Innovations magazine TDW Q1 jan mar 2014 by Kat Eaton

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We are experts. A trusted provider of pipeline product and service solutions for nearly a century, TDW sets the highest standard in pipeline integrity with the tools, support and expertise our customers need to safely and reliably increase productivity, eliminate downtime, optimize performance and extend asset life.

www.tdwilliamson.com North & South America: +1 918-447-5500 Europe/Africa/Middle East: +32 67-28-36-11 Asia/Pacific: +65 6364-8520 Offshore Services: +1 832-448-7200

SpirALL速 MFL Pipeline Inspection Technology

V O L . V I , N O. 1 | J A N U A R Y - M A R C H 2 0 1 4

D E PA R T M E N T S

2 | EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK The family business.

4 | GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Pressurized pipeline solutions from around the world.

6 | TECHNOLOGY FOCUS Innovation leads to safer, better results.

8 | SAFETY MATTERS

Training makes the difference in a changing industry.

10 | FUTURE THINKING Technology for an aging world.

13 | MARKET REPORT

Repurposing pipelines to meet growing energy demands.

14 | Cover Story: Cracking the Code on Cracks A new (ultrasonic) wave in pipeline integrity testing provides operators with the most comprehensive assessment available on a single inspection platform.

TDW events, papers and conferences.

28 | BY THE NUMBERS

The four stages of pipeline integrity.

T.D. Williamson North and South America: 918-447-5500 Europe/Africa/Middle East: 32-67-28-36-11 Asia/Pacific: 65-6364-8520 Offshore Services: 832-448-7200 info@tdwilliamson.com | www.tdwilliamson.com Want to share your perspective on anything in our magazine? Send us an e-mail: Innovations@tdwilliamson.com

®Registered trademark of T.D. Williamson, Inc. in the United States and other countries. ™ Trademark of T.D. Williamson, Inc. in the United States and other countries. © Copyright 2014. All rights reserved by T.D. Williamson, Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Printed in the United States of America. Siri is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Kindle and Mayday are registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. ONSTAR is a registered trademark of OnStar, LLC and General Motors, Inc.

JANUARY-MARCH 2014

Jim Myers Morgan Waylon Summers A R T D I R E C T O R Joe Antonacci D E S I G N P R O D U C T I O N Mullerhaus.net D I G I TA L P R O D U C T I O N Jim Greenway, Ward Mankin P H O T O G R A P H Y Scott Miller, Nathan Harmon, Jeremy Charles EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

M A N AG I N G E D I T O R

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Innovations™ is a quarterly publication produced by T.D. Williamson.

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22 | Winning with NGLs The oil and gas boom that reversed declining output and sparked robust production in the United States is now transforming the market for natural gas liquids (NGLs).

20 | TOUCHPOINTS

EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK

The Family Business BY DICK WILLIAMSON

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CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

My grandfather – T.D. Williamson, Sr. – knew a thing or two about the notion of a family business. Back in 1920, he founded The Petroleum Electric Company. That original modest enterprise – which later became the TDW we know today – was founded with one goal in mind: to meet the need for electric power in the oil fields. Since those earliest days, TDW has innovated and adapted in order to serve our customers well. During the past 94 years, we have become the world’s most recognized name in pipeline equipment and services. From hot tapping and plugging to pigging, from integrity inspection to offshore isolation, we have grown and evolved to meet the everchanging needs of industry. As part of a private, family-owned business, all of us here at TDW – the Williamson family, the Board of Directors, our executive leadership and our personnel worldwide – are excited about our opportunities going forward. Look at TDW and you will see a depth and continuity of commitment to all aspects of our enterprise. And because we are a family business, we don’t have to manage our results or limit our investments to meet short-term quarterly expectations of Wall Street. We can focus on doing what is right for the business over the long-term. That’s precisely what we will continue to do in 2014, and beyond. We will continue to reinvest in the products and services that have made us successful, and in our greatest asset – our dedicated personnel around the globe. Those personnel are pioneering innovative solutions to age-old challenges, including the need to detect pipeline cracks. You can read more about how our new SpirALL EMAT technology is addressing that need in the cover story beginning on page 14 of this issue of Innovations™ magazine. At the end of the day, our customers trust TDW to deliver solutions that serve them well now, and help them ensure the safe and reliable operation of their pipeline infrastructures for decades to come. We take that trust very seriously. After all, many of our customers started out as small businesses long ago, and they’ve grown alongside us, just like family. ®

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“Our customers trust TDW to deliver solutions that serve them well now, and help them ensure the safe and reliable operation of their pipeline infrastructures for decades to come.”

GlobalPerspective INDONESIA

MEXICO

Wye Isolate NEED: Isolate for Wye Spool Installation REGION: Gulf of Mexico SIZE: 30” pipeline PRESSURE: 900 psi PIPE PRODUCT: Natural gas LENGTH: ~300 meters (1000 feet) SERVICES: Subsea Isolation PIGGING MEDIUM: Monoethylene glycol (MEG)

>> Blackout 9,000,000

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In Fall 2013, Pertamina EP faced a daunting task in the northwest Java Sea. Since 1997 its Lima Flow Station had been slowly sinking into the seabed. As part of the Lima Subsidence Remediation Project, Pertamina EP sought to safely raise the platform. To accomplish this momentous task, without cutting the gas flow providing power to millions of Jakarta citizens, a complex series of bypasses were required. TDW was engaged to isolate the affected subsea lines so the temporary bypasses could be installed and flow could continue throughout the operation.

CA N A DA

An offshore operator in the Gulf of Mexico needed to isolate a riser to allow for installation of a wye spool. The riser presented unique challenges as it was constructed with a number of tight bends. The operator chose to use TDW’s SmartPlug® isolation tool. TDW first conducted a piggability and positioning study by running a specially modified gauging tool. Results confirmed that the SmartPlug® tool was suitable for both the pipe topology and the temporary receiver. The isolation and installation were successfully completed.

High-class 30”

Initially owing to regulator-driven class upgrades, and compounded by the discovery of stress corrosion cracking, a major Canadian operator recently completed the replacement of 900 feet (274 meters) of a 30” main gas artery in Quebec. To help facilitate the replacement and requisite 24” multiple bypasses, TDW installed four STOPPLE® Train systems in two tandem setups, ensuring zero gas leakage and maximum operational safety for workers throughout the project.

