Italian oilfield services company Saipem has obtained a Qualified Technology Statement for its Integrated Acoustic Unit (IAU) technology from safety and risk management expert DNV.
Saipem’s IAU is an innovative digital instrument, based on acoustic technology, that enables remote and non-intrusive monitoring of the integrity of offshore pipelines during laying activities, Saipem said. In real time, it can locate blockages, pipe deformations and water ingress up to several kilometers away, he added. It can also classify and quantify detected anomalies and send the data to an operator, the company continued.
Saipem has highlighted that a qualified technology statement has been obtained for the monitoring of medium and large submarine pipelines during laying operations.
The system will be used during the Scarborough project in Australia, where, subject to receipt of relevant regulatory approvals, Saipem will complete, on behalf of Woodside Energy, the pipeline export backbone installation that will connect the gas field of Scarborough with the land. plant
The Scarborough gas resource is located in the Carnarvon Basin in Western Australia and will be developed via new offshore facilities connected by an approximately 270-mile export trunk with a diameter of 36″/32″ to a second LNG train at Pluto LNG’s existing onshore facility. The development will be one of the lowest carbon sources of LNG globally. The first cargo is expected to be delivered in 2026.
It is worth noting that Saipem received notice to proceed from Woodside, as operator for and on behalf of the Scarborough Joint Venture, in January 2022.
Saipem stated that several prototypes of the IAU have already been deployed on board the Castorone and Saipem 7000 vessels, and an extensive field test campaign has been carried out in recent years to validate their performance.
“Tests have shown that IAU is an effective alternative to the mechanical detector that is commonly used during pipe laying activities. In fact, Saipem’s new technology ensures greater accuracy and timeliness in detecting anomalies and eliminates the risks associated with the use of the mechanical detector, such as cable breakage, loss of the device in the pipe and possible damage to the inner lining during pulling operations,” the company explained.
In addition, Saipem believes that the IAU technology was important for the digitization of fleet activities and that it can now be permanently adopted on board its pipelay vessels.
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