PII Consolidates Inspection Role in Australian Natural Gas Pipeline Sector

PII Pipeline Solutions, a GE Oil & Gas and Al Shaheen joint venture, has again been selected to provide advanced inspection technology and engineering services to monitor the integrity of two of Australia’s major natural gas pipeline infrastructure networks. The newly awarded pipeline inspection projects represent a significant expansion of PII’s presence in the Australian oil and gas transportation sector.

Expanding Dampier-to-Bunbury Pipeline Support Role

In conjunction with Contract Resources Ltd, its Australian alliance partner, PII is scheduled to inspect 22 sections of the Dampier-to-Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline (DBNGP), one of Western Australia’s key energy supply assets. The 26-inch DBNGP, which is owned by DBP, headquartered in Perth, delivers gas from the Carnarvon Basin in the North West Shelf to industrial, commercial and residential customers in the city of Perth and the surrounding region.

The inspection project will be conducted in April 2011 and will span 2,700 kilometers (km), including DBP’s main and loop lines.

Richard Visscher, general manager, contract resources said, “PII’s proven capability of successfully inspecting the Dampier-to-Bunbury pipeline is critical to the award of this latest contract. Using its RunCom™ software, PII collects and assesses data over a long-term period to provide insights into the integrity and performance of the pipeline. The operator is able to track corrosion growth trends at specific locations and prioritize any routine repair work needed to ensure the supply of crucial gas resources to Perth and the surrounding region.”

In 2010, PII worked with Contract Resources to provide DBP with PipeView™ Integrity, its advanced suite of pipeline data monitoring and management software. PII first inspected 11 sections of the DBP system a decade earlier.

For the 2011 project, ISO-9001-certified Contract Resources— which holds the inspection contract with DBP—will be responsible for infield support. The DBNGP project illustrates how the Contract Resources and PII alliance offers pipeline operators access to the most comprehensive selection of industry leading inspection, integrity and data management tools and services.

Inspecting pipelines across Australia: APA Helps Push the Innovation Envelope

APA Group, Australia’s largest natural gas infrastructure business, has selected PII’s innovative in-line technologies to inspect key portions of its extensive network, in a national contract covering the five states of Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia.

Over an 18-month period, starting in February 2011, PII will inspect up to 30 sections of the pipeline network. Due to the technical challenges presented by the varied range of APA’s pipeline diameters, PII’s newest and flexible generation of magnetic flux leakage inspection technology—MagneScan™—was selected to perform inspection on all sections.

Michael Bellamy, general manager, PII Pipeline Solutions said, “It is a credit to our localized inspection team in Australia that APA Group has again selected PII MagneScan technology to execute their 2011 inspection program.”

The 2011 order follows a three-year contract that PII signed with APA in 2010 to deploy its new crack detection technology for gas pipelines—the EmatScan™ CD—to inspect nine, 150-km segments of the Moomba-to-Sydney system.

In 2009, APA was one of the world’s first operators to evaluate PII’s latest MagneScan technology and validate its successful performance. The MagneScan is capable of inspecting pipelines for multiple types of flaws in a single inspection run. The system was developed by PII’s Center of Excellence for Magnetics in Northumberland, United Kingdom.

About PII Pipeline Solutions

PII Pipeline Solutions is an industry leader in inspection and integrity services for all gas and liquid pipelines in every known environment and operating condition. From tried and true in-line inspection and integrity engineering, to revolutionary new services such as UltraScan™ Duo for crack assessment and SmartScan™ for unpiggable pipelines, as well as powerful data management tools, we provide the comprehensive technologies, skills and field experience needed to confidently determine the present and future condition of a pipeline. Our solutions go far beyond mere defect detection to proactive risk assessment and threat management to maintain a long-term balance of safety and productivity while helping pipeline operators meet stringent regulations. PII Pipeline Solutions operates around the world as a 50:50 joint venture between GE Oil & Gas and Al Shaheen Energy Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qatar Petroleum.

About GE Oil & Gas

GE Oil & Gas is a world leader in advanced technology equipment and services for all segments of the oil and gas industry, from drilling and production, LNG, pipelines and storage to industrial power generation, refining and petrochemicals. GE Oil & Gas also provides pipeline integrity solutions, including inspection and data management, and design and manufacture wire-line and drilling measurement solutions for the oilfield services segment. As part of its ‘Innovation Now’ customer focus and commitment, GE Oil & Gas exploits technological innovation from other GE businesses, such as aviation and healthcare, to continuously improve oil and gas industry performance and productivity. GE Oil & Gas employs more than 12,000 people worldwide and operates in over 100 countries.

About GE

GE  is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, health care solutions and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide.

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Source: GE, February 7, 2011;