Abstract
Steel pipeline is the optimum choice for transporting oil and gas due to its excellent strength, material properties and cost. Some pipeline services require special attention to avoid corrosion or erosion, e.g., corrosive water injection systems. To address this, internal liners have been introduced, including cement-lined to protect the pipelines from such conditions. Even though cement-liners enhance the reliability of the pipelines, there are still challenges related to inspection. The inspection of cement-lined pipelines is difficult with in-line inspection tools (ILI) due to surface roughness of the cement, which impacts the movement. Also, the cement lining is too thick for the sensors of the ILI tool to measure the steel thickness through the liner.
Cement-lined pipelines are frequently used for water injection system facilities where common inspection techniques cannot be used due to inherent limitations. As safety, reliability and continuity are important at Saudi Aramco operations, the team spare no effort to ensure the integrity of these pipelines utilizing different inspection techniques. In 2017, electromagnetic acoustic transmission (EMAT) inspection technology was utilized for the first time on cement-lined pipelines at the water injection facilities. This paper describes the capability and successful deployment of EMAT inspection technology.