Pressurized Pipeline Solutions From Around the World

Protecting life, >> people and property

With no inline inspection regulation, South Korea’s gas and liquid pipelines run elevated risk of incidents. The Korea Gas Safety Corporation (KGS), responsible for performing nearly every inspection, certification and investigative function around gas-related entities – from large petrochemical plants to home appliances – is the driving force behind the creation and application of comprehensive inline inspection regulation. In November 2013, KGS partnered with TDW, relying on TDW’s inline inspection expertise, to help develop South Korea’s integrity regulations for gas lines.

INDONESIA

We have lift-off

EGYPT

Developing Denise To help meet the rising domestic need for Egyptian gas production, Petrobel launched a new subsea development project to maximize the usage of existing resources and to increase overall output. The operation targeted the development of both the Denise and Karawan fields in Temsah Concession, offshore. TDW provided 10” subsea hot taps on the 32” Serravallian and a 24” pipeline. M A L AY S I A

Testing Offshore

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A large offshore installation contractor recently installed a 32-mile (53 km) subsea, export gas pipeline, running from a platform to a gas complex, located 149 miles (240 km) offshore Terengganu. As part of the pre-commissioning project, it was necessary to test the 16” line. TDW was contracted to utilize its inline SmartPlug® tool to isolate the pipeline during the testing, preventing testing pressures from occurring at the three open ball-valves in the pipeline end manifold.

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Technology savvy and data driven Indonesian operators are seeking more comprehensive high technology solutions for their increasing integrity needs. Recently a Jakarta-based operator enlisted TDW to help enhance its pipeline integrity program. Operating out of its Indonesian Service Center, specially trained and certified TDW inline inspection technicians executed a challenging vertical launch of a 26” platform, containing deformation (DEF), gas magnetic flux leakage (GMFL) and a speed control module. Due to the speed control, the operator achieved total sensor coverage.

S O U T H KO R E A

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Tapping into Tomorrow Innovations in Hot Tap Technology for Safer, Better Results

Leading the charge for a future in hot tapping that is better, faster, safer, and maybe even a little revolutionary.

David Turner is a futurist, a visionary. Since April 2013, he’s also been T.D. Williamson’s Director of Hot Tapping and Plugging Technology. In that role, he’s spent considerable time and energy on how innovations can make the hot tapping process safer, easier and more efficient. Not only is he guided by listening to and understanding customer needs, he has an eye on what consumer products manufacturers are doing to improve their customer support capabilities. Which is why, when you speak with him, he muses about a time when hot tapping may include the kind of smart-tool interactions that GM’s OnStar and Apple’s Siri have brought to the marketplace. In the meantime, he sees T.D. Williamson’s remote controlled hot tapping equipment as a logical first step in the journey toward merging current capabilities with tomorrow’s thinking. Operators around the globe generally choose hot tapping for planned or emergency maintenance, modification or repair of pressurized systems. The process enables them to cut and tie into pipelines and vessels while they remain in operation. That way, operators can avoid shutting down ®

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What Do Hot Tapping and Siri®Have In Common?

“What can I help you with?”

Has there ever been a more soothing sound than that, the voice of Apple’s Siri , asking not IF she can make your life easier, but how? Sure, you know that your automated personal assistant is merely a voice-activated search engine that’s capable of mimicking human conversation. But, she – or, rather, he, in British English and many other dialects – is just so useful. Ever since Rosie the Robot cleaned the Jetson’s Orbit City abode and HAL, the sentient computer of 2001: A Space Odyssey, interacted with the Discovery One crew, people have yearned for better, more intelligent help. In an ideal world, there’d be no need for owner’s manuals, online chat, instructive YouTube videos, or the ®

production, which can be a disruptive, costly and drawn-out procedure. While hot tapping does avoid the pitfalls associated with a shutdown, manual taps carry with them some inherent risks, as technicians are cutting into live, pressurized lines containing potentially volatile material. In addition, whether the job is being done onshore or off, manual tapping depends largely on the experience and hand calculations of the technician operating the equipment. For example, the technician primarily relies on sound and touch to determine what is going on during the tapping operation. On subsea pipelines, technicians work with specially trained divers who provide the same kind of sensory data via two-way radios. In a situation where a wrong cut could mean anything from product loss to catastrophic injuries, reducing or removing the opportunity for human error is a top priority. Turner is leading the continuing drive to reduce hot tapping risk and increase overall performance.

A Move in the Right Direction

T.D. Williamson blazed a high-tech trail when, in the early 1990s, it released its first remote controlled hot tapping solution, the 2400 Series Tapping Machine for on-shore applications. Instead of having to perch on a live pipeline to operate the tapping equipment, the technician controls the Remote Control (RC)

a business-oriented pipeline equipment and services company like T.D. Williamson? Turner says that T.D. Williamson strives to elevate the relationships the company has with its customers, to be considered a partner rather than a provider. With that in mind, T.D. Williamson is always looking for ways to bring greater levels of service to pipeline operators. That includes thinking about how to integrate smart tools into existing product lines. Turner suggests that the remote sensors and controls that are now standard on valves, controls and hot tapping equipment represent a significant first step in the company’s efforts to bring more real-time information to its customers. And although OnStar -like help is not yet available for T.D. Williamson customers, Turner notes it might not be as far off as people think. Perhaps someday soon, your hot tapping equipment may be asking, “What can I help you with?” ®

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

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Reaching Greater Depths, Safely

Continuing the innovation of RC machines, in the late 1990s, TDW developed and tested a concept for a subsea machine that ultimately led to the development of the Subsea 1200RC, which was released in 2012. The Subsea 1200RC is intended for both shallow and deep-water use. In the subsea market, manual taps can only be

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madness that accompanies out-dated, automated phone systems. Instead, the faster, smarter, more intuitive assistance we seek would be at our fingertips, incorporated into the products we buy. David Turner, Director of Hot Tapping and Plugging Technology at pipeline services provider T.D. Williamson, says that we’ve already gotten to the point where consumers expect on-demand product support, particularly when something goes awry. With the likes of Apple’s Siri , GM’s OnStar and Amazon Kindle ’s Mayday – which launches befuddled users directly into a live videoconference with help desk staff – American businesses are doing a good job answering the consumer call for immediate assistance, he feels. But why is the Director of Hot Tapping concerned about Siri or Mayday ? What do consumer-facing companies like Apple or Amazon have in common with

2400 Series Tapping Machine via a tethered control console a safe distance away from the hot tap. Since its introduction, several revisions to the 2400 Series Tapping Machine have been made, resulting in increased reliability, greater accuracy and more data. The current iteration of this RC hot tapping machine also provides remote monitoring and real-time data, giving technicians instantaneous information that improves their decision-making. Digital sensors on the equipment relay readings about pressure, rotation speed and travel distance. For technicians who’ve had to use analog gauges, linear measuring rods, and intuition to make critical decisions about cutting into flowing pipelines, the guesswork is gone. “Improving our hot tapping technology capabilities helps our customers mitigate risk while also increasing their first-time success rate,” Turner explains. “In other words, they can cut the pipe right, the first try. And they stay safe.”

