Challenges
PCM enables customers to continuously monitor wall thickness with installed sensors. Typically for installation, the pipe is polished to bare metal before installing sensors. A large oil & gas company wanted to evaluate the performance of ultrasonic sensors over TSA (Thermally Sprayed Aluminum) coated pipes as most ultrasonic measuring instruments today use Echo-to-Echo mode to measure thickness over coatings.
Solution
Two additional Rightrax PM sensors were installed on the same idle pipe at the 6 o’clock positions for comparison: one sensor with the TSA coating intact and the other sensor with TSA removed for evaluation. The application ran for 3 months with no issues. Signals are not as strong through the TSA as they are with TSA removed, but the signals are clean and more than measurable. The test installation validated that the small amount of SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) is within limits to ensure benefits of PCM are fully realized in this type of installation.
PCM provides enhanced risk avoidance with a big picture view of operations conditions, leading to less downtime with continuous pipe monitoring via sensor data collection and proactive insights with powerful predictive analytics.
Outcomes
• Ability to install on conductive coated pipes
• Proactively manage corrosion risk
• Make data-driven decisions
• Reduce total cost of operations
References:
1. BakerHughesds
