UltraScan™ Duo

UltraScan™ Duo is the first pipeline inspection tool to utilize Phased Array Ultrasound Technology, an automated sensor system adapted by GE to perform comprehensive metal loss and crack detection inspections in a single run.

The environmental challenge

Pipelines are used in virtually every nation around the globe to transport oil from the fields to the market. While pipes are cheaper than other forms of oil transportation, such as rail, this cost saving comes with a major price: pipes are subject to cracks, which in turn can cause oil leakage and environmental damage.

GE's innovative solution

GE saw an opportunity to use technology – originally designed for use in its Healthcare business - in a unique way. Phased Array Technology, first put to use by GE Healthcare for higher-resolution brain, spinal and soft-tissue diagnostics, today is used within the UltraScan™ Duo as an inspection tool that enables greater data resolution and accuracy.

In a single run, the UltraScan™ Duo can collect data on both the type and size of pipe defects as well as prioritize those defects for monitoring and remediation activities. And because all the data is collected in a single run, correlation of crack-detection and wall measurement data is seamless. This gives pipeline operators higher confidence for important integrity-related decisions.

Environmental impact

It is estimated that, on average, 12 million tons of oil leaks annually from pipelines around the globe. By comparison, the Exxon Valdez oil spill was about 10.8 million gallons. Pipeline operators using the UltraScan™ Duo pipeline inspection tool as part of a pipeline integrity management program can better assess the risk of pipeline failures and proactively mitigate the risk of a pipeline leak into the environment through the use of advanced technology for crack detection and metal loss evaluation.

Cutting costs

By combining crack detection and general corrosion inspection in a consolidated run, the UltraScan™ Duo minimizes the flow disruption and restores pipeline operation in half the time, creating major savings for customers.