In your opinion, how important is it to have efficient and cost-effective pipeline management?
Having a cost-effective and high-efficiency pipeline management system is vital not only for the company that is owning or managing the pipeline, in order to assure the production level and the opex/capex budget optimisation, but as well as for the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) aspect. Pipelines, most of the time in our business, mean transportation of gas, oil, condensates, steam, etc., where it is paramount to avoid spills, contamination and all associated risks.
What are the features and benefits of the pipeline maintenance and management technology that your company specialises in?
Having extensive experience of being an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for rotating equipment and valves, which usually are installed along pipelines, we have fully-fledged maintenance management technology and engineering that can assure availability and reliability of the pipeline (optimising the maintenance cycle, applying ‘best timing for maintenance intervention’ with proper predictive maintenance approach, suggesting upgrades and re-rating of static and rotating equipment).
We are also able to reduce maintenance costs by applying our latest technology in spare parts management and assure pipeline integrity using our specialists for pipeline cleaning, in-line inspections (ILI) and Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL), and smart pigging. We also manage an emergency response team in order to intervene in minimum timing in case of any issues.
With our system we can secure the key factors of the pipeline such as:
Flow assurance and continuous operation
Required throughput obtained with the least capital expenditure and the lowest operating costs
Removing debris and/or foreign objects from the pipeline
Removing deposits, liquid or solid, that might otherwise restrict flow
Removing deposits, liquid, solid and/or bacterium that might otherwise support corrosion growth
How does pipeline maintenance and management help in assessing the environmental impact of an asset throughout its life cycle and the risks posed by ageing pipelines?
Pipeline management is paramount to minimise environmental impact and assure that ageing of pipeline will not jeopardise the ambient conditions.
There are good quality technologies available through Weir’s integrity management (ILI, MFL, mapping) to identify risks in time in order to have ad-hoc repair and rehabilitation services while production is still going on.
How big a role does digitalisation/automation play in pipeline management and achieving asset integrity?
Automation and digitalisation play a huge role nowadays in pipeline management, helping and enhancing the efforts to keep smooth operation and predict failures. It also helps reduce costs given the length of pipelines today.
Is digitalisation the only way forward to manage or maintain pipelines? Are there other methods and technologies too for pipeline management?
With the current technologies available for cleaning, inspecting, maintaining and repairing a pipeline, as well as applying remote control and diagnostic checks on the equipment along the line, we can optimise the operations, minimise the human error factor and be ready to intervene with the proper team and tools, when needed.