S A F E T Y M AT T E R S

Trained for PRESSURE The future of hot tapping may be “virtual” – but until remote operations are possible, TDW’s extensive training helps reduce risks and eliminate errors.

A technician sits in a brightly lit, screen-filled control room, using cameras and touch-pad technology to remotely control a complex underwater robot. With just the touch of a finger, the technician can instruct the machine to cut a small hole in a live, pressurized pipeline, with near-perfect precision and, more importantly, without the potential for personal injury. It sounds like something straight out of science fiction – but the truth is, industry researchers have been making strides in “virtual” hot tapping for years, borrowing technology and ideas from a diverse range of industries, such as medicine and electronics. It’s an exciting prospect for the future of hot tapping, a job that – despite major advances in safety over the past 50 years or so – remains inherently risky. In reality, it will probably be several years before hot tapping goes completely “virtual.” In the meantime, though,

Tapping into Tomorrow CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

done at safe diver depths, about 200 meters (656 feet) or less. But with the Subsea 1200RC, taps can be performed at greater underwater depths than ever before, down to 3000 meters (9482 feet). The Subsea 1200RC has all the benefits of the onshore 2400 series, including improved safety for the technicians. The machine is operated from a platform or diving support vessel, and provides a live video feed of the equipment gauges, enabling never-before-seen monitoring capabilities and keeping divers out of treacherous waters.

Envisioning Interactive Customer Support

Turner likes to envision new combinations. He points out how T.D. Williamson borrowed from its past technology to create the current technology and how he believes it will access current technology to make the next generation of hot tapping solutions. “Remote sensing and control is used in our valves and pigging systems. By borrowing the technology for hot tapping, we’ve created a smarter product,” Turner says. “Because communication with users is a key goal for us, maybe someday we’ll even have a feature similar to Amazon’s Mayday that would allow hot tap technicians to launch into a real-time videoconference for help from T.D. Williamson support staff.” Does Turner have even more futuristic notions? He hasn’t ruled anything out. “Who knows?” he asks. “Maybe someday a valve will know what tapping machine is on it and what functions it can allow, and they’ll be able to talk to one another.” There’s no question that maintaining the performance of pressurized systems – pipelines, vessels and the like – is a high-pressure proposition. But Turner has taken the challenge head-on and is leading the charge for a future in hot tapping that is better, faster, safer, and maybe even a little revolutionary. ®

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T.D. Williamson’s hot tap training programs are ensuring that hot-tap technicians have the tools and knowledge to do their jobs safely. Before TDW’s technicians are permitted to work in the field, they are required to complete a rigorous program that combines intensive study and testing with hands-on training. Technicians are required to pass a region-specific Operator Qualification certification test. The certification must be renewed every three years via continuing education. Tom Parrett, Director of Quality/Health, Safety and Environmental for TDW, says the training is a win-win for employees and customers alike. The company’s focus on producing competent, informed hot tap technicians ensures a safer working environment, with a greatly reduced risk of accident or injury. “Our training goes beyond providing basic instruction on how to safely operate our equipment,” Parrett says. “Our program is designed to provide our customers with technicians who possess the knowledge, skills and know-how to expertly perform every task in the value stream one-hundred percent right, one-hundred percent of the time.” Parrett is quick to point out that TDW’s hot tap training doesn’t stop with Operator Qualification certification. TDW’s training coordinators closely monitor worker safety and industry trends, and they make a point to stay informed about best practices. The end result is a well-educated, informed workforce and a reputation for process safety. “Our customers are able to conduct their hot tapping operations with peace of mind, knowing that the proper planning and preparation was completed for their specific job,” Parrett says. Of course, TDW’s training program will likely evolve as researchers continue to roll out advancements. One day, perhaps in the not-toodistant future, new technicians will gather in screenfilled control rooms and learn to use touch screens to control highly advanced hot tapping machines – possibly from across the country or even across the globe. Until then, though, people like Tom Parrett and his team of training coordinators will continue to provide technicians with the tools and training necessary to do their jobs accurately and safely.

FUTURE THINKING

FOR AN

Aging World

Operators trust in comprehensive assessments, holistic understanding, and advanced tools and techniques to prolong their asset life.

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Technology

BY JEFF WILSON, Ph.D. CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, T.D. WILLIAMSON

As our bodies age, they often require a bit more maintenance and care to keep them in good working condition. Medical advancements and treatments such as MRIs, bypasses and joint replacements can often prolong our lifespans by helping to keep us healthy and active. As it turns out, similar technologies can also be used to prolong the lives of aging infrastructure. Pipeline engineers are increasingly turning to the medical community for inspiration and ideas. In fact, many of the techniques used to improve and repair aging pipelines are strikingly similar to the ones used to treat aging human bodies. And these new innovations couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have come at a better time.

The world is getting older, and so is our infrastructure. According to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA), in the United States alone, nearly half of all interstate transmission mileage was installed between 1950 and 1970. That translates into hundreds of thousands of miles of 60-year-old lines crisscrossing the country. Like the age of our average citizen, the age of our average pipeline is increasing. Somewhat surprisingly, the technology called to task to address both issues is markedly similar. For instance, doctors can prescribe better-fitting, more customized splints and braces because of newer materials used to create them. Cardiologists can offer patients less invasive coronary bypass procedures, and physicians from virtually every medical specialty now rely on non-invasive imaging tools such as MRIs and ultrasounds. Many of the same advances are being used in pipeline engineering: advances in material science help keep our pipe joints strong, “bypass” STOPPLE operations keep pipelines flowing as key maintenance is performed, and pipeline integrity testing is rooted in the same imaging technology used every day in hospitals. It’s amazing that seemingly niche techniques are actually so ubiquitous. ®

pre-measured doses of insulin or chemotherapy drugs, the PLC allows users to program the remote automated launch of seven to ten spheres sequentially at designated times and intervals. Benefits to using automated pigging launchers include improved routine maintenance of the lines, as well as avoiding costly operating interruptions caused from the buildup of impurities.

