Industrial technology service provider, Tracerco part of Johnson Matthey Plc, has recently been awarded three subsea inspection contracts to provide critical asset integrity data on pipelines of a major operator in the Gulf of Mexico.

As pipelines age over time, a variety of pipeline integrity issues, including corrosion, pitting and wall thinning start to arise, and the integrity of the assets could be compromised. Regulatory and safety demands are the key drivers of regular inspection campaigns.

Tracerco’s multi award-winning Discovery^TM, a subsea CT Scanner, will be deployed to carry out the subsea inspections providing the operator with detailed, high-resolution tomographic images of the pipe wall thickness and contents to gain an enhanced understanding of the pipelines’ condition. The tomographic image will identify any wall loss features within the pipe as well as the location, amount and density of any material and/or deposits in the line and will allow the operator to plan for the future life of the pipelines. As CT scanning is a non-intrusive, external inspection method, all assets will remain fully operational throughout each project, eliminating interruption to production or the need for pipeline modifications.

“We are pleased to have been awarded these projects” said Jim Bramlett, Commercial Manager North America for Tracerco. “Maintaining a pipeline’s integrity is invariably cheaper than performing significant repairs or pipeline replacement and we can help to ensure that potential failures are identified as early as possible. Through non-intrusive inspection, the Discovery^TM allows us to assess the condition of the pipelines through any type of protective coating, while online and all in real time.”