Searching a Reliable Non-intrusive “Other Technology” for the Integrity Inspection of Buried Non-piggable Pipelines

Abstract International integrity management standards allow operators to inspect the integrity of pipelines using “other technologies” if its implementation method / methodology can deliver an understanding of the pipeline’s condition like that obtained after executing test pressure, in-line inspection, or direct assessment. This philosophy is applied in Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) when designing the trial process of new technologies, to ensure that objective criteria are defined to demonstrate the reliability of the tested technology. This paper is intended to describe PDO’s methodology for assessing new technologies and to share the results and lessons learned in the trial of four “other technologies” which are based on the guided wave, metal magnetic memory, eddy current, and acoustic emission physical principles.