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3-in. Nitrogen Pipeline – Tight Radius Transmission Line
Dexon Technology was tasked with inspecting a challenging 3-in. nitrogen pipeline in South America used to fill tankers. The pipeline featured sharp 1.5D bends, narrow diameter constraints, and operational conditions that placed it firmly in the difficult-to-inspect category.
Overview
Key challenge:
Inspect a narrow 3-in. nitrogen pipeline with tight 1.5D bends while maintaining high-resolution corrosion detection capability and minimizing operational downtime.
Project Details
• Diameter: 3-in.
• Length: 2 km
• Type: Nitrogen transmission pipeline to tankers
• Inspection Medium: Water
• Location: Onshore
• Continent: South America
• Tool: UT-MC Faclon
• Threats Assessed: Corrosion/metal loss
Challenges & Solutions
Challenge 1:
• Pipeline diameter and tight 1.5D bends created major navigability and mechanical packaging constraints
Solution:
• Deployed Dexon’s compact 3-in. UT-MC tool designed specifically for small-diameter inspection applications
• Integrated batteries, transducers, storage systems, and electronics into an ultra-compact inspection platform while maintaining flexibility and stability through tight-radius bends
• Retained high-resolution inspection capability with ±0.3 mm accuracy and 13,000 measurements per second
Challenge 2:
• Operator required confidence that the tool could reliably navigate the pipeline prior to deployment
Solution:
• Recreated the inspection conditions at Dexon’s Thailand test yard, including narrow diameter sections, tight bends, and representative flow conditions
• Performed extended qualification testing and multiple validation runs prior to shipment to South America
Conclusion
Dexon Technology successfully completed the inspection of the 3-in. nitrogen pipeline, delivering accurate corrosion and metal loss data while minimizing operational disruption.
Through compact tool design, full-scale qualification testing, and high-resolution ultrasonic inspection technology, Dexon enabled reliable inspection of a pipeline previously considered too difficult for conventional ILI methods.