SEEING IS BELIEVING: ADVANCED IMAGING TECHNIQUES As the medical community has increasingly relied on advanced imaging techniques for better detection and treatment, so too, has the pipeline industry. One of the earliest innovations in this category was the inspection pig. Fairly crude by today’s standards, the

AUTOMATING TREATMENT

> STOPPLE®Train Plugging System

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early fleet of inspection pigs gave operators their first real glimpse inside a pipeline. This technique provided never-before-available information about the integrity of their lines. Operators received information about dents, deformations and other potential problems that were electronically scrolled on paper rolls. Because of automation advancements, improved access and other technology developments evolving at breakneck speeds, today’s “smart pigs” perform and deliver results at previously unimaginable levels. Consider Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL), for example, which also has a feature in common with a medical imaging counterpart, the MRI. Both

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Let’s begin with pigging. As we see a projected increase in new gathering lines in the years ahead, so too will we see an increase in lines that are piggable. Reasons vary, including anticipating regulatory action by PHMSA that calls for gathering line integrity inspections – integrity inspections can only be performed on piggable lines. TDW has developed and is testing the SmartTrap Automated Sphere System, or AutoSphere, an automated pig launcher that deploys spheres to clean lines daily so that liquids and debris can be removed, production optimized and NGL condensates extracted. It uses the same Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) – an automation technology – found in TDW’s AutoCombo system, used in pigging trunk lines. Operating much like the pumps that deliver

incorporate the use of magnetics and both are used for detection and diagnosis. MFL is used to locate metal-loss irregularities inside a pipeline, in a nondestructive way that’s similar to the way an MRI tries to locate tumors non-invasively in humans. However, unlike an MRI where information is gathered by placing the patient inside the imaging instrument, an MFL tool gathers data by traveling inside the pipeline. Powerful magnets inside the tool produce a magnetic field within the steel pipeline and magnetically “saturates” the steel. If there is pitting, corrosion or other anomalies in the pipe, the magnetism “leaks,” which then can be detected by sensors. Data can then be collected and analyzed through additional imaging techniques. Just as an MRI can pinpoint the scope and location of the tumor, the MFL tool can determine the size and severity of specific anomalies, and accurately chart their locations. Another notable, recent advancement is TDW’s Multiple Dataset Platform (MDS) featuring SpirALL MFL and SpirALL EMAT crack detection technology. The MDS platform combines several technologies on one vehicle that travels through a pipeline where it conducts varied types of simultaneous inspections, digitally recording integrity data. MDS can precisely identify and locate varied types of threats and provide advanced characterization giving customers a comprehensive overview of their asset integrity. For instance, an anomaly observed in isolation may seem

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insignificant, but viewed through the simultaneous multiple inspection technologies the irregularity might turn out to be a small dent with corrosiondriven metal loss, accompanied by a network of stress corrosion cracking. What once might have been labeled inconsequential now becomes a major threat that can be quickly and efficiently treated before further damaging the pipe. Due to these techniques and new technologies becoming an integral aspect of most pipeline integrity programs, operators are no longer forced to have to remove portions of pipeline from their operating environment to assess damage. Instead, they can conduct non-destructive evaluation (NDE) on-site, to identify the strength of their pipeline steel and its chemical composition. Through Positive Material Identification (PMI), Optical Emission Spectrometry (OES) and stress-strain measurements taken at their point of origin, in-depth assessments can now be provided in the field and on-demand.

Technology for an Aging World Continued Continue reading this article online to learn about: • Bracing for Impact: Advances in Custom Composite Repair • A Nation’s Arteries: Achieving Minimally Invasive Isolation, Bypass and Repair

>> Meet Jeff Wilson, Ph.D.

Chief Technology Officer, T.D. Williamson Jeff Wilson, Chief Technology Officer for T.D. Williamson, Inc., is responsible for the development and commercialization of TDW’s products and services. Jeff has led the development and deployment of various technologies used in pipeline construction, maintenance and repair for both on-shore and offshore applications. He received his doctorate in mechanical engineering from The University of Tulsa (U.S.A.), has been awarded numerous patents related to pipeline technology, and serves on the international ASME PCC-2 subgroup on Nonmetallic Repair.

MARKET REPORT

Changing Directions:

Repurposed Pipelines Meet Growing Energy Demands

The oil and gas industry’s approach to change has often been compared to the formation of fossil fuels themselves: slow, steady, and done under pressure. But these days, energy companies are stepping up the pace. For one thing, they’re being forced to respond to altered market conditions arising from new shale and tar sands activity. Take for example the production growth in the Marcellus Shale, which covers approximately 95,000 square miles (152,883 km) of the northeastern United States. When a region this size goes from being a natural gas importer to a natural gas exporter in just a few short years, infrastructure changes need to be made… and fast. Yet building a new pipeline to carry the new flow is a proposition that can easily run into the billions of dollars and take years to complete. The Keystone XL pipeline, announced in 2008, is a prime example, with an estimated cost of over US$7 billion, and a fate that remains uncertain. Instead, to accommodate the rapid change, the industry is taking a less expensive, quicker route: the repurposing of existing lines.

Reversing Fortunes

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Before the Marcellus boom, communities in Pennsylvania and West Virginia relied largely on natural gas from the western United States for heat and the raw materials for manufacturing. But with natural gas now pouring out of the enormous shale formations, the region has acquired a home field advantage. Because this new local production is more than sufficient to meet current local demand, there’s enough capacity left over to ship some out to other states and even up to Canada. It took a pipeline reversal to change the area’s role from energy importer to exporter: By flipping the flow of a southbound pipeline to run northward, the pipeline operator is now ferrying Marcellus gas to power-hungry markets in southern Ontario and Quebec. While reversing pipelines may be expedient, there

are additional risks that can occur when a pipeline is modified to “do something it wasn’t expected to do in the first place,” says Dr. Mike Kirkwood, T.D. Williamson (TDW) Director of Business Development, Transmission. With increasing demand for energy plus the ardent development of unconventional resources and new products placing more stress on existing oil and gas transportation systems than ever before, Kirkwood believes the number of pipeline reutilizations will continue to increase in the future. He wants to make sure operators are taking the appropriate integrity measures so that reversed and repurposed pipelines don’t suffer unexpected consequences. Case in point, the recent pipeline disasters in Michigan and Arkansas. Both pipelines had been repurposed to transport diluted bitumen – dilbit – from Canada’s tar sands into the United States before they ruptured, each causing millions of dollars of damage. Although both pipelines had undergone governmentrequired inspections, the risk assessment criteria used didn’t appropriately characterize the weaknesses that ultimately produced their failures. With the United States recently approving a twin reversal and expansion project to cross the Canadian

A New (Ultrasonic) Wave in Pipeline Integrity Testing

• Finding the Hidden Danger • A String of Tools • EMAT’s Broken Promises • The Right Angle

