Sonomatic Limited
Sonomatic specialises in the design, development and application of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) inspections.
Service
United Kingdom
Overview
Sonomatic specialises in the design, development and application of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) inspections. Since the company’s formation in the 1980s, we have combined these NDT processes with integrity engineering capabilities to provide fully integrated inspection packages that directly meet the client’s needs, bringing innovative bespoke inspection solutions to the market through in-house development of equipment, software and robotics.
Sonomatic resides as the global leader for ROV/Diver-deployed subsea inspection and Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) technologies. Our team is committed to providing accurate, proactive inspection and engineering solutions that enable clients to make informed decisions crucial to the safe continued operation of mature assets and to manage the integrity of newly constructed ones.
Our ‘people first’ philosophy requires our team to actively practice and promote the Servant Leadership methodology. Servant leaders share power, listen to others, focus on the needs of the employees, and help the team to perform as effectively as possible while building a sense of community and ownership.
We draw our organisation charts upside down to reflect our belief that leadership’s role is to serve the business and to devolve power as close as possible to the frontline and our clients. By implementing this model, we multiply the leadership capability of the organisation and increase human potential in order to better serve our clients.
Products & Services
PIPELINE INSPECTION
Sonomatic has a long history of providing specialist inspections that deliver quality data on pipeline conditions. Our approach is to provide data and analysis that maximises the value of the inspection to the client. We can deliver our pipeline inspection services both topside and subsea.
Pipelines are key assets for operator companies and continued pipeline integrity underlies successful business performance. They are essential to oil and gas production and failures or unplanned downtime can have a major impact on company revenues. Failures can also have severe pipeline safety and/or environmental damage consequences.
Sonomatic assists operators by providing a range of pipeline inspections and integrity services including innovative statistical analysis methods that ensure decision making is aligned to the real condition of pipelines. These methods offer a significantly more representative view of pipeline condition and remaining life than traditional methods of data analysis and application of inspection data in pipeline inspection integrity assessments.
The application of Sonomatic’s analysis methods leads to major benefits for oil and gas pipeline operators.
QUANTITATIVE PIPELINE ASSESSMENTS
Sonomatic has a long history of providing specialist quantitative subsea pipeline inspections on pipeline conditions, providing data that will offer the accuracies required that are suitable to use as part of the life extension study.
Inspection performance requirements, concerning the accuracy of measurement and Probability of Detection (POD), are key to ensuring a low coverage inspection provides a sufficient basis for statistical analysis of data.
ADVANTAGES OF QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENTS IN INSPECTION SERVICES INCLUDE:
- Preferential weld root corrosion/erosion.
- Internal corrosion/erosion.
- For wet H2S damage in sour service.
- Through coatings using advanced techniques such as DRS and CT.
- External verification of ILI (In-Line Intelligent pigs) tool findings.
- Targeted for unpiggable pipelines, planning and evaluation.
- Sampling scheme development and evaluation of results for lines where the conditions are sufficiently homogeneous.
- Screening for pipelines.
- For chloride pitting/SCC in corrosion resistant alloys.
- Component geometry measurements including ovality/out of roundness.
- Probabilistic integrity assessments.
QUALITATIVE PIPELINE ASSESSMENTS
For pipelines, where ILI (In-Line intelligent pigs) is considered too costly and a low coverage quantitative inspection does not provide suitable coverage to fulfil the requirements of a corrosion risk assessment, then qualitative inspection methods should be considered. Screening inspection is a less invasive method and typically provides for higher coverage; however, they typically provide a coarse percentage of wall loss at each location.
Screening techniques such as medium-range horizontally polarised guided shear waves, introduced by electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) and/or Multiskip, using shear wave pulse echo probes in a pitch/catch mode of operation, make screening of the pipeline possible and can provide a more global perspective of the pipeline.
ADVANTAGES OF QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENTS IN INSPECTION SERVICES INCLUDE:
- Preferential weld root corrosion/erosion.
- Internal corrosion/erosion.
- Through coatings using SH-EMAT’s/multiskip techniques.
- Screening for pipelines.
- Probabilistic integrity assessments.
