A North American pipeline operatorAn entity or organization responsible for the operation, management, and maintenance of a pipeline system. The operator is entrusted with ensuring the safe, rel… contracted NDT Global to inspect an 18" Natural Gas Liquid (NGLNGLs are hydrocarbons that are commonly found in association with natural gas deposits. They are composed of various hydrocarbon compounds, including ethane, pr…) pipeline for cracks, including hook cracks. The pipeline transported blended NGL, which made the inspectionThe systematic process of visually examining, testing, or monitoring pipeline components to assess their condition, integrity, and compliance with regulatory re… process complicated by the nature of the medium.

Performing ultrasonic crackA fracture or discontinuity in the wall of a pipeline, where the material is separated or broken, potentially compromising the integrity and safety of the pipel… inspections in a challenging medium such as blended NGL requires a thorough understanding of certain parameters. One of the biggest challenges is determining the sound velocity in the medium as changes in operational and environmental conditions such as pressure and temperature can affect ultrasoundRefers to sound waves with frequencies above the upper limit of human hearing, typically above 20,000 Hz. Ultrasound is used to determine wall thickness and to … propagation angles and lead to measurement degradation.

Typically, when faced with a challenging medium, the inspectionThe systematic process of visually examining, testing, or monitoring pipeline components to assess their condition, integrity, and compliance with regulatory re… tool is deployed in a batch of a standard medium, such as diesel. However, in this instance, the operatorAn entity or organization responsible for the operation, management, and maintenance of a pipeline system. The operator is entrusted with ensuring the safe, rel… sought a solution that could be deployed directly in the NGLNGLs are hydrocarbons that are commonly found in association with natural gas deposits. They are composed of various hydrocarbon compounds, including ethane, pr… product. Working closely with the pipeline operator, an extensive testing and validation process was initiated.

• After conducting a thorough inspectionThe systematic process of visually examining, testing, or monitoring pipeline components to assess their condition, integrity, and compliance with regulatory re… of the NGLNGLs are hydrocarbons that are commonly found in association with natural gas deposits. They are composed of various hydrocarbon compounds, including ethane, pr… pipeline, the NDT Global team delivered comprehensive results to the operatorAn entity or organization responsible for the operation, management, and maintenance of a pipeline system. The operator is entrusted with ensuring the safe, rel…. The team identified, sized and reported several complex crackA fracture or discontinuity in the wall of a pipeline, where the material is separated or broken, potentially compromising the integrity and safety of the pipel…-like features, including possible hook cracks. The data analysisThe evaluation process of extracting insights, patterns, and valuable information from the data collected during pipeline operations, inspections, or monitoring… process was completed, and the final report was delivered to the operator.

• The inspection data was then validated using NDERefers to a range of techniques and methods used to assess the integrity, quality, and properties of materials, components, or structures without causing damage… measurements by an independent third-party contractorAn organization providing inline inspection (ILI) services to pipeline operators.. Supported by NDT Global’s field verificationThe process of confirming or verifying that an inline inspection (ILI) meets specific requirements, standards, or expectations. It involves assessing and evalua… team, PAUTAn advanced ultrasonic testing technique used to inspect materials for defects or anomalies. It involves the use of multiple ultrasonic transducers that are ele… was used to characterizeTo assign characteristics to a pipeline anomaly or feature based on its classification. complex crackA fracture or discontinuity in the wall of a pipeline, where the material is separated or broken, potentially compromising the integrity and safety of the pipel… geometries. This validation confirmed the results were accurate and reliable.

• A major breakthrough in this inspectionThe systematic process of visually examining, testing, or monitoring pipeline components to assess their condition, integrity, and compliance with regulatory re… was NDT Global’s advancement in ultrasonic crackA fracture or discontinuity in the wall of a pipeline, where the material is separated or broken, potentially compromising the integrity and safety of the pipel… inspection. This advancement has eliminated the need for batching alternative mediums like oil or refined products, allowing the use of precise ultrasonic crack detection technology in most NGLNGLs are hydrocarbons that are commonly found in association with natural gas deposits. They are composed of various hydrocarbon compounds, including ethane, pr… pipelines. The inspection yielded highly accurate detection and sizing results for challenging crack-like features, including hook cracks.