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• Finally, all the Major Inspection Tools on a Single Platform

• The Future of Inline Inspections

On March 29, 2013, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson received the kind of phone call no oil and gas executive ever wants to get. The 20-inch Pegasus transmission line that runs from Illinois to Texas had burst, leaving a residential neighborhood in Mayflower, Arkansas, literally swimming in black crude. Clean up crews rushed to the scene, but much damage had already been done. Twenty-two homes were evacuated, and Exxon started paying the bill: $2 million and counting has already been spent just on temporary housing for displaced residents. Complicating matters, the Pegasus pipeline had been inspected just months before the incident, yet the report did not point to any especially elevated risk. More than 2.5 million miles of oil and gas lines crisscross America’s heartland. Millions more run across Europe, Africa, Canada and Asia. These lines are not all created equal. They range from tiny 2-inch gathering lines linking individual wells to their larger, trunk line cousins, to Herculean transmission lines measuring as large as 60-inches in diameter. These lines form the arteries that transport our world’s energy-lifeblood from fields, to refineries, to electrical power stations. As the backbone of our energy infrastructure, they allow us to live, work and prosper; and they allow most first-world countries seemingly endless energy.

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So when that pipeline system is compromised, we sit up and listen. Oil and gas ruptures are not cheap – so far, Exxon has spent more than $44 million on the Mayflower clean up. And besides the cost in dollars and cents, the collateral damage can be immense. Oil and gas companies spend hundreds of millions every year on pipeline inspections to try to prevent the kind of incident that struck Mayflower. No one wants a busted pipe. Unfortunately, pipeline inspections aren’t perfect, obviously, or the discovery of threats such as J-shaped hook cracks would be a simple and routine task. Instead, these cracks – like a cancer – often grow and merge and spread, finally exposing themselves as major integrity failures. Cracks can quietly exist, undetected, for years. In fact, they often start during the manufacturing

process as tiny anomalies near the pipe’s seam – an area susceptible to problems in all pipelines. The micro-cracks, formed during manufacturing, can eventually grow into larger hook cracks, which can then grow into a full-blown disaster. However, as ExxonMobil’s spokesperson Aaron Stryck told the Toronto Star, the results of the inline inspection showed the pipe’s defects to “be benign and not in need of repair.” Clearly, there is a need for better inspection techniques.

Deformation

FINDING THE HIDDEN DANGER

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Hook cracks like the ones that doomed the section of the Pegasus pipeline aren’t the only types of pipe defects that cause failures. Gouging, mechanical stress, hard spots, coating disbondment, toe cracks, fatigue cracks, stress cracks, incomplete fusion, preferential seam corrosion, hydrogeninduced cracking and good old-fashioned dents are all cause for concern. A standard pipeline inspection may uncover thousands of anomalies. It’s neither practical nor necessary for a pipeline operator to dig up each one of these after every inspection. Many of the anomalies are, indeed, benign. But which ones are important? There are several ways to analyze the severity of a pipeline defect. Obviously volume – depth, length and width of the anomaly – is important. The type and location of the anomaly is also critical: For example, anomalies by the weld seams can be more severe. Finally, interacting threats must be taken into account. While metal loss by itself may not be a big deal, metal loss associated with a crack in a seam could be an emergency. There is a dire need for pipeline integrity inspections not only to report each anomaly, but to give operators the data they need to prioritize anomalies correctly.

High Field MFL

SpirALL® MFL

Low Field MFL

A STRING OF TOOLS

Operators traditionally use a variety of technologies for inline inspections. Each technology is adept at finding certain types of flaws. Deformation (DEF), for example, is good at detecting dents. Axial Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) is good for volumetric metal loss, like corrosion. SpirALL MFL (SMFL) is good for narrow axial anomalies, like finding crack-like defects within the weld seam. Low Field MFL (LFM) is excellent for pinpointing mechanical stress and hard spots. And Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) is good for cracks. (Or not so good, depending on whom you talk to, but ®

Figure 1. Mechanical Damage from an MDS inspection. Lessthan 1% dent with volumetric metal loss identified in the Axial Field (High Field), confirmed in the SMFL data as having some volumetric characteristics, but also narrow axial; re-rounding clearly identified in the Low-Field MFL. A <1% depth dent, in many cases overlooked from a severity standpoint, identified as a “priority 1” through use of the MDS platform, and found to have associated cracking.

Thirdly, running the multiple technologies in a single run means less labor, less risk of injury, and less time spent on inspections. Finally, the platform approach to running tools gives operators the most critical information they need to prevent tragedies – the data to prioritize pipeline flaws. When tools are run separately, you may get a single piece of information that, in and of itself, doesn’t really sound any alarms. Let’s say a tool reports a 1 percent dent. Without additional data, the operator may consider that dent a fairly low-risk

COVER STORY

we’ll get to that later.) Operators choose which technologies to run, and can run them on different dates, or on the same date back-to-back. In some of the latest iterations, operators can run multiple technologies as part of an integrated platform. This “stringed” approach to running pipeline integrity tools provides a better solution for a few reasons. First, you get data that is measured at a single point in time. As T.D. Williamson’s Manager of New Technology Development Davin Saderholm

Figure 2. 24-inch DEF+SMFL+MFL+LFM+EMAT.

17.3 ft. / 5.25 m.

EMAT’S BROKEN PROMISES

EMAT by itself has been a somewhat debated

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anomaly. But if the operator can see the data from several technologies side-by-side, he may learn that the 1 percent dent is actually a longitudinal gouge, and that because of pressure in the pipeline that gouge had been re-rounded and bounced back. All of a sudden that 1 percent dent is looking a lot worse. T.D. Williamson (TDW) has one of the most comprehensive single platform inspection tools on the market. Their trade name for this tool is the Multiple Dataset Platform, or MDS for short. The MDS includes DEF for deformation, Axial MFL for volumetric metal loss, SpirALL MFL for longitudinal axis metal loss features, low field MFL for mechanical properties of steel, and XYZ for geospatial pipeline mapping. The company recently added SpirALL EMAT to detect longitudinal cracks. That’s a big deal. Cracks are what caused the Mayflower spill. Cracks are bad.

