

Share
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Archive