Pipeline Inspection Using Intelligent Pigs Workshop

This workshop has been offered each year since 1995.  The agenda is continually updated to reflect current technology, techniques, and practices.

May 12 - 15, 2008

Columbus, OH

The Columbus, OH offering was conducted at the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Columbus and at Battelle's Pipeline Simulation Facility just west of Columbus.

Class size minimum:  20; class size maximum: 30

click on the class photo for a high resolution image

Consideration is being given to also presenting this workshop in October 2008 in Houston, TX. If that is of interest to you please contact Pat Turman at SGA pturman@southerngas.org

Workshop Organizers

Battelle
Southern Gas Association

For registration information - Pat Turman, SGA (pturman@southerngas.org; 972/620-4021)

For information about the workshop:
- Bruce Nestleroth, Battelle ( nestlero@battelle.org; 614/424-3181) or
- Fraser Farmer, Southern Gas Association (ffarmer@southerngas.org; 905/465-3386)

Workshop Scope

This workshop provides operations and maintenance engineers in pipeline companies with the knowledge to establish and manage an intelligent pigging program that contributes optimum value toward improved pipeline integrity.

Registrations are limited to 30 people, to optimize interaction between instructors and attendees. Sessions are held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the Pipeline Simulation Facility (PSF).

Who Should Attend

Operations and maintenance engineers and senior technicians responsible for in-line inspections using intelligent pigs.

Visit to Battelle Pipeline Simulation Facility

Part of this workshop is conducted at the Battelle Pipeline Simulation Facility at West Jefferson, OH just west of Columbus.  This affords the class a first-hand look at the pull test and flow loop facilities that are used to develop and examine intelligent pigging technologies.  Transportation is provided.

How To Register

You may register for this workshop by clicking on the "Click to Register Online Now" icon at the top left of this page.  Fill out the form completely, Submit, and you will be sent a registration submission number by email. You will be invoiced or your credit card will be charged, according to your billing information selection.  You may also register by contacting Pat Turman (pturman@southerngas.org)

The registration fee of $1,495 ($1,695 non-member) includes breaks, continental breakfast and lunch each day, and all workshop materials. 

Multiple registrations (2 or more) from the same company may register at the reduced rate of $1,295 ($1,495 non-member).

Hotel Information

A block of rooms is reserved at:

Hyatt Regency Columbus

350 North High Street, Columbus, OH  43215

Please make your hotel reservations by calling toll-free 800-233-1234, or call the hotel directly at 614/463-1234 and be sure to ask for the Southern Gas Association rate of $149.00 per night single/double/triple occupancy.  The hotel cut-off date for this rate is April 14, 2008.

Need More Information?

For registration information - Pat Turman, SGA (pturman@southerngas.org; 972/620-4021)

For information about the course -

- Bruce Nestleroth, Battelle (nestlero@battelle.org; 614/424-3181); or

- Fraser Farmer, Southern Gas Association (ffarmer@southerngas.org; 972/620-4016).

At the Completion of this Workshop the Student

Will be able to:

• Select the appropriate intelligent pig(s) for the potential defects in a pipeline
• Develop and manage the field operations plan in an inspection project
• Critically review results from a pipeline inspection project
• Use the information from an intelligent pig run to develop an appropriate repair, replacement, remediation program
• Set out relevant issues in contract documents

Will know:

• The principles of design and operation of key systems and parts of an intelligent pig: sensors; signal processing; storage; power source; markers
• The advantages and disadvantages of competing technologies
• The defects that intelligent pigs currently do not detect or size well
• The attributes of manual and automated data analysis processes
• The range of sensing technologies currently applied in intelligent pigs
• How to minimize the probability of a pig being damaged or getting stuck in a pipeline
• How an intelligent pigging program contributes to pipeline integrity
• How to prioritize pipeline sections for inspection using basic risk analysis techniques
• Fundamentals of defect assessment – how to prioritize repair and replacement
• The precision and accuracy of various inspection techniques
• What to expect of pipeline inspection vendors
• The importance of disclosing pipeline configuration information to the vendor
• The history of evolution of intelligent pigging technology and what is currently under development
• The implications of incorporating intelligent pigging information into an integrated pipeline integrity information system
• About the influence of pig inspection speed and the use of speed control on pigs
• The significance of having a clean pipeline to achieve good inspections results. How clean does it have to be? How can you tell if it’s sufficiently clean?
• How to demonstrate that any bore restrictions in the pipeline are within the capability of the pig to pass

Will know where to find out about:

• Intelligent pigs that are available on the market
• Pipeline failure statistics
• Pipeline failure case studies
• Regulatory requirements regarding the use of intelligent pigs

Prior Knowledge Recommendations:

To get maximum value from this workshop the student should have the following prior knowledge:

• Basic pipeline operations
• Basic NDT understanding
  
  

AGENDA

Subject to minor changes

Day One

Hyatt Regency Hotel;  350 North High Street

7:15   Continental Breakfast

8:00 – 10:00    An Introduction to the Workshop and to Intelligent Pigging 

Fraser Farmer, Southern Gas Association

• The Workshop presentations
• What is a Pig, an Intelligent Pig
• Overview - kinds of pigs
• Historical development
• Class introduction
  
  

10:00 – 2:00   Pigging Field Operations Success Factors

Rusty Jackson, Tuboscope Pipeline Services

• Pipeline piggability evaluation
• Line cleanliness requirements
• When to use gauging, caliper, and dummy pigs
• Bends, fittings and other restrictions
• Modeling/simulation/verification
• Pig launching, propelling, tracking, and receiving
• Defect locating – marker systems, GPS coordination
• What pigging vendors expect from pipeline companies

12:00 – 1:00    Lunch (provided)

1:00 – 2:00   Pigging Field Operations Success Factors (continued)

2:00 – 3:00    Bore Diameter Measurement                                             

Chuck Harris, T.D. Williamson, Inc.