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puts it, “With single technology tools you don’t get a complete data set aligned in time and space. So, you can’t say with certainty that the anomalies you are seeing are at the exact same spot. When you run the tools separately, you can say, ‘in this joint, we have a dent with a crack and a gouge, and I think it’s in the same place,’ versus, with technologies run together, you know it’s in the same place.” Secondly, when multiple technologies are run on a single platform, you have the option to build the system around a single data processor or CPU, and use a single software to analyze all of the data simultaneously. When run separately, each on its own software platform, analysts have to spend countless hours combining multiple sets of information displayed by multiple sets of programs. Having a single software display the data makes data analysis infinitely easier, reduces the rate of human error, and can ultimately be more cost effective for the operator as fewer man hours are required to analyze the information.

technology. It’s one of the only crack detection technologies you can run in a natural gas pipeline to detect cracks without removing the natural gas. The alternative is hydrostatic testing, in which an operator has to remove the gas from the line and run a water pressure test to see if the pipe springs a leak. Although still considered the gold standard for pipeline operators, this hydrostatic testing is expensive and disruptive to the flow of gas. EMAT has been tentatively looked to as an acceptable alternative, but the technology has been somewhat disappointing. TDW’s Director of Integrity Technology Jeff Foote, says, “Proponents of EMAT have long promised things that their technology just couldn’t deliver.” EMAT is an ultrasonic technology. It works by introducing an ultrasonic signal into the pipeline wall, causing it to vibrate. By reading the signals that bounce back to the receivers, theoretically, High signal-to-noise ratio

sensors to fail completely before a run is complete. Not only does that compromise the data, but it forces the operator to replace the sensors and run the tool again – a costly proposition. EMAT is also sensitive to noise. It’s an ultrasonic test, after all. It depends on clear, clean wavelengths to run the circumference of the pipeline. Noise can interfere with that – like noise from the rest of the electronics on the tool. So EMAT results have been traditionally difficult to read. The tools are also big. Some tools require as many as 48 sensor sets to image the pipeline. That means that, in most cases, EMAT can’t even be used in lines that are less than 12 inches in diameter. That negates its use in 50 to 60 thousand miles of small gathering lines in the United States alone. Bottom line, although EMAT has always seemed like a good idea, prior EMAT technology just hasn’t lived up to expectations. Now, TDW thinks it may have cracked the code. Although TDW isn’t ready to suggest that its EMAT is a replacement for hydrostatic testing for cracks, the new EMAT technology that TDW added to their MDS system does greatly improve the system’s ability to detect and prioritize cracks – much like the hook cracks that caused the Mayflower spill.

THE RIGHT ANGLE

Smaller, hardier, clearer results– TDW’s SpirALL EMAT technology solves many of the current issues with prior EMAT technology. Perhaps the most important feature of SpirALL EMAT is its helical arrangement of sensors. This patented helical, or spiral, sensor alignment allows the ultrasonic signal to be transmitted at a 51 degree angle relative to the pipe’s interior. Having just the “right” angle amplifies the signal-to-noise ratio, so that the wave patterns traveling from transmitter to receiver can be heard loud and clear. Combine that with ultra-sleek, low-noise electronics, and you’ve got a pretty impressive image on your crack-detection report. In addition, because of the arrangement of the sensors, fewer sensors are needed to provide more robust information. TDW uses only eight receivers to image the pipe, as opposed to the ®

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analysts can see where the waves have had a little hiccup on their pathway around the pipeline. Such hiccups – or deformities in the wave patterns – can tell analysts where the cracks may be forming. In the field, however, the technology has been plagued with issues. For one, the transmitting and receiving sensors are notoriously fragile. In most EMAT systems, the sensor development was rooted in applications designed to be stationary – they weren’t built to be dragged along the inside of the rugged and hostile environment found within a pipeline. These sensors are so unsuited for this environment, in fact, that it’s not unheard of for

COVER STORY

48 that are part of some other systems. Based combination is, “We had one operator who ran on system design, internal R&D suggests the geometric, ultrasonic crack detection technology, technology can be incorporated into diameters circumferential MFL, and several more tests on as small as 8-inch. his line. He told us, ‘we are interested in your As a bonus, the arrangement allows those MDS technology, but we don’t believe it will receivers to canvass the entire inner circumference identify anything we haven’t already found.’ three or four times on a run – so operators can Following an inspection with the MDS platform, get several images of the hook cracks were found. That’s same anomaly in one shot. the power of getting all datasets That’s unusual, because most in a single point of time in the other tools would require same software.” That’s the sort of duplicate runs to obtain GAME-CHANGING additional images. THE FUTURE OF technology that TDW’s sensors offer one INLINE INSPECTIONS more significant benefit: They TDW is currently in field pipelines need – last longer. TDW has chosen tests with its new SpirALL BETTER, FASTER, a sensor partner who designs EMAT, and so far results EMAT sensors specifically for and more ACCURATE have been promising. But industrial applications. These even after these promising than current generation. results, TDW is hardly done sensors don’t wear nearly as fast as other sensors. In fact, with improvements. TDW is TDW recently ran an 89working on software to take mile test run in an extreme much of the manual data environment and the sensors showed hardly analysis out of the inspection process. One day any wear. in the not-so-far-distant future, they envision a time when the dents, cracks, and corrosion FINALLY, A SINGLE PLATFORM will all be analyzed by a single program. The TDW’s SpirALL EMAT may be next-generation program will be able to prioritize pipe flaws for tech, but when run as a single tool, it still has the customer and send out an automated report. weak spots. Jeff Foote, TDW’s Director of Integrity But Saderholm says, “When you combine Technology says, “Automating the process SpirALL EMAT with TDW’s MDS system, will take hundreds of hours out of the that’s when you’ve got a truly powerful tool. It’s process. We could eventually reduce the time the combination of the datasets that gives us a from inspection to report to weeks, or even really accurate picture of pipe features.” days.” Currently TDW reports are usually Analysts consider the data from the entire tool returned within 60 to 90 days of the inspection, set to corroborate the data across technologies. For depending on complexity. example, SMFL may pick up some areas that are That’s the sort of game-changing likely to be cracks. EMAT can then confirm the technology that pipelines need – better, faster, SMFL results. and more accurate than current generation. Chuck Harris, Manager of Strategic Technology that can help save small towns, Commercialization for TDW’s Pipeline Integrity like Mayflower. Solutions, says that with the addition of EMAT to TDW’s MDS, “For the first time, all major inspection technologies are combined on a Discover how SpirALL® EMAT utilizes single platform.” oblique field to crack the code on cracks. Harris reiterates how very powerful that ®

I N N OVAT I O N S • JANUARY-MARCH 2014

Download the technical paper.

