GE Oil & Gas' PII Pipeline Solutions Expands Staff and Engineering Services in Calgary for Canadian Operators
CALGARY, ALBERTA---September 30, 2008---GE Oil & Gas has expanded its PII Pipeline Solutions technical staff and engineering analysis services in Calgary on behalf of Canadian pipeline operators.
GE increased its pipeline data analysis department by 17 people in 2008 and its integrity engineering department to nine, full-time desk engineers, including a data software engineer to enable the newly enhanced levels of pipeline support services for its Canadian customers.
"While GE has always offered a full portfolio of advanced in-line inspection and data management services, we recognized an opportunity to further enhance our desk engineering, software products and other post-run pipeline integrity solutions for Canadian operators," said Geoff Foreman, Development & Strategy Leader for PII Pipeline Solutions. "Being locally based allows our customers to make fast and accurate maintenance decisions in order to further optimize their pipeline integrity operations."
In 2008, GE's Calgary based operation also improved its pipeline crack management tools and related services as well as its PICA (post-inspection crack assessment) and PIDA (post inspection dent assessment) solutions with the introduction of GE's new generation of caliper tools. GE also improved its data and integrity management software approach with greater functionality, including data loading, alignment and manipulation, which is compatible with an operator's existing enterprise systems or databases.
On the inspection technology front, GE's facility in Calgary has begun investigating the feasibility of developing new inspection tools capable of operating in elevated temperatures (140 degrees Celsius) found in "tar sands" bitumen pipelines.
The Calgary facility also is continuing to coordinate a number of ongoing inspection projects on behalf of Canadian pipeline operators, including a segment of TransCanada's planned Keystone pipeline project.
Illustrating the Canadian pipeline industry's strong support for advanced inspection technology and the use of best practices in promoting pipeline integrity, GE Oil & Gas is utilizing its advanced, UltraScan Duo "Phased Array" inspection tool for the Trans Canada Keystone pipeline inspection. GE developed the UltraScan Duo with the evaluation assistance of another leading Canadian operator, Enbridge Pipelines Inc.
About GE's Oil & Gas business
GE Oil & Gas (www.ge.com/oilandgas) is a world leader in advanced technology equipment and services for all segments of the oil and gas industry, offering complete solutions for production, LNG, transportation, storage, refineries, and petrochemicals. It also provides pipeline integrity solutions including software and asset management. With its acquisition of VetcoGray and Hydril Pressure Control, GE Oil & Gas now offers additional products, systems and services for drilling, completion and production within onshore, offshore and subsea applications.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. GE is Imagination at Work. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com.
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GE Oil & Gas' PII Pipeline Solutions Division Continues to Lead the Way in Pipeline Safety
CALGARY, ALBERTA---September 30, 2008---Building on its commitment to promote safety for pipeline operations around the world, GE Oil & Gas' PII Pipeline Solutions division in recent years has secured crucial industry safety certifications as part of its overall Environmental Health and Safety programs.
GE's PII Pipeline Solutions was the first pipeline integrity services provider to earn ATEX certification in 2006. EU safety legislation adopted ATEX standards based on requirements of the European Directive 94/9/EC for equipment as well as compliance with 99/92/EC for workers. This important legislation created a framework for controlling potentially explosive atmospheres and established guidelines for equipment and procedures to be used in those conditions.
"We believe our approach to safety is a reflection of our broader approach to offering the highest quality of services," said John Bucci, General Manager for GE Oil & Gas' PII Pipeline Solutions. "It is also important for operators to know that their service providers, and their employees, have an abiding commitment to safety not only to protect themselves, but also to help customers avoid potential costly delays at project sites. Without this certification, the integrity of GE's customers' pipelines would be at risk, legally and operationally.''
GE's PII Pipeline Solutions was also the first pipeline inspection company in the early 1990s to achieve third party certification for its quality management system.
This tradition of leadership in safety compliance within the pipeline industry also covers PII's Environmental Management System. The scope of approval extends to the provision of pipeline inspection services to optimize the operational and structural integrity of a pipeline, as well as its inspection systems and software solutions. The list below outlines the most important milestones in PII Pipeline Solution's longstanding history of Safety and Quality Management:
* In 1991, Certified to British Standard BS 5750, Part 1 from LRQA.
* In 1994, BS 5750 was replaced by three international standards, ISO 9001, ISO 9002, ISO 9003.In 1996, attained the prestigious TickIT certification from LRQA, complementary to ISO 9001 and specifically applicable to the design, installation and maintenance of pipeline inspection data processing software.
* In 2002, Certification to the International Standard ISO 14001.