• Pipeline bore proving
• Pipeline bend assessment
• Dent detection and sizing
• Gauging pigs
• Conventional caliper inspection
• Clock caliper inspection
• Dummy tools
• Magnetic deformation tool
  

3:00 – 5:00        Inertial Tools and Pipeline Mapping                             

Frank Sander, BJ Pipeline Inspection Services

• Baseline surveying
• Digital mapping of pipeline routes

• Assessment of subsidence, strain
• Assessment of damaged and buckled sections due to upheaval
• Generation of as-built drawings of operational pipelines
• Creation of a Geographic Information System (GIS)

6:30      Hosted Dinner

              Bucca di Beppo’s (two blocks from the hotel)

              Hosted by Coastal/N-Spec

Day Two

7:15   Continental Breakfast (at hotel)

7:30   Bus to Pipeline Simulation Facility, West Jefferson Ohio

courtesy of BJ Pipeline Services

8:00 – 12:00    Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL)

Bruce Nestleroth, Battelle

• Basic principles: magnets, sensors, resolution
• Operational limitations: velocity, bends, thick pipe
• Detection of defects and pipeline features
• Metal loss corrosion sizing
• MFL for Mechanical Damage
• Circumferential MFL

12:00 – 1:00              Lunch (provided)

1:00 – 2:15        Display of MFL Data                           

Frank Sander, BJ Pipeline Inspection Services

2:15 – 2:30       Battelle Pipeline Simulation Facility Tour

2:30 – 4:15       MFL Signal Scavenger Hunt

Bruce Nestleroth, Battelle

During this session participants will put into practice what they have learned in the training so far.  Participants will try to locate defects given data collected during an intelligent pig test run.

4:15 - 5:00        Chemical Cleaning

Randy Roberts, N-Spec

• Use of chemicals, handling same and disposal
• How to optimize a cleaning program
• How to tell if the line is clean

Day Three

Hyatt Regency Hotel;  350 North High Street

7:15     Continental Breakfast

8:00- 10:30     Liquid Coupled Ultrasonic Inspection for Metal Loss and Cracks

Neb Uzelac, NDT Systems & Services AG

• Metal Loss Detection and Sizing
• Basic principles, sensors, resolution
• Defect detection and discrimination
• Defect sizing and assessment
• Axial Crack Detection and Sizing
• Basic principles, sensors, resolution
• Defect detection and discrimination
• Defect sizing and assessment

10:30   – 12:00     Pigging and Direct Assessment

Tom Bubenik , CC Technologies/DNV

12:00 – 1:00     Lunch (provided)

1:00 – 2:30      Pipeline Defects and Analysis

Tom Bubenik , CC Technologies/DNV

• Corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, mechanical damage
• Codes and practices for defect assessment
• Comparison with test results

2:30 – 4:00     Defect Growth Prediction

Tom Bubenik , CC Technologies/DNV

• Modeling defect growth
• Effect of repair strategy
• Re-inspection intervals
  

4:00 - 5:00     Field Defect Measurements

James Grant, RTD

• In the ditch defect measurement
• Defect severity assessment
• ILI  field validatiion strategies
  
  

Day Four

Hyatt Regency Hotel;  350 North High Street

7:15              Continental Breakfast

8:00 – 9:00     Axial Defect Detection

• Circumferential MFL tools
• EMAT tools
• Other inspection tools

9:00 – 11:00     Role of Intelligent Pigging in Pipeline Integrity                           

Fraser Farmer, Southern Gas Association

• Pipeline integrity management
• Risk assessment
• Geographic information systems
• Information integration

11:00 – 12:00    Data Handling and Reporting

Fraser Farmer, Southern Gas Association

• Requirements
• Data/reporting formats

12:00 – 1:00    Lunch (provided)

1:00 – 2:15    Things to Consider After You Get the Pigging Report
Albert van Roodselaar, Chevron Energy Technology Company      

• Defect growth/repair level/re-inspection interval/total cost
• Run comparisons
• Growth models
• Code requirements

2:30 – 4:00   Pigging Standardization             

Bryce Brown, ROSEN USA - via WebEx from Berlin, Germany

• Standards
• Pipeline Operators Forum Standard
• The emerging standards
  • NACE Pigging Recommended Practice
  • API ILI Equipment standard
  • ASNT Personnel qualification standard
• Standardized reporting
• Performance testing

4:00 – 5:00        Contracting Issues

Fraser Farmer, Southern Gas Association

• Responsibilities and liabilities

• Performance expectations

• Stuck, lost, damaged pigs

• Damaged pipeline, flow restrictions

A contract template will be provided.

5:00    Workshop Adjourns 

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