ROSEN is pleased to announce the successful completion of the second year of the five-year contract with National Grid, owner and operator of Great Britain’s high-pressure natural gas pipeline network and four lower-pressure distribution networks.
The pipeline inspection services contract was awarded to ROSEN Europe in January 2008 with operations commencing in April. ROSEN successfully completed a record number of total 66 National Grid pipeline inspections between April and December 2008. The inspections were undertaken with ROSEN’s state-of-the-art inspection tools for metal loss, extended geometry and XYZ mapping. In addition, new magnetic flux leakage (MFL) and extended geometry tools were designed especially for low-pressure and low-flow conditions in various pipeline sizes up to 18in.
To service the contract ROSEN opened an operational base in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. The base became fully operational in January 2009 and now supports not only National Grid but all other UK and Ireland inspection works which include tool maintenance and data analysis.
In addition to the routine input into National Grid’s integrity management of pipelines for corrosion and metal loss, ROSEN performed dent strain analysis using data from the extended geometry tool. In 2009, mobile electro-magnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) technology was used for valve pit inspections, and transverse MFL technology inspections were added for specific pipelines.
On-site work for 2010 commenced in the first quarter of the year – a period that is usually outside the historical inspection window. A further 50+ pipelines are planned for 2010.
For some specialized inspection techniques National Grid Gas have utilised the research and development facility of ROSEN in Germany. Both National Grid and ROSEN look forward to working together for the remainder of the contract, in which further use of ROSEN’s innovative solutions for inspections will be explored, in order to further improve the management of the integrity of National Grid’s pipeline network.
