48 that are part of some other systems. Based
on system design, internal R&D suggests the
technology can be incorporated into diameters
as small as 8-inch.
As a bonus, the arrangement allows those
receivers to canvass the entire inner circumference
three or four times on a run – so operators can
get several images of the
same anomaly in one shot.
That’s unusual, because most
other tools would require
duplicate runs to obtain
additional images.
TDW’s sensors offer one
more significant benefit:
They
last longer
. TDW has chosen
a sensor partner who designs
EMAT sensors specifically for
industrial applications. These
sensors don’t wear nearly as
fast as other sensors. In fact,
TDW recently ran an 89-
mile test run in an extreme
environment and the sensors showed hardly
any wear.
FINALLY, A SINGLE PLATFORM
TDW’s SpirALL
®
EMAT may be next-generation
tech, but when run as a single tool, it still has
weak spots.
But Saderholm says, “When you combine
SpirALL
®
EMAT with TDW’s MDS system,
that’s when you’ve got a truly powerful tool. It’s
the combination of the datasets that gives us a
really accurate picture of pipe features.”
Analysts consider the data from the entire tool
set to corroborate the data across technologies. For
example, SMFL may pick up some areas that are
likely to be cracks. EMAT can then confirm the
SMFL results.
Chuck Harris, Manager of Strategic
Commercialization for TDW’s Pipeline Integrity
Solutions, says that with the addition of EMAT
to TDW’s MDS, “For the first time, all major
inspection technologies are combined on a
single platform.”
Harris reiterates how very powerful that
combination is, “We had one operator who ran
geometric, ultrasonic crack detection technology,
circumferential MFL, and several more tests on
his line. He told us, ‘we are interested in your
MDS technology, but we don’t believe it will
identify anything we haven’t already found.’
Following an inspection with the MDS platform,
hook cracks were found. That’s
the power of getting all datasets
in a single point of time in the
same software.”
THE FUTURE OF
INLINE INSPECTIONS
TDW is currently in field
tests with its new SpirALL
®
EMAT, and so far results
have been promising. But
even after these promising
results, TDW is hardly done
with improvements. TDW is
working on software to take
much of the manual data
analysis out of the inspection process. One day
in the not-so-far-distant future, they envision
a time when the dents, cracks, and corrosion
will all be analyzed by a single program. The
program will be able to prioritize pipe flaws for
the customer and send out an automated report.
Jeff Foote, TDW’s Director of Integrity
Technology says, “Automating the process
will take hundreds of hours out of the
process. We could eventually reduce the time
from inspection to report to weeks, or even
days.” Currently TDW reports are usually
returned within 60 to 90 days of the inspection,
depending on complexity.
That’s the sort of game-changing
technology that pipelines need – better, faster,
and more accurate than current generation.
Technology that can help save small towns,
like Mayflower.
I N N O V AT I O N S • J A N U A R Y -
M A R C H 2 0 1 4
C O V E R S T O R Y
19
That’s the sort of
GAME-CHANGING
technology that
pipelines need –
BETTER, FASTER,
and more
ACCURATE
than current generation.
Discover how SpirALL® EMAT utilizes
oblique field to crack the code on cracks.
Download the technical paper.
