The company only recently launched its Explorer product, which it says works with its Discovery system to enable oil companies to quickly scan many kilometres of pipeline to detect the location of deposits causing flow assurance issues.
Tracerco says the unique technological mix is able to screen subsea pipelines for content and deposit build-up at typical speeds of up to 100m per hour, meaning many kilometres of pipeline can be surveyed in a single day, giving operators a convenient solution to the industry-wide problem of not being able to detect and locate blockages in subsea pipelines.
Explorer has been developed for use in conjunction with OTC Spotlight on New Technology 2015 winner, Discovery, a breakthrough in pipeline inspection that gives detailed high resolution CT scan of subsea pipelines, distinguishing between wax, hydrate, asphaltene or scale deposition at density differences of 0.05g/cc.
Both devices work without the need to remove the pipe coating material.
Once Explorer has located the area of the suspected blockage, Discovery can be deployed to accurately characterise its precise nature.
"Accurately detecting the location of blockages caused by a build-up of deposits is an on-going issue for the oil industry. Having listened to the needs of our customers, we are delighted to be able to launch Explorer - a speedy and innovative low-risk solution," Tracerco's subsea services boss Lee Robins said.
"Tracerco is now able to provide subsea operators with a fast screening means of locating their pipeline deposits and blockages, Explorer - followed by precision characterisation using Discovery."
As with Discovery, Explorer is non-intrusive, scanning content from outside of the pipeline, Robins explained, as there is no need to remove protective coatings or interrupt production to carry out the inspection, making it a cost-effective solution to flow assurance problems.
Explorer can operate at depths of up to 3000 metres and can cover pipe diameters between 2-60 inches.
It has the ability to screen a variety of different piping systems: coated or uncoated standard rigid pipe, pipe-in-pipe, bundle systems and flexibles.
Explorer detects the location of deposit build-ups by measuring the density profile of the pipeline and then analysing any detected anomalies. An abnormal density, in relation to the material flowing in the line, indicates a build-up of deposit.
The tool provides a detailed profile showing mean densities of pipeline contents and amounts of deposit based on assumed densities. It has already been used on several subsea flowlines including a project in the North Sea, as well as a campaign in the Gulf of Mexico.
So far Explorer has delivered excellent results for the customers who have used it, proving effective in deposit detection as well as being straight forward to deploy.
Discovery has won acclaim from the industry for revolutionising subsea pipeline inspection, winning the Pipeline Industries Guild Award in the Subsea category, 2014, the Innovation category at the 2015 Subsea UK Awards and most recently the prestigious OTC Spotlight on New Technology Award.
The field-proven Discovery has completed hundreds of scans for several of Tracerco's customers, and has successfully characterised deposits, as well as identify integrity issues within a range of flowline designs, Robins said.
Discovery recently completed its first deepwater deployment on Shell-operated flowlines in the Gulf of Mexico.
Discovery scanned ten flowlines including jumpers, steel catenary risers, and pipe in pipe flowlines all of varying diameters.
Over 250 CT scan images over a pipeline length of 15km in almost 1300m of water.
Robbins said the response to Discovery has been "phenomenal", which is why it wants oilers to send in their pipe, so its customers can see it in action.
