This is the first of 4 blogs to address one means of quick and easy steps to improve your ESG as well as improving your profits. These straightforward and hopefully “to the point” blogs will address Environmental, Health and Safety, Cost of Ownership and Improved confidence and data for modern pipeline control.
Environmental Advantages
Actual and perceived hydrocarbon emissions from oil & gas infrastructure - including pipelines are currently under the microscope. Whether by the owner of the pipeline or the authorities there is a drive to limit emmissions. Replacing equipment, and/or changing specifications to ensure that equipment that can release hydrocarbon emissions is upgraded to equipment that cannot is a relatively simple way to assist in this. Pig signallers are available in both mechanical (with an emission risk) or non intrusive & electronic (without an emissions risk)..
Intrusive pig signallers by definition require a nozzle hole to be cut in line pipe / launcher / receiver before a pipe fitting (type specified by customer) is welded into it. Any weld is obviously an emissions risk despite the NDT and hydrotest process. Further more, pig signallers themselves have multiple potential leak paths as a pressurised mechanical instrument.
Non-Intrusive Signallers, by definition, do not.
The majority of intrusive signaller manuals state that maintenance should be conducted every two years. When the signaller is not able to be isolated by pig trap valves, this means either shutting down the pipeline (an incredibly rare event) or removing the signaller under pressure via a bespoke tool or the use of hot tap equipment. The operation by its nature is a risk to healthy, safety & the environment. The truth is this maintenance step is often missed - arguably increasing the risk of emissions.
It’s that simple.
Improve your environmental position by changing out your Intrusive Signallers to Non-Intrusive.