Plant Services - December 2007 - (Page 28)

Maintaining your pipeline infrastructure with video inspection By Richard Lindner I t’s no secret that the slightest disruption in plant systems can cause challenges ranging from scheduling and delivery problems to lost profits and unwanted downtime. Increasingly, plant mangers are avoiding emergencies by using a variety of technologies and methods that not only solve problems, but help to identify them before they occur. This is especially true with inspection of the pipelines that supply the life’s blood for many manufacturing, processing and power facilities. In recent years, the need for pipeline inspection has spawned many innovations, allowing maintenance personnel to capture crisp video imagSeeing from afar ery from pipe of any condition, size, material and layout. Among these innovations are push cameras and inspection crawlers, as well as zoom survey tools and sidewall scanning technologies. Each technology offers a combination of benefits that’s sure to address unique facility needs, as well as budgetary Customized eyes Figure 2. Crawlers with interchangeable parts adapt to perform in a broad range of pipe sizes, materials and conditions. LED illumination, both mounted to the end of a semi-rigid push pole. Push cameras (Figure 1) can televise as much as 200 ft. of pipe, and are optimized (and often are the only suitable alternative) for lines smaller than 4 in. In recent years, push cameras have evolved to incorporate text writers, which allow an operator to make onscreen annotations, as well as digital storage media such as DVD writers and flash card bays. Higher-end push cameras offer the option of panning and tilting the camera, a feature that proves useful when a pipe dead-ends into a tank, vessel or mainline. On the more sophisticated end is the video inspection crawler, a remotely-operated vehicle designed to carry a robotically articulated camera hundreds — even thousands — of feet into pipelines to identify corrosion, Real-time convenience and manpower constraints. The trick is understanding each technology and making an informed investment decision based on in-depth field tests and on-site demonstrations. The traveling camera Figure 1. Push cameras can maneuver to overcome common pipeline obstacles. Over the years, delivery mechanisms have emerged that carry cameras deeper into pipelines, while capturing increasingly better images. At the lower end of the market are push cameras, which televise pipelines using a selfleveling camera head and shadowless Figure 3. Scan segments to be unfolded and stitched together as they’re captured. The operator can view the scan as it is generated, and immediately transmit it to an analysis team. 28 www.PLANTSERVICES.com December 2007 http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Plant Services - December 2007

Plant Services - December 2007 Contents From the Editor: Orange Alert The PS Files: Pressed into Innovation Up and Running What Works: Samuel Adams Facility Refreshed in Cincinnati Energy Expert: Energy's "Perfect Storm" Technology Toolbox: Know Your Position Cover Story: Get a Grip on the Steamer Piping: Outside Looking In Web Hunter: Potpourri X In the Trenches: Making a Big Stink Boiler Room: Getting Educated

Plant Services - December 2007

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