ISO 9001, 9002 and 9003 (1994) were all replaced in 2000 by international standard ISO 9000: 2000. PII attained ISO 9001: 2000 certification in 2003 for all major operational sites across the world.
* In 2006, Certified to the British Standard BS OHSAS 18001.
By the end of 2008, GE will increase the scope yet again by attaining third party certification to the International Standard ISO29001 (the oil and gas industry's adaptation of ISO 9001). This standard is identical to the American API specification Q1, for compliance to API1163 requirements, which GE has been compliant with since 2006.
GE drives these programs with leadership, commitment and ongoing determination to ensure safety in all areas in partnership with pipeline operators worldwide for effective hazard identification, risk assessment, mitigation and management.
About GE's Oil & Gas business
GE Oil & Gas (www.ge.com/oilandgas) is a world leader in advanced technology equipment and services for all segments of the oil and gas industry, offering complete solutions for production, LNG, transportation, storage, refineries, and petrochemicals. It also provides pipeline integrity solutions including software and asset management. With its acquisition of VetcoGray and Hydril Pressure Control, GE Oil & Gas now offers additional products, systems and services for drilling, completion and production within onshore, offshore and subsea applications.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. GE is Imagination at Work. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com.
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GE Oil & Gas' PII Pipeline Solutions Introduces Next Generation of MFL Technology at IPC 08
CALGARY, ALBERTA---September 30, 2008---GE Oil & Gas' PII Pipeline Solutions is introducing the new MagneScan, the next-generation of magnetic flux leakage (MFL) pipeline inspection technology that features the industry's most powerful sensor combination and is complemented by best-in-class, post -run engineering services for pipeline operators.
Originally developed by PII Pipeline Solutions and now a commonly used non-destructive method for inspecting gas pipelines, high resolution MFL tools utilize magnetic fields to detect corrosion and other faults in pipelines.
GE's new MagneScan boasts improved magnetizer design and advanced sensor technology. Using the 6" tool as an example, the new sensor design includes 216 low-noise Hall effect sensors. Readings are taken on the axial, radial and transverse vectors every 2 mm. This new three-dimensional sensor configuration offers 100% coverage of a line and optimizes the accuracy of defect sizing for width, length and depth.
"Our new MagneScan provides more advanced assessment of metal loss and mechanical damage, giving pipeline operators the highest confidence in their decision-making, and fewer false digs," said John Bucci, General Manager of GE Oil & Gas' PII Pipeline Solutions division.
With its comprehensive sensor array, the new MagneScan combines several types of inspections in a single run. The tool is equipped with a fully integrated high-resolution caliper, EMAT sensors to measure wall thickness for more accurate defect sizing, and also offers GIS mapping technologies as a standard option for improved data alignment. The corrosion detection is now 5% of wall thickness at 90% POD, while the depth-sizing accuracy is ±10% at 90% certainty. Offering multiple inspections in a single run greatly reduces any interruptions in pipeline service for the operator and overall inspection project costs.
GE's new tool is not just far more powerful than previous generations, but also smaller (the 6-inch diameter tool is only 1.3 meters long), lighter and easier to manage. The unit is designed to navigate and inspect tight bends and restrictions, including back-to-back bends with a 1.5 D radius, further increasing the line coverage. The tool is easier to launch and receive without the need for expensive pipeline modifications and requires fewer technicians for the deployment.
GE is pairing its MagneScan technology with greatly enhanced data analysis capabilities. By combining metal loss, caliper and mapping in a single inspection run, the new tool automatically increases data alignment speed and accuracy, dramatically improving defect location, direct assessment and remediation planning activities.
While the data is captured to allow for the highest resolution inspection reporting and integrity analysis, only the data that is needed will be processed and analyzed. However, should an operator's pipeline information needs change, the data can be reanalyzed without the need for an additional inspection run.
The system also allows greater integration of GE's suite of data management software, offering the customer a broader menu of tailored integrity management solutions.
The new MagneScan for 6", 8", & 10" lines will be running in selected customer lines from December 2008 and through the first half of 2009. This technology will become generally available in core markets from the summer of 2009. Availability in larger diameters will follow.
The new MagneScan for 6'' pipelines is on display at the GE Booth 608 during IPCE.
About GE's Oil & Gas business
GE Oil & Gas (www.ge.com/oilandgas) is a world leader in advanced technology equipment and services for all segments of the oil and gas industry, offering complete solutions for production, LNG, transportation, storage, refineries, and petrochemicals. It also provides pipeline integrity solutions including software and asset management. With its acquisition of VetcoGray and Hydril Pressure Control, GE Oil & Gas now offers additional products, systems and services for drilling, completion and production within onshore, offshore and subsea applications.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. GE is Imagination at Work. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com.
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