TouchPoints TDW Events, Papers & Conferences

International Pressure Equipment Integrity Association 19-21 February | Banff, AB | Canada CGA National Operations Conference 30 March - 1 April | Vancouver, BC | Canada

Marcellus Utica Midstream 28-30 January | Pittsburgh, PA | USA 2014 PPIM 10-13 February | Houston, TX | USA

Offshore Pipeline Technology Conference (OPT) 2014 26-27 February | Amsterdam | The Netherlands

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28-30 Marcellus Utica Midstream Pittsburgh, PA, USA Booth 519 30

FFU Seminar Sola, Norway Stand 11

TDW experts deliver – providing technical presentations and hands-on demonstrations throughout the world. To learn more: tdwontour@tdwilliamson.com.

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FFU Seminar 30 January | Sola | Norway Moscow International Energy Forum 21-23 April | Moscow | Russia

Gastech 2014 24-27 March | Seoul | South Korea

OTC Asia 25-28 March | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia

10-13 PPIM Houston, TX Booth 120/122/124

4-6

Subsea Tiebacks San Antonio, TX Booth 1933

19-21 IPEIA - International Pressure Equipment Integrity Association Banff, Canada Booth 4

9-13

NACE Corrosion 2014 San Antonio, TX Booth 2621

24-27 Gastech 2014 Seoul, South Korea Booth A180 25-28 OTC Asia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

30-1

CGA National Operations Conference Vancouver, BC

ASME Plant Engineering & Maintenance Pasadena, TX

21-23

Moscow International Energy Forum Moscow, Russia

22-25

Western Energy Institute Operations Conference Indian Wells, CA

JANUARY-MARCH 2014

26-27 Offshore Pipeline Technology Conference (OPT) 2014 Amsterdam

17-19 SGA - Southern Gas Association Columbia, SC

APRIL 2014

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M A R C H 2 0 1 4

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F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 4

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The oil and gas boom that reversed declining output and sparked robust production in the United States is now transforming the market for natural gas liquids (NGLs).

• Shale Development Regulation and Piggable Pipelines • High Frequency Solution for Resource-Constrained Producers

Another volley has been fired in the shale revolution.

The oil and gas boom that reversed declining output and sparked robust production in the United States is now transforming the market for natural gas liquids (NGLs). With weak American natural gas prices, due to increased availability, a growing number of US production companies are banking instead on the profitability of NGLs – non-methane hydrocarbons such as ethane, butane, and propane that occur in natural gas and are prized (or priced) as petrochemical feedstock. No longer surrendering to the notion that NGLs are just problematic by-products to be removed,

F E AT U R E S T O RY

• Another volley has been fired in the shale revolution.

I N N OVAT I O N S • JANUARY-MARCH 2014

United States Natural Gas Liquids Production and Projections

PROJECTS 2040 EIA 5 MILLION BBL/D

PROJECTS 3–4 MILLION BBL/D 2020 EIA

2011 2.2 MILLION BBL/D

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0 bbl/d

2,500,000 bbl/d

5,000,000 bbl/d

more producers are recognizing the importance of Shale Development Regulation NGL sales to their bottom lines. and Piggable Pipelines While the United States is ahead in the In particular, North American pipeline expansion commercial development of natural gas assets – a projects will include new gathering lines – and lots June 2012 Energy Information Agency (EIA) report of them. In fact, according to Olga Kondratieva, said the country’s NGL production could more than T.D. Williamson’s Director of Pigging Technology, double from 2.2 million bbl/d in 2011 to 5 million it is estimated that 16,500 miles (26,554 km) of in 2040 – it’s not the only nation seeking to achieve new gathering lines will be constructed annually energy security and self-sufficiency through shale. in North America through 2035, for a total of An EIA report revealed 41 countries outside 400,000 miles (643,720 km) of new gathering lines of the United States with recoverable shale oil and in slightly more than two decades. shale gas reserves. The list is led by China, which Kondratieva says that many current gathering has 31.6 tcm of shale gas, and has already spent lines are considered difficult to pig – in other US$1.3 billion exploring its shale reserves. Russia words, the lines can’t easily be inspected or cleaned has the infrastructure in place to capitalize on one by standard tools because of diameter differences, of the world’s largest accumulations of shale oil, acute bends, or other characteristics that prevent about 2000 miles (1240 km) east of Moscow, in the tools from negotiating the pipe. Siberia. Indonesia is in the early stages of shale The network of new gathering lines will be a development, as is Australia. The different story, however. government of Algeria is using One reason is that operators are incentives to attract foreign anticipating regulatory action by investors; similarly, in the the US Pipeline and Hazardous UK, gas field allowances Material Safety Administration DAILY CLEANING are promoting early (PHMSA), which is with spheres investment and tax expected to begin calling helps operators fully breaks have been for gathering line integrity designed to appeal to inspections – inspections leverage pipeline fracking companies. that can only be performed assets, ensure pipeline Meanwhile, as on piggable lines. integrity and extract natural gas production Above the call for in the United States inspections, there are some valuable NGL continues to grow, very enticing (and profitable) condensates. current pipeline capacity is benefits to piggable lines. struggling to keep up. In order First, pigging enables the to better utlize NGL resources, removal of impurities that can cause more companies are including new corrosion, increase clogging and impede pipelines in their capital investment budgets. production. Anything that can help increase the

High-Frequency Solution for Resource-Constrained Producers

Assuming that each new gathering line averages 5 miles (8 km) in length, 400,000 miles (643,720 km) of new lines will translate to 80,000 piggable sections. Kondratieva says those new, piggable sections will need to be cleaned with spheres, daily, to move the liquids, optimize production and extract valuable NGL condensates. For producers still relying on manual sphereloading and retrieval, that’s a costly and timeconsuming proposition, particularly when a two-person crew has to travel long distances to deploy and then retrieve the spheres. For example, in North Dakota’s Bakken formation a crew would typically need to drive 50 miles (80 km) each way, twice a day, to load and recover one sphere. What’s more, a workforce shortage in the oil and gas

industry, especially in shale plays, has made it more difficult than ever to find qualified personnel to operate manual systems. Additionally, of course, there’s the risk of environmental contamination in the form of carbon emissions every time a launcher or receiver closure is opened to insert or recover a sphere. Those are some of the reasons that pipeline services company T.D. Williamson is working in the South Texas Eagle Ford Shale with one of the world’s largest oil and natural gas E & P companies to measure the efficacy of a new automated sphere system for smaller diameter natural gas gathering lines. The technology they are testing, the SmartTrap Automated Sphere System – or, more succinctly, “AutoSphere” – deploys only spheres, the one function absolutely required for small flow and branch lines. Accompanied by service support, the AutoSphere uses the same automation technology found in T.D. Williamson’s successful AutoCombo system, which was introduced in 2012 for inline inspection and pigging of trunk lines. The brains of the automation is the

F E AT U R E S T O RY

flow of production has the potential to increase the flow of profits. But it’s recovering NGLs that has become an increasingly attractive advantage of pigging. “Recovering NGLs is where the money is,” says Abdel Zellou, who recently joined T.D. Williamson as Director of Market Development, Gathering and Midstream. When lines are pigged, NGLs can be brought to the surface and sold to refiners.

