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TECMA Srl

THE THREAT OF UNIDENTIFIED

PILFERAGE PII Pipeline Technical Forum

Maastricht, 21st April 2016

Author: Andrea Giorgio Bologna, Tecma S.r.l.

Milan Head quarter Milan Work Shop

Founded in 1972

NDT plants supplier and services until 1989

Specialty Pipeline services since then

Company Portfolio

• Pipeline Specialty Products

• Pre-Commissioning Services

• De-Commissioning Services

• Pipeline Cleaning Services

• Pipeline Progressive Pigging

• In-Line Inspection Services

• Defect Investigation and Repair Services

• Georeferentiation and Mapping Services

• Engineering Consultancy

In-Line Inspection Experience

Main served Customers:

In-Line Inspection Experience

• 1989: started to provide Specialty Pipeline services

• Accumulated from 1989 to today:

- ILI operation performed using Nitrogen Gas = 1,463 km

- Sea-Line ILI Operations = 2,833 km

- Caliper + IMU Inspection = 455 km

- Logistic & technical support during gas ILI = 12,283 km

- Multi sensor ILI (MFL + Caliper + IMU) inspections = 4,501 km

- Pre-commissioning & De-commissioning = 2,758 km

• 2009 Jan: 1st ever New MagneScan (MFL4) inspection

• 2011 Jan: 1st ever 12” & 16” New MagneScan (MFL4) inspections

Updated to: 03/02/2016

Serving major Oil & Gas Pipeline Operators with the best available technology since 1989

Since 2001 we have been involved in reporting illegal tappings stealing refined

product from the pipeline network.

In some cases, this illegal acts have caused spillage and soil pollution.

The most common method used in the first years was fitting a circumferential

sleeve with a tap over a drilled hole, sometimes the tap was fitted and the hole

was drilled in a more convenient moment. This method requires an invasive

excavation and is quite prone to local spills.

Tecma’s Experience in Illegal Taps

detection

Starting from 2011 to nowadays the number of illegal attempts has continuosly increased.

New and more sophisticated methods have been developed and adopted. The most

commonly used method is to drill the pipe and cold force (hammering) a tap/several

taps, connect them with hoses of different type and class up to high rate domestic gas line

pipe. The distance observed following discovery of the reported taps detected during our

ILI operations between the tap and the storing containers could stretch from 20 up to 800 m

Tecma’s Experience in Illegal Taps

detection

Pull through Testing Starting from 2001 until today, TECMA and GE Oil & Gas, PII Pipeline solutions

have developed a plan for periodically performing pull through tests of the

available “pilferage evidences”, on pipe spools with multiple wall thicknesses,

with the aim to refine the analysis techniques and train the analyst team. The

main goal was to set and improve data analysis identification protocols for the

illegal feature signals detected by the inspection vehicles

“Courtesy of GE-PII Pipeline Solutions” - Examples of Pull Through tests performed at GE - PII Pipeline solutions test area located at Cramlington, UK

Illegal Tap

Simulation

Pull through Testing Below an example of a recent Pull through test performed at GE Oil & Gas, PII

Pipeline solutions testing area

Test Details: • Inspection Vehicle: 10” MFL4

• Pipeline Spool Length: 0.8m

• Pipe Type: Seamless

• Wall Thickness: 5.56mm

• Number of Pilferage fitings: 5

Flow Direction

Pull through Testing

Pilferage 1:

• Cast iron Tap fitted with stainless steel clamp

• No welding

Magnetic sensors

response


Pilferage 2:

• No welding

• Test Engineer that installed fitting

estimated protrusion into the pipe up to

5mm

Magnetic sensors

response


Pilferage 3:

• No welding

• Test Engineer that installed fitting estimated

protrusion into the pipe (up to 5mm)

Magnetic sensors

response


Pilferage 4:

• No welding

• Test Engineer that installed fitting estimated

protrusion into the pipe (up to 5mm)

Magnetic sensors

response


Pilferage 5:

• Drill holes diameter of: 5mm, 7mm and 10mm

Magnetic sensors

response

Pull through Testing • Multiple Tests

performed at

different tool

velocity and

conditions

• Multiple Signal

comparison

• Features

detection

improvement

• Periodic testing

Pilferage 1

Pilferage 2

Pilferage 3

Pilferage 4

Pilferage 5

Pilferage 1

Pilferage 2

Pilferage 3

Pilferage 4

Pilferage 5

• 2001: started to provide Pilferage reporting services and

developed Pull through tests together with GE Oil & Gas,

PII Pipeline solutions

• Accumulated experience since 2001:

– Total accumulated number of ILI for potential pilferage

detection: 33

– Total accumulated inspected Pipeline Km for pilferage

detection: 2256.6 km

– Total accumulated number of potential Illegal Tap

Features detected: 269+


Tecma & PII Experience in Illegal Taps

detection in Italy

• Highest number of potential Illegal Tap features detected in

a single Run: 41

• Reported potential Illegal tap features Vs. Confirmed Illegal

Pilferage Ratio: > 90% (for those features for which we were able

to receive a direct feedback)

– Very difficult to receive feedbacks from the Customers

– “Undercover” inspections programmed in short time and

with only few actors involved


Tecma & PII Experience in Illegal Taps

detection in Italy

Real examples of detected Illegal Taps

Based upon our experience in detecting and investigating

illegal taps, we can classify the detected features in:

Active Pilferage

• Drilled/Hammered Cold Taps

• Welded Taps

• Sleeve Type Taps

Latent Pilferage

• Same as above but the taps and connection have never

been used for several different reasons

Real examples of Illegal Taps detected

Drilled/Hammered Cold Taps


Welded Taps (very well hidden !)


