Page 48: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Aug/Sep 2016)

47 49

to full operation quickly,” says Ken Balltec goes ? angeless

Pearson, Tracerco’s managing director As the technology of the pigs themselves in Australasia. “The speed at which we evolves, so too does the technology can deploy, coupled with the fact that to launch and recover them. Balltec coatings do not need to be removed from recently launched its ? angeless pig the lines before inspection, saves time launcher, which can be used in pipeline and costs whilst mitigating the risk of repair jobs.

damage to the pipeline.” “What Balltec has developed is a pig launcher that can be used in emergency

Pigs get smarter situations or in adverse conditions where

For internal inspection of pipelines, a section of pipe needs to be cut and that inline inspection tools, or smart pigging section of pipe then needs to be plugged,” devices, are being used to help ? ght Martyn Conroy, Balltec's VP of sales and corrosion, cracking and blockages. The marketing, told OE. “The pig launcher global inline inspection market is esti- ? ts over the end of the open pipe and we mated to be worth about US$1 billion a have a pig that is held in a canister in the year. back of the tool and gripping mechanism “A smart pig is a highly advanced that can grip hold of the pipe. Simple piece of technology that we run inside a adjustments can be made to the gripping pipeline to inspect it,” explains Andrew section to ensure that we can not only

Greig, operations engineer with pipe- grip onto steel pipe, but we can accom- line operator Kinder Morgan. “Smart modate any coatings that are on that pigs have numerous sensors on them pipe.” and inside them they have a computer Conroy said that the technology was and a hard drive that gathers data and developed when a client approached stores it. Balltec because they had an issue where “Smart pigs use all sorts of highly a piece of pipe had been damaged during advanced technologies, some similar to laying and they needed to cut out a sec- those used in a hospital like ultrasonics. tion. In order to cut out the section they

Once we run the pig through the line had to de-water that section as well.

we get a massive amount of data and “The end user was Total in the North we go through it and make sure we ? nd Sea,” Conroy says. “Leading on from the all the critical areas and address them back of that we were actually picked up accordingly.” by Statoil, which was doing some in-

Several runs are usually made in spection, repair and maintenance work the pipeline, with a cleaning pig with on the Åsgard Millom pipeline. They brushes, magnets and scraper tools em- wanted to be able to use the pig launch- ployed ? rst to remove any debris from er to inject a TD Williamson smart plug the pipe. into the pipeline to plug a live pipeline.”

A geometry tool with caliper arms is The existing technology was signi? - used to check for any geometric faults cantly re-designed to accommodate a such as dents that might be affecting the larger smart plug of 4.5m in length with pipeline. The smart pig is then run to a mass of 1500kg. The plug launcher detect for any general thinning or corro- gripping mechanism was built to with- sion in the pipeline. stand pressure of up to 120 bar from

The intelligent pigs are equipped with within the pipeline.

highly tuned sensors that can gauge the “This is a unique piece of subsea thickness of the pipes they are traveling equipment,” says Jon Jackson, Balltec through along with cracks, ? ssures, ero- engineering manager. “The subsea plug sion and other problems that may affect launcher is ? angeless and allows the the integrity of the pipeline. insertion of plugs without any existing

The pigs, which are launched and re- infrastructure by gripping and sealing covered in the pipeline, collect data and the end of a cut pipe. The plug can be transmit it to a team that interprets that launched via a simple hydraulic system data to gauge the health of the pipeline and operated with minimum remotely segments being scanned. operated vehicle intervention. This al-

If any problems are found then teams lowed our client to have no production not only know what the problem is loss during tie-in.” thanks to a heavy set of data points, but The whole project was delivered to know exactly where to go to replace the Technip and was successfully deployed affected pipe thanks to highly tuned and used in the Åsgard ? eld in August sensors. 2015.

August 2016 | OE oedigital.com 50 048_OE0816_Subsea5_pipeline inspection.indd 50 7/24/16 9:27 AM