Applus RTD Unveils Pioneering Deepwater NTS Technology

Applus RTD, a global leader in the provision of integrity technology services, on Monday, May 5, 2014, unveiled the latest addition to its revolutionary NDT range – an ROV deepwater inspection tool for non-piggable pipelines.

The RTD INCOTEST (INsulated COmponent TESTing) system was developed in partnership with Delta SubSea and uses the latest pulsed eddy current technology to ensure reliable detection of surface and subsurface corrosion in both thin and thick-walled pipelines.

The strategic partnership allows the companies to build upon their respective skills base by marrying the NDT expertise of Applus and subsea capabilities of Delta SubSea. The resulting INCOTEST system will revolutionize the subsea inspection industry, providing reliable data on the integrity of deep-sea infrastructure.

The tool allows operators to perform up to 10,000 measurements a day at depths as great as 3,000 meters (9,842ft). It is capable of measuring through marine growth and concrete to provide figures for the average wall thickness of each interrogated area.

The capabilities of the INCOTEST system have already been successfully demonstrated during oil and gas operations in Southeast Asia, Australia and the North Sea in water depths of up to 200m (656ft). It has already been used to test the integrity of subsea infrastructure in Angola, where it provided reliable data measurements at depths of 1,600m (5249ft).

Riccardo Scottini, Application Center Project Manager at Applus RTD, said: "More traditional techniques rely on either visual inspection of pipelines or ultrasonic testing, but the INCOTEST system delivers a number of advantages to operators looking to make informed decisions about maintenance programs, such as reducing inspection budgets and providing more detailed analysis of infrastructure.

"We are committed to a program of technological research and development aimed at delivering new techniques that maximize the effectiveness and value of our services.

"Ensuring the integrity of the infrastructure being used in the global energy industry is critical to the success of E&P activity and it is of paramount importance to Applus RTD that we not only contribute to improved standards, but continually raise the bar within the NDT arena."

The RTD INCOTEST system can be used on piping and vessels, offshore platforms, risers and jacket construction piping, subsea piping, flow accelerated corrosion in liquid systems, corrosion under the installation layer on distillation columns and piping and vessels in process plants.

Scott Dingman, President and CEO of Delta SubSea, added: "Ensuring the integrity of deepwater assets is of vital concern to oil and gas operators and service companies who face complex challenges in conducting inspections of subsea pipelines.

"Corrosion is an unseen threat to subsea installations and there is no existing technology that gives the status of a 20-year-old subsea infrastructure. This is the only ROV tool like this in the world."