Neile brings to UTQ a wealth of experience in the oil & gas and pipeline industries, and is very excited about the new challenges ahead with UTQ in the current oil and gas boom throughout the world. Also he is an active member of ME-38 AS2885.2 Pipeline Committee, ME-7 Radiography Committee and NATA (AAC) Advisory Committee, continually contributing to the improvements of the standards used in the industry.
UT Quality, the new player in “˜pipeline inspection’, has developed its own patented Automatic Ultrasonic Inspection System (UT Scan), both conventional and phased array to service the pipeline construction industry, both on and offshore. The computer controlled ultrasonic inspection system provides fast and accurate inspection results even in the harshest pipeline construction environments from -35°C in Canada to 60°C in the Middle-East. A major advantage of the system is identification of the weld location via GPS, which is now a critical aspect of pipeline construction. Inspection data is supplied to the client in a digital form with an easy-to-use look-up registry.
Another advanced inspection tool is the new “˜Visions’ Risk Based Inspection (RBI) software, which prioritises and manages various oil and gas assets for associated risk. Modules cover: Pipelines, Piping, Pressure Vessels, Refineries, Platforms etc. With the “˜Pipeline Database’ it logs a variety of information in regards to the various segments of the pipeline. All locations are referenced by GPS – crossings, bends, repair work, local topography, soil conditions, service history, excavations and inspections. Any pipeline defects are logged using the industry standard “˜ALIAS’ model. Monitoring tags for each pipeline segment will then record exceptions to normal operating conditions.
With the “˜Piping Module’, the facilities piping can be trended for continuous corrosion activity, calculating design and process data and corrosion types, from: general, flow accelerated, intergranular, microbial induced, exfoliation and corrosion under insulation. Future thicknesses can be predicted on current decay rates, and then illustrated trending data with a variety of graphs and reports. Cathodic protection effectiveness can also be studied at various installations. Corrosion monitoring and metal degradation prevention are predictive approaches to minimise the consequences and can be performed at relatively low costs with limited personnel.
ERP Integration, allows linkage with SAP ERP, streamlining the implementation process and reducing duplication. Equipment assets can be created in SAP and then imported into Visions. Flag will specify when Visions should notify SAP of a work creation, SAP in turn, notifies Visions when the work is complete. Overall with SAP interconnectivity, labour is minimised and errors reduced. The advantage of these “˜Risk Based Inspection’ programs is to optimise the combination of equipment inspection methods, scopes and frequencies, by managing and trending equipment life, whilst avoiding surprises. With the risk factor determined for each component of a plant or pipeline, the information is utilised to optimise and pinpoint the amounts and locations of subsequent inspections and maintenance processes. In order to avoid costly repairs, environmental damage and contaminated product, corrosion monitoring must be an ongoing process. Regular inspection is not necessarily required, but rather developing a strategy for inspection, maintenance and mitigation that is based on the equipment’s or asset’s needs using a streamlined approach. Inspection efforts can then be concentrated on documented problem areas and inspection scopes reduced on more benign areas without affecting the plant’s or pipelines integrity and production.
These new pre-defined RBI configurations can be tailored to suit each client’s or asset’s specific strategies and needs, reducing needless time, fewer surprises and substantial cost savings.