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Subsea CT scanner completes first deepwater deployment on GoM flowlines

 

World Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­,

TracercoÂé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­™s Discoveryâ„¢, the worldÂé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­™s first subsea CT scanner for flowlines, has successfully completed the first deepwater deployment on Shell-operated flowlines in the Gulf of Mexico. The technology is used to establish the integrity of subsea pipeline assets.

ShellÂé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­™s Gulf of Mexico flowlines

In total, Discovery scanned 10 flowlines including jumpers, steel catenary risers, and pipe in pipe flowlines all of varying diameters. Over 250 CT scan images over a pipeline length of 50 000 ft, at depths down to 4200 ft, were generated. In the Gulf of Mexico, based on such data, Shell was able to build a complete profile of their pipeline, which helped to confirm the condition of the asset.

Advantages of subsea CT scanner technology

TracercoÂé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­™s subsea CT scanner offers three key advantages over alternative inspection technologies:

Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­¢ The device attaches to the outside of the flowline, allowing the inspection campaign to be conducted while production continues.

Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­¢ There is no need to remove the insulation coating on the flowline, minimising the risk of flowline damage or of the build-up of hydrates.

Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­¢ Scan image data is available in real time, allowing engineers to rapidly evaluate and respond to any integrity and flow assurance problems.

Jim Bramlett, Business Development Manager for TracercoÂé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­™s Subsea Technologies division, said: Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­œUsing Discovery we were able to quickly deliver data, drip feeding the scans through to Shell engineers then providing an in-depth analysis once we had all the information. We understand that for each day a pipeline is out of action, or not performing at peak, there are significant financial implications: safety, speed and efficiency were key drivers in developing this cutting-edge technology.Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­

The planning, preparation and execution of the inspection campaign was a joint effort which provided access to the Discovery CT scan images, and TracercoÂé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­™s expert interpretation, within the same day.


Adapted from press release by

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