GE's Ultrascan Duo Pipeline Inspection Technology Receives Ecomagination Certification
Share:
FLORENCE, ITALY - May 18, 2007 - Highlighting the importance of maintaining pipeline integrity to protect the environment, GE Oil & Gas has received GE ecomagination certification for its the UltraScan(TM) Duo, one of the most advanced inspection tools ("smart pigs") developed for evaluating the condition of oil pipelines.
Ecomagination is GE's corporate commitment to address challenges such as the need for cleaner, more efficient sources of energy, reduced emissions and abundant sources of clean water.
GE's ecomagination products are evaluated for their ability to significantly and measurably improve the customer's environmental and operating performance. The multi-tiered review process is concluded with an independent, third-party audit to ensure accuracy and thorough documentation of technological performance.
UltraScan Duo is part of an advanced portfolio of pipeline inspection and integrity technology and services offered by PII Pipeline Solutions, a division of GE Oil & Gas.
Featuring ultrasound technology originally designed by GE for use in hospitals, UltraScan Duo utilizes an automated, "phased array" sensor system that allows operators to perform comprehensive - and simultaneous - inspections for potential cracks and metal loss in just a single run, saving the operator critical time and money.
The system's technology is similar in principal to that of high-capacity, phased-array radar units that can simultaneously track a large number of targets. The technology enables detection of smaller cracks of 25 mm in length instead of 30mm, which represents a 17 percent improvement on existing technologies.
Compared with the hydrostatic testing method, UltraScan Duo can help improve pipeline safety and reduce production losses while providing operational savings of up to nearly $10 million over the average 20-year lifetime of a liquid pipeline.
By combining crack detection and general corrosion inspection in a consolidated run to minimize flow disruption and restore pipeline operation in half the time, GE offers customers potential operational savings of up to $540,000 for a standard inspection.
"Operators using the UltraScan Duo as part of a comprehensive pipeline integrity management program can better assess the risk of pipeline failures and proactively mitigate the risk of a release into the environment through the use of the GE's advanced pipeline inspection technology," said Claudi Santiago, president of GE Oil & Gas.
After completing a rigorous qualification and operational evaluation, the UltraScan Duo becomes the second GE Oil & Gas product to be ecomagination-certified. In 2006, GE's BCL300 series of centrifugal compressors developed for sour gas re-injection to enhance petroleum production also received ecomagination certification.
About GE's Oil & Gas Business
GE's Oil & Gas business (www.geoilandgas.com) is a world leader in advanced technology turbo-machinery products and services, with engineering and manufacturing centers of excellence throughout Europe and the United States. Based in Florence, Italy, the company offers complete solutions for production, LNG, transportation, storage, refineries, and petrochemical, as well as pipeline integrity solutions including analysis and pipeline asset management.
For more information, contact:
Laure Brooks
GE Oil & Gas
+44 191 247 3359
laure.brooks@ge.com
