Pipeline Inspection Services
Profile Technologies provides pipeline inspection services for cased and thermally insulated metallic pipelines using the EMW-C Inspection System. The technology requires that the pipe to be inspected runs inside a secondary pipe or metallic sheath. Our specially trained technicians can quickly attach the test equipment to the section to be tested and provide preliminary results within minutes thereafter.
Pipe sizes from 1/8 inch in diameter up through and including 36 inches can be tested for distances up to 150 meters in length depending on material types inside the casing or sheath. Longer pipelines can be tested by leapfrogging to the end point of the previous test. Testing of larger diameter pipelines can be performed upon request.
We require temporary and minimal access to the pipe and casing at the casing end point. For long length insulated pipe, access is dependent on the length of the previous test shot. In all situations, our test equipment requires minimal contact to the pipe surface and casing with point tip probes which may be removed after testing or may be permanently installed for reassessment or periodic monitoring.
Our EMW-C Inspection service is available to pipeline owners / operators of oil and natrual gas transmission or distribution pipelines, power plants, utilities, refineries, chemical plants, process piping, or any location requiring inspection of pipe-in-pipe. Contact us today or fill out the form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the EMW-C Inspection System provide information about the inside of the pipeline?
The EMW-C assesses the condition of the area outside the central pipeline being inspected. It provides information about corrosion product on the pipe surface, water inside the casing or thermal insulation, pipe sag inside the casing, and electrical shorting between the center and outer pipe. We are developing a similar process that may be used to assess the inside of a pipeline (cased or uncased) in a similar way.
How long does the inspection take?
After the equipment and probes are setup, it only takes a few minutes for the equipment to collect and process the data. Our technicians can analyze the data onsite and provide preliminary information about the conditions of the tested section. The next test can be started within minutes of the previous, after removal and replacement of the probes at the next location. After testing is complete a detailed data analysis is performed and a report is generated and provided to the customer to document the inspection results.
What distance does the inspection cover?
The EMW-C uses electromagnetic waves, similar to radio waves which can travel for great distances through many different types of materials. We are able to test through materials including air, water, earthen material, petrolatum wax, and thermal insulation to name a few. The dielectric properties of these materials and objects create reflections that provide valuable information about the material but in some cases may reduce the test distance. Test ranges can vary for wet asbestos insulated pipe to open air cased pipe of 30 to 150 meters respectively.
Can the inspection be performed on pipe with bends and elbows?
The electromagnetic energy tranmitted by the EMW-C is propagated in and confined by a waveguide structure made up of the inspected pipe and the casing or outer jacket. This means that unlike RADAR, the signals can propagate around bends and elbows and see details behind 'scattering objects' that would be otherwise not be observable by RADAR.
What type waveform and frequncies are used?
Our method is a time domain method, not a frequency domain method. There is no single sinusoidal waveform carrier frequency but rather a broad spectrum of energy uniformly spread over the entire range of frequencies contained in the injected pulse waveform. Our test set emits a step pulse comprised of all the frequencies from zero (the DC component) to 300 MHz. Our equipment emits low average power in the low milli-watt range well below that emitted by a typical cell phone handset. The transmitter is actually powered by a pair of ordinary D-cell flashlight batteries.
I have a buried casing. Do I need to excavate the casing to perform this inspection?
While we are working on methods to utilize kehole technology to install our test probes through vaccuum excavation holes, we currently require bell-hole access to the end of the casing to install the equipment. However, this only needs to be done once per location because we offer a permanent connection method which allows for the excavation to be backfilled. Our connections are run up by cables aboveground and future testing can then be performed without need for excavation.
