Successful inspection of unpiggable loading lines using state-of-the-art ILI technology
Making unpiggable lines, piggable!
Earlier this year, we have successfully completed the cleaning and inspection of three strategic crude oil loading lines that had been deemed unpiggable. Within 120 days, as a result of excellent planning and innovation, we carried out the geometry and metal loss inspection survey using its certified high-resolution Magnetic Flux Leakage tool and produced a comprehensive structural integrity assessment digital inspection report.
Other companies had previously attempted to inspect these lines using a Tethered UT tool and failed due to complex onshore routing and lack of proper cleaning.
By utilizing only one drop-out spool, we successfully installed a single-entry, temporary pigging facility (trap) for bi-directional pigging operations at the onshore side to receive the resulting debris.
The onshore loading pumps moved the pigs to the pipeline end manifold. The moored tanker pumped pigs back, and a unique tracking system consistently monitored their progress in both directions such that it could be timely stopped.
The closed drain system at the pig trap ensured that oil did not leak into the environment and that sludge handling was minimised; the pigging operation is executed without the interruption of loading or the loss of crude oil.
The onshore loading pumps moved the pigs to the pipeline end manifold. The moored tanker pumped pigs back, and a unique tracking system consistently monitored their progress in both directions such that it could be timely stopped.
The closed drain system at the pig trap ensured that oil did not leak into the environment and that sludge handling was minimised; the pigging operation is executed without the interruption of loading or the loss of crude oil.