Did you know that pipelines carrying Oil and Gas are the most reliable form of transportation of these products? Why? Because the O&G industry spends millions of dollars every year inspecting their pipelines for degradation. All materials will degrade over time, but with NDT inspection and surgical repairs you can avoid 99% of the risk of failure of a high-pressure O&G pipeline.

Pipelines corrode from breaks in the coating or lining which allow ground water, CO-2, H2S, Brine, MIC and other corrodents to contact the steel and start reducing its thickness. The good news is that this is usually a slow and steady degradation and you have plenty of time to detect it with ILI Tools. A good prevention program will run an ILI Tool every 5 years or sooner to detect corrosion, followed up by "Integrity Digs" to repair it. As one of North America’s foremost providers of pipeline inspection and a world-renowned leader when it comes to developing some of the most trusted technology on the market, Russell NDE is your trusted source for the inspection of O&G pipelines, especially those that have internal liners, or are otherwise "unpiggable".

NDT technology, in ILI Tools, as manufactured and implemented by Russell’s team of experts ,makes it easy to take a close look beneath the liner or coating and clearly identify issues before they have a chance to fail the pipe. Below, we’ll discuss a few ways you can identify signs of internal line damage early on, as well as the benefits of using Russell’s highly regarded See Snake Technology. Read on to learn more!

Going Beneath the Surface

One of the biggest challenges facing oil & gas and brine disposal line operators is the fact that the majority of their lines are buried, meaning that more cursory visual inspections are off the table. While other lines can be routinely observed for signs of damage, in order to catch the first indicators of an issue with sub-terrain lines, you must be prepared to take a more high-tech, proactive approach.

Ensuring that your maintenance team organizes and carries out regular inspections for external and internal threats gives you the ability to stay on top of things and avoid major mishaps. During such inspections, key aspects to keep an eye out for include:

Signs of Corrosion and/or Pitting

In oil & gas and brine disposal lines, corrosion typically starts in crevices, and can spread if there are any problems with the internal lining or external coating (i.e .pinholes, cracks or holidays). While corrosion can be caused by a multitude of chemical, biological or electrical culprits, the good news is they can all be detected early on using Russell's in-line inspection Tool ("SeeSnake" ) which is available for pipe sizes 3" to 24"

Compromised Liners

As mentioned above, damaged internal liners can cause significant issues and lead to corrosion and pitting of the host pipe. Liners can also collapse if they experience a vacuum condition, or if corrosion products build up on the steel pipe ID, pushing the liner inwards. Russell NDE’s highly refined RFT (Remote Field Tech) specializes in the evaluation of lined pipes, including cement mortar, PVC, HDPE Tight liners, FRP, and more. Although you may not be able to identify the state of the pipeline through the liner from a visual examination, the Russell SeeSnake can sense wall thinning through the liner, and can accurately locate and size it.

Prevent to Protect

If you want to extend the life cycle of your pipelines, avoid costly failures and possible environmental fines, you need to invest in a strict maintenance routine that includes regular inspections. With the challenges posed by corrosive environments both inside and outside O&G pipelines, the simple reality is that your best defense is to take a proactive approach. Inspecting all PVC, cement mortar and related liners continuously gives you a leg up on stopping corrosion and saving time, countless dollars, and protects all stakeholders in the long run.

Russell NDE is proud to make the inspection of lined pipelines easy with our SeeSnake technology. Designed to meet the requirements for probability of detection (POD) and threshold of detection (TOD), the SeeSnake line of ILI Tools require no contact with the steel pipe wall to detect wall-loss. SeeSnake tools have a clearance of 0.250” (6.3mm) or more to allow passage of the tool past weld roots, dents and internal deposits. When you need to see beyond the liner, the See Snake has you covered!

Don’t wait for disaster to strike, protect your lined oil & gas pipelines today by contacting Russell NDE Systems now!