American Gas - July 2011 - (Page 22)

GTI: A Trifecta of Technology Approaches By S. lawrence Paulson The gas Technology insTiTuTe is well known throughout the natural gas industry for creating solutions to technical challenges. In recent years, the organization has focused effort on helping utilities and pipeline operators meet or exceed the requirements set forth in integrity management regulations. Edward B. “Eddie” Johnston, managing director of GTI’s delivery sector, says, “Our integrity management research program at GTI focuses on three activities. The first is product development, which includes the transfer of technologies from other industries. “The second piece involves creating, analyzing and modeling research data as a basis for sound decision making to help reduce risk,” he continues. “The third piece consists of services we perform for individual operators.” Magnetic flux leakage (MFl) technology offers shortdistance, real-time inspection of steel pipelines. Technology from the Airlines In the product category, Johnston highlights recent work GTI has done on radiography by selective detection (RSD) X-ray. “This is a technology that was originally Quantitative polymerase chain reacdeveloped to look for land mines,” he extion (qPCR) testing looks at microorplains. “It migrated to the airlines, where ganisms that cause pipeline corrosion. Broadband electromagnetic (BEM) it’s used to examine wings for fatigue. technology can be used with tradi“The technology is very similar to the tional or keyhole excavations. newer security scanning at airports,” Johnston says. “It differs from regular X-ray technology bewith equipment located above ground; with typical in-line cause it uses a technique called Compton X-ray backscatter, inspections, the pig run is made, the pig is removed and inso the source and the detector are on the same platform. formation is downloaded, then the data is correlated postIt’s not a traditional X-ray where you put in a film and run. The current version can travel approximately 1,500 shoot an X-ray and see the film.” feet in each direction and get real-time inspection results.” He continues, “For buried pipe applications, you’d use Adapted from the Australian water market is a third this technology on an internal inspection platform to asproduct highlighted by Johnston, broadband electromagsess the integrity of the pipe. It works for steel pipe, and netic (BEM) technology. “BEM is a sensor that’s currently we’re trying to confirm that it works on polyethylene pipe used on the exterior of a line to detect metal loss in steel, as well, so it could prove useful for both transmission and cast iron, and other ferrous pipes and materials. Some disdistribution integrity.” tinct advantages of the technology include real-time flaw detection, the fact that pipe coating does not have to be Another useful device developed and patented by GTI removed and the ability to deploy the sensor through small makes it easier to perform magnetic flux leakage (MFL) testing excavations, such as a keyhole. on pipe. Johnston says, “We have developed a very low-drag MFL technology that requires less force to move the magnetic “Once you have an indication from a smart pig or other system through the pipe. This technology is targeted to address assessment that there’s an anomaly in the pipe, BEM could be inspection needs for short distances in unpiggable pipelines. a very cost-effective way to provide critical, real-time information about the indications found,” Johnston says. “There’s also “Our bidirectional MFL system can be inserted into a post-processing software that gives you even more informalive pipeline attached to a coiled tubing unit through a tion about how much wall loss has taken place.” hot tap fitting,” he says. “You can detect flaws in real time 22 july 2011 AmericAn GAs photos courtesy of Gas technoloGy InstItute (GtI)

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - July 2011

American Gas - July 2011
Contents
President’s Message
In the Know
In the News
Safety First
Integrity Management Fuels Innovation
GTI: A Trifecta of Technology Approaches
NYSEARCH: Technology Equals Solutions
AGA 2011 Membership Directory
Places to Be
Noteworthies
Marketplace
Jobline
Advertisers’ Index
Facts on Gas

American Gas - July 2011