SGS wins contract for pipeline welding inspection

SGS has received a contract to provide non-destructive examination (NDE) and certified welding inspections (CWI) for a well-established leader in the safe and reliable delivery of energy in North America.

SGS received a contract to provide NDE and CWI for a well-established leader in the safe and reliable delivery of energy in North America. This distinguished partner, recognized as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations, operates the world's longest, most sophisticated crude oil and liquids transportation system, is significantly present in natural gas transmission and midstream businesses and increasingly involved in power transmission as well as renewable and green technologies such as wind and solar energy and geothermal.

A prestigious client

Headquartered in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, SGS PfiNDE, Inc. has conducted NDE for this prestigious client as a primary vendor for several years. According to this new agreement, scheduled to run from June until August of this year, five SGS certified welding inspectors, acting as client representatives on integrity digs, will be performing on-site inspections in Wisconsin.

Works to be carried out

Mandatory regular monitoring and inspection programmes red-flag pipeline features requiring visual inspection to ultimately determine the need for repair or other action. Integrity digs, vital to the prevention of accidents, involve excavating a section of buried pipe for cleaning and examination. Defects are then repaired, the pipe recoated and reburied. In some cases, old sections of pipe are cut out and replaced with new pipe welded into place. Integrity digs can last anywhere from two days up to two weeks, depending upon the nature of the feature and visual inspection results. SGS specialists in Wisconsin will support dig crews during a time sensitive timeframe to increase productivity.

In order to assure the integrity and reliability of crucial pipeline welds, this respected client sought a reliable inspection, verification testing and certification provider. Due to extensive experience and proven competence in similar international projects, SGS was awarded the project. Based on five decades of experience, SGS inspectors will verify that all welds comply to all international and local quality standards as well as specific client requirements.

SGS experts will conduct precise inspections to identify, analyse, repair or replace failed welds and to assure the safe functioning of the pipeline and prevent oil spills. With extensive know-how and experience, certified SGS inspectors are able to indicate weld discrepancies and offer solutions for repair using non-destructive testing (NDT) methods.

The need for inspection

The ability to accurately size and monitor pre-existing or growing weld discrepancies such as cracking, porosity, incomplete penetration, inclusions and lack of sidewall fusion is extremely important for the oil and gas, wind energy and construction industries. Companies like SGS must employ certified inspectors in order to be allowed to perform professional, reliable and recognised welding inspection.

For over 50 years, SGS has been testing pipelines all over the world and is familiar with mill and on-site inspections for pipeline projects. SGS offers an extensive portfolio of NDT services for pipeline welding inspection including radiographic, ultrasonic, and magnetic particle testing, visual inspection, dye penetrant examination, dimension control, mechanical and chemical testing of welds, damage investigation, expertise in pipeline girth weld damages, phased array, time of flight diffraction and digital radiography.

With multi-disciplinary teams of experts, SGS provides a wide range of inspection, testing, verification and certification services to owners, operators, contractors, investors and equipment manufacturers within the oil, gas and petrochemical industries around the world. The SGS integrated approach of specialized solutions and traditional services focuses on the complete project lifecycle, adding value to all assets and improving the productivity of existing facilities.

SGS is proud to be affiliated with this prestigious partner in working to keep pipelines safe and reliable.

Adapted from press release by Elizabeth Corner.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/28062013/sgs_wins_contract_for_pipeline_welding_inspection_362/