- Bespoke, ROV deployed magnetic crawling equipment.Does not require dredging of the pipeline.
- Identify areas of interest for follow up quantitative inspection.
PIPELINE WELD INSPECTION
The operating conditions and design of oil and gas pipelines may be such that it is susceptible to cracking in-service. Crack growth can be driven by cyclic loading (fatigue) or by the chemistry of the operating environment (stress corrosion cracking or environmentally assisted cracking). These damage mechanisms are more frequently encountered in welds but can also be present in the parent material.
Cracking can be a significant threat to the pipeline asset integrity, with the potential for catastrophic pipeline failure in the form of rupture, hence cracking mechanisms are a consideration in the integrity management of pipelines.
Pipeline inspection services play a vital role in providing and/or validating whether or not a cracking mechanism is present, the dimensions and locations of cracks present, the growth rate and distribution of growth rate for tracks and the characteristics of cracks, so that the mechanism can be understood.
The reliability of this information is fundamental to oil and gas pipeline integrity and operational decisions.
PIPELINE WELD INSPECTION TECHNIQUES AND ADVANTAGES INCLUDE:
- Automated shear wave pulse echo
- Eddy current technologies
- Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD)
- Consistent performance with minimised human factor effects.
- Substantially improved Probability of Detection (POD).
- Improved sizing capability.
- Accurate positional control.
- Accurate position information for each scan.
- Full recording of all data for more detailed analysis.
- Reliable repeat comparisons.
SONOMATIC OIL AND GAS PIPELINE INSPECTION SERVICES
Our pipeline inspection services help our customers meet increasingly stringent regulatory requirements and enhance the safety, productivity and life of their assets. Our technicians are highly trained and experienced in the latest pipeline inspection technologies, and our advanced data management capabilities ensure that all pipeline data is accurately captured and stored.
We also offer a range of other pipeline-related services, including pipeline repair and maintenance, to help our customers keep their pipelines in top condition. With our comprehensive pipeline inspection program and maintenance services, we can help our customers extend the life of their pipelines, improve safety and compliance, and boost productivity.
STRUCTURAL INSPECTION
Sonomatic has a strong track record of inspection and related integrity activity in support of Structural Integrity Management. Our work in this area has tended to focus on safety and business-critical applications. The aim is to provide clients with accurate and reliable information on which to base their integrity plans and decisions.
Subsea structures can be subject to a variety of integrity threats both internal and external. Subsea structures require a variety of options in terms of deployment and access solutions.
Sonomatic is well suited with a wide range of inspection techniques to provide the best solution for the integrity threat present. Furthermore, Sonomatic has a wide range of existing ROV and Diver solutions that can meet most access requirements. When a custom access solution is required, Sonomatic has a depth of experience delivering from initial concept to field execution on custom solutions for structural inspection requirements.
SUBSEA ASSETS FOR INSPECTION:
- Caisson Services, Internal and External.
- Riser Services, Internal and External.
- Conductor Services, Internal and External.
- Pile Services, Internal and External.
- Well Head Services, Internal and External.
- Subsea Storage Tank Services, Internal and External.
- Subsea Tree Services, Internal and External.
- Manifold Services, Internal and External.
STRUCTURAL INSPECTION TECHNIQUES
DEPLOYABLE TECHNIQUES:
- Ultrasonic Corrosion Mapping
- Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD)
- Phased Array inclusive of Full Matrix Capture (FMC/TFM)
- Pulsed Eddy Current (PEC)
- Dynamic Response Spectroscopy (DRS)
- Automated Shear Wave Pulse Echo
SOLUTIONS FOR:
- Internal and External Corrosion
- Internal and External Cracking
CLEANING & CORROSION MAPPING INSPECTION OF LARGE SUBSEA OIL STORAGE TANK
Sonomatic adapted existing subsea inspection equipment (MAG-Rover), to enable simultaneous water jet cleaning and ultrasonic PA data collection on a subsea structure. A new challenge for Sonomatic with an intense development process due to vessel operational timeframes. We completed the task in hand, successfully with all stakeholders very satisfied with the outcome.
For more information, you can download the case study featured at the bottom of this page.
Check out the MAG-Rover put into action below:
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