How INGU Pipers® Conduct Magnetic Inspection
Regular inspection of pipelines is necessary to identify potential hazards, defects, or weaknesses in a pipeline. It allows for proactive maintenance and repairs to prevent accidents, leaks, and environmental damage, thereby ensuring safety, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance while minimizing costly failures and protecting the environment.
Pipers® measure the Magnetic Flux Density (MFD) in a pipeline (see our backgrounder) using passive tri-axial magnetic flux sensors. In the analysis process of ferromagnetic pipelines, welds and spools are identified.
Welds are automatically identified using a neural network and the locations of the identified welds are reported in the pipe tally. The main part of the Pipers® MFD analysis is focused on characterizing the spools. Spools with a different magnetic flux density compared to surrounding spools are identified as outlier spools. Depending on the customer focus, these outlier spools can then be labeled with the most probable cause such as metal loss, external features (hot taps, anodes, casings), and mechanical stress.
Advantages of Using Pipers® for Magnetic Inspection
Proactively monitoring pipelines for metal loss and other features that impact pipeline safety and performance, is key to preventing environmental damage and unnecessary costs.
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Valuable insights
Resolution to detect spool-based metal loss equivalent to a hydrostatic test as well as joints and fittings.
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Non-intrusive inspection
Pipers® do not require cleaning of your pipelines before the inspection and can be deployed under operational conditions, making the inspection process seamless and non-intrusive.
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GIS visualization
Inspection results can be presented in the INGU Interactive Pipeline Viewer, making it easier to verify reported outliers.
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Comprehensive data analysis
Our AI-powered data analytics deliver precise and reliable results, transforming raw sensor data into meaningful insights for proactive maintenance.
Backgrounder: Magnetic Flux Density (MFD) and Steel Pipelines
Steel pipelines are often magnetized due to factors like industrial processes, transport, and the Earth’s magnetic field. This magnetization has two primary components:
- Remanent magnetization, which is semi-permanent and caused by industrial handling
- Induced magnetization, which results from exposure to the Earth’s magnetic field
Magnetic Flux Density (MFD) measurements can be used to determine the level of magnetization. MFD measures the strength and direction of a magnetic field at a given point, which is equivalent to the density of magnetic field lines passing through a specific area.
The MFD is proportional to the volume of metal, which means it can be used to assess the volume of pipeline metal at a given location. For instance, areas with fittings will typically have higher MFD readings due to the additional metal, whereas areas with wall thinning will show lower MFD readings due to the reduced metal volume.
Although this method has a lower resolution compared to conventional Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) measurements, the benefit of using MFD measurements is that the pipeline doesn’t have to be cleaned ahead of the inspection and that pipelines that can’t be inspected with conventional MFL tools can be inspected with MFD tools.
Further reading:
Beyond Conventional Inline Inspection – Passive Magnetic Field Evaluation for Pipeline Wall Loss presented at the PTC2024 pipeline conference
What else can INGU Pipers® do?
Leak Detection
Pipers® record all sounds while moving with the flow through the pipeline making them sensitive to even the smallest leaks.
Air/Gas Pocket Detection
Pipers® use an acoustic sensor to identify the unique data signatures of air/gas pockets within the pipeline.
Confirmation of Containment
Pipers® inspect the pipeline under operational conditions, making them an ideal tool to confirm containment without disrupting operations.
Deposit Inspection
Pipers® take 100 pressure measurements per second while moving through the pipeline allowing for accurate deposit localization.
Hydraulic Grade Line Inspection
Pipers® continuously measure the pressure providing a highly detailed method for determining the hydraulic grade line.
Magnetic Inspection
Pipers® serve as an in-between solution between hydrostatic testing and conventional in-line inspection tools (i.e. smart pigs), helping operators keep their pipelines safe.
Magnetic Feature Detection
Pipers® measure the magnetic flux density in a pipeline allowing for the localization of any metallic fittings and casings in a non-metallic pipeline.
Hot Tap Detection
Hot taps, particularly illegal ones, pose significant risks to pipeline integrity, safety, and operational efficiency.
Bend Detection
When combined with off-the-shelf cleaning pigs, Pipers® provide the bend angle, radius, and direction.
Want to see INGU Pipers® in action?
Ensure Pipeline Safety & Efficiency with INGU Pipers®
Trust INGU’s Pipers® for pipeline inspection under operational conditions, safeguarding your pipeline’s integrity and optimizing its performance.
INGU’s Pipers® in-line inspection solution offers an efficient and economic way to safeguard your pipeline’s integrity and fostering optimized performance. The Pipers® technology provides operators full insight in all pipeline assets under all conditions allowing them to make well informed decisions to keep their pipelines safe and efficient.