TPi October 2010

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developmentsproducts &
36 Tube Products International October 2010
Optical Metrology Services Limited
(OMS) is a provider of pipe measuring
products and services, specialising in
measuring equipment and consulting
services for use within the pipe
manufacturing and pipeline construction
sectors, both onshore and offshore.
A key focus for OMS is the dimensional
measurement of oil and gas pipes or
other structures such as military gun
barrels, processing industry tubes or
manufactured cylindrical objects, where
dimensions are critical.
At this year’s Rio Oil & Gas Expo (13-
16 September), OMS showcased pipe
measurement and inspection tools,
including the company’s Internal
Weld Scanning Tool and pipe end
dimensioning tools.
The OMS internal weld inspection
system inspects the internal size and
shape of girth welds on pipes that are
destined for use in deepsea subsea oil
and gas applications.
The Internal Weld Scanning Tool
internally scans welds inside pipes, both
visually and dimensionally, enabling
inspectors to quickly and confidently
assess the quality of the root weld.
The technology canbe deployedonshore
and offshore at different stages of the
pipe welding process. The tool can
be used on corrosion-resistant alloy-
lined pipe to identify sour (aggressive)
ingress points, in both clad butt-weld
and clad weld inlay applications. The
tool can also be used to improve weld
procedure development efficiency and
to check the root weld and geometry
before next passes are deposited. The
technology is also used in fatigue-
sensitive applications (SCRs) where
pipes are subjected to higher dynamic
stresses.
The system can be mounted to a purge
dam, with an integrated camera for
positioning and inspection. Pipe can
be inspected whilst being spooled onto
a pipe laying vessel or during stalk
fabrication/tie-in. The tool is retrieved
using a winch-and-wire system, with
weld positioning controlled by a camera
and precision motorised system.
OMS also provides a complete range of
measurement and inspection services
OMS showcases pipe inspection tools
at Rio Oil & Gas Expo
for the end dimensioning of fatigue-
critical SCR and flowline pipes that
are destined for deepsea subsea oil
and gas applications, as well as aiding
in the fit-up of land-based pipeline
projects.
These services include the management
of AUT (automatic ultrasonic testing)
calibration block selection and use;
software analysis tailored specifically
to match customer requirements;
and end-to-end matching (without
counterboring) or counterbore
parameters can be provided (removing
minimum WT).
For end dimensioning, OMS uses its
own automatic Pipe Checker laser
measurement tool, which is capable
of measuring more than 2,000 IDs and
2,000 ODs as well as being able to
accurately measure the WTs for each
pipe end in less than 20 seconds.
This tool is accurate to 0.05mm and
enables just two OMS staff to measure
a minimum of 200 pipe ends in a single
shift. This results in less time on-site,
minimising project delays and costs for
the customer.
The Internal Weld Scanning Tool and the
Pipe Checker (end dimensioning) tool
are both available on a rental-only basis,
along with a trained operator/inspector
provided by OMS.
OMS pipe measurement products and
services provide benefits for major
oil and gas companies around the
world. In Brazil for example, OMS is
currently working on two projects, the
first directly for Petrobras on one of
its onshore pipeline projects, the other
working for Subsea 7 on its offshore
P55 project.
OMS was also asked to demonstrate
the Internal Weld Scanning Tool in 2009
to Petrobras engineers at their CENPES
Research Centre in Rio, Brazil, which
has resulted in further enquiries and
demonstrations.
Optical Metrology Services Limited
– UK
The OMS Internal Weld Scanning Tool