Welded Taps


Sleeve Type (only partially ferromagnetic)


Sleeve Type Taps

• Illegal taps installed and never used

(«Sleeping» illegal taps)

• The thieves that installed the illegal

taps got arrested or eventually

“sold” the position to other criminals

• Most dangerous illegal taps !


Latent Pilferage Taps


Special hidden Pilferage Taps

TECMA support to Pipeline Operators for improving and

counteract Pilferage in Italy:

1. Storing critical size MFL Inspection vehicles at our base

2. Fast track in-field deployment to support Customer emergency calls

3. Continuous communication with Customer

4. Immediate data transmission upon run completion to the analysis

team

1. Report deliverables: – Fast track Change Report (24hrs – 48hrs)

– 1/2 weeks complete Change Report

– 4/6 weeks full Pilferage & Pinhole Report (SHR+ Specification)

2. Support to Client investigation

3. Multiple yearly run Plan with commercial benefits to the Customer

4.TECMA’s personnel continuous training on ILI vehicles operations:

– Commissioning/De-commissioning

– Run Data download

– Data transmission

Battling the Pilferage Problem

1 – ILI VEHICLES STORAGE & MAINTENANCE

• MFL inspection vehicles stored

at Tecma workshop

• ILI tools dedicated work area

2 – FAST TRACK IN FIELD PROCESS

• Emergency call

from Customer

• Cleaning/gauging

Pig ready off the

shelf

MFL vehicles always in “ready

to run” condition

2 – FAST TRACK PROCESS

We offer the possibility

of performing the

preliminary pre-

calibration assessment

with Poly Pig to

eventually avoid running

more intrusive cleaning

pigs (bi-di) that could

trigger product leaks at

pilferage sites

Multiple evidences of potential

illegal taps


• Calibration Run

• Gauging assessment

Multiple evidences of severely

protruding potential illegal taps

3 – COMMUNICATION WITH CUSTOMER

• 24/7 communication with Customer key persons

• Pig tracking during In-Line Inspection

• Pressure and Flow monitoring service

4 – INSPECTION DATA TRANSMISSION AND FOLLOW-UP

• Continuous liasing with the Analysis team

• Continuous feedbacks reporting

• Mobile phone GPS

accuracy sometimes

not sufficient

• Need to support

Client investigation

4 – INSPECTION DATA TRANSMISSION AND FOLLOW-UP

• Dig sheets for supporting

Field investigation/

• GPS Position reporting &

• Google™ screenshots

5 – REPORTING DELIVERABLES

Pipeline Change Report:

Conducted using multiple ILI data sets

Identifies all feature/fitting changes

Analysts concentrate on metal gain signals

Detailed metal Loss analysis conducted in areas where changes to pipeline fittings are identified

Aim: find attachments made from ferrous material

What the Client gets:

A pipeline change listing

Screenshot of each change area

Dig sheet and Google™ map images (if mapping data available) of features as soon as they are located.

Delivered within 10-15 working days


Screenshot Example of a Change Report


Detailed Pipeline Pilferage metal loss Report:

Includes scope from pipeline change report

Uses full MFL tri-axial and caliper data to detect pinhole defects along the entire pipeline

Focuses on small pinhole and small pit defects

Identifies metal loss and any associated ferrous fittings.

What the Client gets:

A pipeline change listing – including metal loss information at any potential pilferage sites

• New dents

• All Off-takes and attachments

• Any feature potentially linked to preparation work for illegal offtakes

Screenshot of each change area

Dig sheet and Google™ map images (if mapping data available) of features as soon as they are located.

Uses all metal loss data to find pinholes from 3mm

6 – SUPPORTING CLIENTS DURING IN-FIELD INVESTIGATION

• In-Field verification and investigation

• Analyzing Customer feedback

• Feature detection improvement

Supporting the Customer during Repairing of Illegal Taps

6 – SUPPORTING CLIENTS DURING IN-FIELD INVESTIGATION

7 – MULTIPLE RUNS PER YEAR

• Regular change reports

Run rate goes

up…

…price goes down

Flexibility for Emergencies

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

2 Runs per Year 3 Runs per Year 4 or more Runs per Year

10 days mobilization 5 days mobilization 3 days mobilization

8 – TECMA’S PERSONNEL TRAINING

• Technical Qualification and

competence verification

• Continuous training

• Commissioning/Decomissioning

• Data download and transfer

CONTACTS

For additional and more detailed informations

please refer to:

TECMA S.r.l. Via A. Milesi, 5-7

20133 Milano

Phone: +39 02.738.12.41

Fax: +39 02.71.38.41

E-mail: [email protected]

Web site: www.tecma.it

Managing Director Mr. Andrea Bologna

Mobile +39 348.22.43.443

E-mail [email protected]

Sales Manager Mr. Raffaele Zaffaroni

Mobile +39 348.22.10.292


Operation Supervisor Mr. Paolo Rigamonti

Mobile +39 348.22.60.827


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.tecma.it/

Thank you for your attention

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