SGS conducts ultrasonic testing for energy company

SGS offers Long Range Ultrasonic Testing (LRUT) of buried pipelines and risers to prevent unplanned shutdowns and associated costs.

Corrosion in pipe work is a major problem in oil and gas, chemical and other industries.

As many pipes are insulated it means that corrosion cannot be seen without removing the insulation.

For example, severe problems are encountered at road crossings with buried pipelines where the pipes cannot be inspected without major excavation, resulting in costly shutdowns of the plant.

Similar problems to this occurred at the energy company Chevron's terminal in Nigeria.

Chevron was having specific problems with risers due to corrosion and required an inspection method for the risers without having to close the whole field.

SGS conducted LRUT that does not require removing clamps and can be applied for pipes in operation.

This enabled Chevron to check the condition of the risers and schedule shutdown for repairs.

LRUT is also known as Guided Wave Technology.

LRUT is a Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) method and can be applied for critical pipe work, risers under clamps, insulated or even buried pipes whilst in operation.

The Guided Wave Technology screens 100 per cent of the volume of the piping inspected.

LRUT uses guided ultrasonic waves which travel many meters with minimal attenuation offering the potential of testing large areas from a single point using a pulse echo transducer bracelet wrapped around the pipe.

SGS is now monitoring all critical pipe work offshore, underground pipe work and road crossings in the Chevron terminal.

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