Page 117 - Pipeline Pigging Technology

Pipeline Pigging Technology

of the pipeline condition. The engineers would be able to better understand
any changes in this condition, thus enabling them to take the necessary
action. Increased safety would therefore be a major benefit of using the
system.
(b) Shortening of response time in finding information'. Because all the
data would be concentrated in one place, and furthermore in a database, it
would take the engineer less time to find it in comparison to searching
through the reports. This is especially true for occasions where several
campaigns are involved, for example, free-span history. More efficient use of
the engineer's time would therefore be made when analysing the data.
(c) More cost-effective scope ofROV inspection: The preparation of the
ROV inspection scope is a long and tedious process when carried out
manually. Priority is given to areas which have not been surveyed recently or
which have a high risk of problems. The difficulty comes from the information
being scattered in many reports and from constant changes in the pipeline
condition. A program based on an algorithm would carry out this task
systematically and efficiently. A recommended scope would then be pre-
sented to the engineer who had the ultimate responsibility for the final
decision. Consequently, a reduction of engineer time would be achieved as
well as a more refined scope of work.
(d) Reduction of the number of reports: As most of the data would be
transmitted via magnetic tapes, the number of reports provided by the
contractors could be reduced, particularly those readily produced on demand
from the system.

THE SYSTEM

Data overview

The database is composed of three main areas as described below. In
addition a master record is stored for each pipeline to hold such details as
pipeline name, total length, etc. (see Fig.l for database diagram).
Much of this information is classified and accessed using the kilometre post
(or Point kilometrique, PK) value giving the distance of any point along the
line from the defined base co- ordinates of the pipeline.

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