Geometry anomalies such as dents, twists, buckles, ovality, and wrinkles in pipelines can significantly impact their safe operation. They can restrict the flow of transported media and induce spot-like formations of sedimentation, turbulence, erosion, corrosion, and hydrate. These anomalies can occur during pipeline coating, transportation, storage, and laying of new constructions. During operations, baseline geometry defects on onshore lines can be caused by landslides, earth tremors, and nearby construction. In subsea lines, shifting currents, floods, and tides can move the pipelines from their original position.
Graffin Technologies has developed two pipeline electronic geometry inspection tools, Pipelines Electronic Geometry (PEG) and O’clock Wise Pipelines Electronic Geometry (O'PEG), which are used to locate and measure geometric deviations of pipelines. PEG is utilized during the commissioning process for new construction to provide baseline data of geometry and to locate and correct any anomalies present during construction. Subsequent regular runs in commissioned lines check the geometric integrity of the pipeline.
The mechanical fingers of PEG/O'PEG scan the entire circumference of the pipeline, and the measured data is stored on on-board solid-state memory. Twin odometer wheels, equipped with on-board distance correction for compensating for wheel slippage, are used for measuring the accurate linear distance. An industrial standard microcomputer is used for continuous data acquisition.
After the run, the data is downloaded and available for immediate analysis. The basic data delivered by PEG/O'PEG includes changes in internal pipe diameter, odometer information, marker information (if used), and velocity. Final reports are provided as hardcopies or CDs.
