Offshore staff
(Aberdeen)- Scottish company Brinker Technology has developed a solution called Platelet Technology to seal challenging pipeline leaks.
The company reports that its Platelet Technology utilizes the fluid flow inside a pipeline to deliver specially designed, tagged "platelets" to the leak site.
When these platelets reach the vicinity of a leak, forces entrain them into it and hold them against the pipe wall. This facilitates sealing and also marks the position of the leak for subsequent detection.
A Brinker press release said, "Platelet Technology takes a different approach to pipeline integrity in that it locates leaks and then seals in a single integrated process. Whereas conventional leak sealing techniques require direct access to the leak site, the elegance of Platelet Technology lies in its ability to be implemented remotely, mimicking the human body's leak sealing mechanism to work with the pressure in the line and seal from the inside."
The company states that the technology is best deployed when there is flow in the line, meaning that platelets can be injected as part of a routine pipeline operation. This translates to minimal disturbance to production and, in some cases, removal of the need to shut-down.
The company did not indicate if the size of leak was a limiting factor in the usefulness of the technology.
Brinker CEO Bernie Anson said that 2006 is "set to be our most exciting year to date with many advancements on the horizon, including leak sealing in gas pipelines, field application of 'Micro-Platelet Technology', field application for steel tube umbilicals, permanent sealing and flexible flow lines."
Brinker Technology won the Innovative Technology category at this year's Scottish Offshore Achievement Awards.
Of the award, Anson said, "To be recognized by the oil and gas industry through this award is a tremendous achievement for Brinker Technology; it reinforces our confidence in the potential of the technology and also makes us more determined to continue to grow and further commercialize our unique brand of innovative technology. We greatly value this recognition and look forward to the challenges that lie ahead."
5/10/2006
