An inspection technology designed to eliminate challenges on the inspection and maintenance of pipelines is proving a global success as the technology is adopted by oil and gas operators worldwide.
Tracerco’s DiscoveryTM technology was developed to provide operators with an enhanced understanding of a pipeline, its coating and process fluid – all whilst fully operational – and has fast become the market leader with the technology recently deployed on assets across the globe including three subsea inspection contracts in the Gulf of Mexico and a pipeline inspection project in West Africa.
Speaking about the success of the DiscoveryTM technology, Jim Bramlett, Commercial Manager for Tracerco in North America and one of the team responsible for the successful market delivery of DiscoveryTM said: “The DiscoveryTM technology was designed purely to eliminate the challenges facing operators on the inspection and maintenance of pipelines where modern systems are increasingly operating in more challenging conditions.
“As such, the market demanded more advanced inspection technologies that could meet the challenges of more complex pipeline designs and new, unencountered pipeline conditions.”
And for the market leader in inspection technology, Tracerco prides itself on the principle behind the DiscoveryTM Technology in the form of a Computed Tomography (CT) beam passing though a material to measure the density and calculate any weaknesses in the pipeline, all in one single scan.
Combine this with Tracerco’s inbuilt ‘fast scanning’ technology, which reduces overall scan time by up to 80% and operators across the globe are benefitting from maximum data capture never before available in the market and from one single inspection.
Already in operation across the Americas, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and West Africa, Discovery has successfully gathered over 4,000 scans of valuable data, helping operators refine and improve the efficiency of existing pipeline models.
Tracerco is part of Johnson Matthey PLC and is a global oil and gas service company. Over 60 years of Tracerco’s experience has gone into making DiscoveryTM the best subsea CT scanner available, allowing operators to visualise flow assurance and integrity issues. With dedicated R&D support, multi-million-dollar investment and working in partnership with majors in the industry, Tracerco has secured comprehensive patent protection dating back to 2011. The technology has a field proven track record, and to date DiscoveryTM has provided real-time critical insights for many of the world’s deepwater infield flowlines. With these insights, operators can be assured of making well informed decisions on the future of a pipeline, without the need to stop or interrupt production.