A Norwegian oil and gas pipeline inspection technology firm has announced a new contract with the UK National Grid.
Bergen-headquartered Halfwave said last night it will provide its Acoustic Resonance Technology (ART) to the Gas Robotic Agile Inspection Device (GRAID) platform.
The company said it will supply its ART solution, which will be attached to National Grid’s self-propelling robot technology, developed for inspection of unpiggable gas pipelines with complex geometries.
The project will aim to address what it calls “a significant challenge to the UK’s infrastructure” with around more than 200 miles of high-pressure pipelines that cannot currently be inspected.
Josh Blake, GRAID project lead or the National Grid, said: “Having looked at many technology options, nothing else on the market gives the quality of data that Halfwave’s technology does.
“With the addition of these bespoke sensors, project GRAID has the potential to change the face of infrastructure management across the country’s National Transmission System (NTS), a system which provides gas that more than 80% of UK households depend on.
“The beauty of the robot inspection technology is it offers high-quality results that allow for accurate, proactive management of pipeline maintenance which is of huge benefit to us and our customers.”
The solution will allow the robot to move through station pipework at high pressures and could speed up the inspection process by up to five times.
Paul Cooper, chief executive of Halfwave, added: “We are delighted to be working with the National Grid on this hugely significant project.
“We have successfully developed ART sensors which are non-magnetic, non-contact and which also have sub-millimetre accuracy benefits that will allow for much faster inspection of these pipelines than was previously possible.”
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