Initially these were to detect minor pipeline leaks following hydrotesting, and subsequently to detect and size geometric anomalies and metal-loss features.
The activities of Rosen (the company) were initially concentrated on magnetic-flux-leakage (MFL) – the major non-destructive testing technology for pipelines at the time – and the company is still committed to this technology.
As testament to this, the company has probably inspected more pipelines globally with MFL tools than any other pipeline inspection vendor.
Rosen’s range of inspection technologies subsequently has been considerably extended: after MFL – first axial MFL and later circumferential MFL – Rosen introduced the electromagnetic-acoustic technology (EMAT) tools for crack inspection and coating disbondment inspection.
Following this, eddy current was introduced as a complementary technology with the MFL tools (for thick-walled offshore pipelines), after which UT piezoelectric wall thickness measurement was introduced, and finally UT piezoelectric crack inspection.
Along the way Rosen also introduced high-resolution geometry tools with stand-off sensors and mapping tools.
The most recent introduction is the RoMat service, in which an ILI tool using eddy-current technology can measure material properties, i.e. yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of steel.
A major step has also been for the company to develop a much broader, holistic view of pipelines and other assets in the oil and gas industry, resulting in its development of an extensive range of software products for pipeline-integrity management and aspects of pipeline integrity and fitness-for-purpose assessment.
The company has three major business streams.
Firstly, asset integrity management brings together the inspection services for the oil and gas industry, including solutions for the up-, mid-, and down-stream sectors.
This includes integrity assessment, integrity management software, and a wide range of supporting services and products.
The second business stream is in the field of enhanced materials, incorporating a wide range of applications of polyurethane-based products; the third stream is involved in process control, with a current focus on flow measurement.
Readers will probably be most familiar with the first of these streams: that of intelligent inspection and data analysis.
However, Rosen’s forays into “˜intelligent materials’, typified by its development of its Roplasthan polyurethanes, has resulted (since 2003) not only is the company manufacturing virtually all its own polyurethanes for its tools’ drive cups and discs, but it has now opened a line-pipe linings manufacturing plant in Calgary.
The RoCoat lining has specifically been designed for use in oilsands and slurry pipelines which transport highly abrasive materials.
The polyurethane lining also comes with embedded sensors which can be interrogated from outside the pipe by near-field communication to reveal the remaining lining thickness, allowing cost-effective decisions about pipe replacement or rotation to obviate wear, to be made.
The third stream is the company’s new flow-measuring initiative in which EMAT is being developed for applications where the abilities of the Coriolis techniques can be far exceeded.
This will include flow measurement of multi-phase flows and steam.
The flow meters based on this system are due to be introduced in 2016.
Another aspect of Rosen’s work is its “˜challenging diagnostics’ division, formed in 2011.
Formed with the remit to “find today’s solutions to tomorrow’s inspections”, this division deals with individual solutions and has no internal limitations within the company.
A “˜toolbox’ philosophy has been developed which allows the division great flexibility in its work.
Among areas covered is the inspection of “˜challenging’ pipelines (also known as unpiggable pipelines), a subject which Mr Rosen sees as of particular significance to his company’s activities.
Mr Rosen says that his philosophy has always been based on understanding market needs and serving customers.
A key to this is to be close to where the customers are, and today the company’s enterprises and offices are in 20 locations worldwide.
The company headquarters are in Stans, Switzerland, while the larger of its operational units are located in the Netherlands, US, Canada, UAE, and Malaysia, with a total workforce of over 2,500 employees. However, its largest single location remains in Lingen.
In the context of the company’s global locations and activities, two recent developments are newsworthy.
On 28 May this year the company inaugurated a new office in Columbus, Ohio, in the US.
At a ceremony attended by both local community leaders and industry leaders from the US and Canada, Vice President of Rosen US Chris Yoxall said that the Columbus facility will have a strong focus on advanced diagnostic services and integrity solutions.
This comprises advanced crack inspection and assessment services for pipelines.
In a second development, MACAW Engineering, a member of the Rosen Group, celebrated 20 years of activity in the oil and gas industry by opening a new custom-made training suite at its Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, offices on 30 June.
The company is a specialist engineering consultancy which started life in 1996 as a result of the initiative of four ex-British Gas Research engineers.
Asked on his views for the future of the inspection industry, Mr Rosen replied that technological advancement will lead to better practice.
“Further evolution of inspection technologies will relate to even better defect specifications, i.e. accuracies, and inspection thresholds,” said Mr Rosen.
“This also relates to tool capabilities in the sense of length of inspections possible, more tools combining tasks, and multi-technology tools optimising inspection capabilities. But it won’t stop there. A next step is to make advanced inspection technologies and related services also available for the challenging pipeline market, addressing lines which until recently were considered unpiggable.
“A major driver in the future will also be the use of data. Correlating data, using multiple data sets, data mining, or even artificial intelligence approaches.”
For more information on Rosen’s products and services visit www.rosen-group.com
