Capability
Illegal hot taps in the oil and gas industry are a persistent challenge in many parts of the world. We are applying our technology and talents to producing a scalable answer to the problem. A hot tap is a significant modification to a pipeline that requires removal of a portion of the pipe wall and installation of metallic components on the pipeline’s exterior. The result is a change in the magnetic state of the pipeline wall that can be identified in the magnetic flux. By measuring and identifying these magnetic signatures, Pipers can be used to identify and locate hot taps in a pipeline.
Case example
Survey length: 8.5 km
Pipe diameter: 22-inch
Pipe composition: carbon steel
Resource carried: naphtha
Location: Brazil
Our client wanted to demonstrate that Pipers are an effective and economical solution for ongoing monitoring for illegal hot taps. The client installed a hot tap at an unknown location as a test. The data collected clearly identified a location with a significant change in the measured magnetic flux, identifying the location of the test hot tap. As a follow up of this successful demonstration, the client and INGU are working on a multi-year contract for hot tap monitoring.
