New Milestone in Pipeline Inspection

It is estimated that over one-third of the world’s high-pressure transmission pipelines are currently unpiggable. In spite of ever-more rigorous compliance criteria, existing intelligent inspection tools are unable to seek out and report on pipeline corrosion, cracking and a multiplicity of other serious defects in a great many pipelines. These pipelines are unpiggable because of access and valve restrictions, multi-diameter design, impassable fittings, tight bends, low pressure and low flow conditions, and numerous other deterrents.

The Northeast Gas Association (NGA) through its NYSEARCH organization, and with co-funding from the US Department of Transportation and the Operations Technology Developmental Corporation commissioned InvoDane to work on a solution to help solve the problem of unpiggable pipelines. On June 14, 2006 NYSEARCH observed a live, hands-on demonstration of a unique inspection device that InvoDane had designed and developed. With the device in the progress of being commercialized, it has been described as “a global sensor that can perform a full circumferential inspection of the internal condition of pipelines in one pass and can negotiate back-to-back 90 degree bends and, most importantly, highly constraining plug valves.”

The NGA stated in a press release, “This accomplishment addresses an important need for members because of numerous miles of pipelines in High Consequence Areas (HCAs) that require inspection. Many of those pipelines contain large segments that are unpiggable and therefore the current alternatives are very costly and/or prohibitive.”