RECOVERING NGLS IS WHERE THE MONEY IS.

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When lines are pigged, NGLs can be brought to the surface and sold to refiners.

• JANUARY-MARCH 2014

Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), which enables the user to program the remote automated launch of 7 to 10 spheres sequentially at designated times and intervals, optimizing routine maintenance and helping to avoid costly operating interruptions caused when impurities build up. Because the AutoSphere can be controlled from a distance, workforce requirements decline. But those aren’t the only savings possible. The AutoSphere can also significantly lower carbon emissions, Zellou says. “Loading seven pigs at a time means the closure is opened once, not seven times. That reduces carbon emissions by 85 percent. If 10 spheres are loaded, the reduction in emissions is 90 percent,” he explains. T.D. Williamson’s San Antonio, TX, Service Center is already fully inventoried to equip customers in the Eagle Ford. A similar rampup is expected to take place in the Burgettstown, PA, Service Center for Marcellus Shale

customers. Customer support involves a full slate of operational and maintenance services, including installation guidance and supervision, commissioning, training, pigs and spare part inventory maintenance, development of a pigging program, even operation. “As it increases flow efficiency while reducing manpower requirements and lowering safety risks, the AutoSphere can save our customers money. The service we provide together with the product eliminates the customer’s risk of operating the automated unit and helps to increase the efficiency of pigging,” Kondratieva says. Saving customers money is always a plus – but the AutoSphere takes things a step further, Zellou points out. “By allowing the capture of NGLs, we’re helping them make money,” he concludes. That represents an even greater victory on the front lines of global shale production.

Capturing the Globe

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THE SHALE BOOM IS TIPPING THE GLOBAL TRADE BALANCE IN FAVOR OF THE UNITED STATES.

That’s according to Abdel Zellou, T.D. Williamson’s Director of Market Development, Gathering and Midstream, who cites a recent International Energy Agency (IEA) report. One example is how the shale gas boom is changing the competitive landscape for participants in the chemicals industry value chain. The growth of affordable natural gas liquids (NGL) that are feedstock for the domestic petrochemical industry has given domestic manufacturers of downstream products greater access to low cost raw materials, which is reducing the cost of manufactured goods. As a result, the United States is becoming less dependent upon imported products. The shale boom has also given the United States an overall energy price advantage over both Europe and Japan, Zellou added. “Natural gas in the United States currently trades at one-third of import prices to Europe and one-fifth of those to Japan,” he explained. “Average Japanese or European

industrial consumers pay more than twice as much for electricity as their counterparts in the United States, and even China’s industry pays almost double the US level.” Although shale activity hasn’t yet eliminated the US need for imported oil, within a few decades, it could. “Because of shale, the United States, which has long been the world’s leading consumer of oil, could by 2020 surpass both Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest producer,” Zellou explained. “What’s more, by 2030, the IEA thinks North America, as a whole, could become a net oil exporter.” Zellou sees worldwide energy demand and development shifting as India’s population grows. In 10 years or so, India’s population will surpass that of China, and so will its energy needs. In addition, new frontiers in shale development are being explored, from the UK to Indonesia. “As gathering systems are developed overseas, our vision is to be involved in supplying energy to the world. T.D. Williamson isn’t just looking at tomorrow. The question is, ‘How can we help our customers capture the globe?’” Zellou said.

Changing Directions

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

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border to help ease the tar sands bottleneck – a plan not be enough to completely assure reliability. that includes converting an existing pipeline to “Hydrotesting is useful in determining the pipeline’s carry dilbit – incidents like these are top of mind for standing for present use,” Kirkwood asserts. “But when operators, regulators and the concerned public. you make a departure from the original design scope like reversing product flow, there’s so much more you A Bit about Dilbit need to understand in terms of risk. You have to ask Canadian tar sands produce a low grade crude oil yourself, at the very least, ‘if it were a new pipeline, known as bitumen that is too thick to transport as is. what would I do to identify risks, and detect and However, thinning it with a natural gas condensate mitigate problems.’” like benzene can get it flowing. The new expansion In addition to hydrotesting, a variety of inline pipeline will carry condensates from the United inspection technologies are available. However, most States to the tar sands, where they will be used to of these technologies have focused on metal-loss. dilute the bitumen. The existing line, which was Spotting corrosion is beneficial, but this data often initially built to carry thinner oil at lower pressure in the opposite direction, will be reversed and converted to a higherThese new tools offer better crack volume vehicle to move the dilbit west across Canada, where it can be readied for detection, prioritization of defects export to new markets. Dilbit is higher density than crude for faster repairs on critical issues, oil, so it flows under higher pressure, and more complete analysis of and this could stress undetected internal weaknesses. Corrosion fatigue was blamed defects through advanced software. for the Michigan failure; while the jury is still out on the cause of the Arkansas line breach, the early evidence points to fatigue resulting from heavier oil combined with hook cracks fails to give operators a complete view of pipeline in brittle electric resistance welded pipe. Kirkwood is health. Pipelines can fail due to a variety of defects concerned that, without adequate inspection, a similar such as corrosion, dents, cracks, stresses, or any fate could await the new dilbit-converted pipeline. combination thereof. “When you change the duty of a pipeline, both The good news is, the pipeline services industry through reversing flow and changing the product, new is well aware of the shortcomings of current threats can present themselves that were not necessarily integrity testing. Next generation inspection tools considered during its design,” Kirkwood says. are already in field operations – such as TDW’s Multiple Dataset Platform with SpirALL EMAT, Integrity Innovations which combines a variety of inline technologies to Kirkwood, who has spent much of his career studying search for multiple defect types concurrently. These and writing about the integrity of oil and gas new tools offer better crack detection, prioritization infrastructure, is, not surprisingly, a staunch advocate of defects for faster repairs on critical issues, and of integrity management. He believes more thorough more complete analysis of defects through advanced inline inspection could reduce the risks of pipeline software. It’s Kirkwood’s belief that such cuttingreversal. edge integrity innovations will help operators make A high level pressure test using water – so-called more informed decisions about pipeline repurposing hydrotesting – is often considered the gold standard in in the future, helping to prevent catastrophes such testing for pipeline leaks. But hydrotesting alone may as the Michigan and Arkansas disasters.

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