SGS Industrial Services was awarded a contract to provide complex Guided Wave Inspection, also known as Long-Range Ultrasonic Testing, for the Shell Refinery in Batangas, Philippines. For the entire duration of the contract, June 22-28, 2011, SGS's team of experts inspected pipelines for defects and discontinuities; to ensure their reliability and prevent unexpected shutdowns or delays.

The condition and reliability of the piping is one of the major concerns of refinery owners and operators. Located deep underground or in places that are otherwise very difficult to reach, pipelines are very critical assets. Since even a minor failure could cause unacceptable downtime and substantial loss of money, conducting regular condition monitoring of the piping is indispensable for detecting failures and discontinuities at the earliest stage possible.

In order to assess the condition of the piping while the plant is running, Philipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation looked for a reliable inspection, verification and testing company.

On June 3, 2011, SGS Industrial division in the Philippines and Malaysia was awarded a contract, scheduled for June 22-28, 2011, to provide comprehensive Guided Wave Inspection, also known as Long-Range Ultrasonic Testing, of the piping in Shell's refinery.

With Guided Wave Inspection, a Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) method, SGS's team of highly skilled experts inspected the piping for defects and discontinuities; to ensure their reliability and integrity to prevent leaks and possible shutdowns.

Drawing on their first-rate experience and expertise in projects of this kind, SGS carried out Guided Wave Inspection of closed cooling water system, deep well piping and flare lines. In order to inspect the structures for loss of metal, such as from corrosion or erosion, SGS sent low frequency guided ultrasonic waves traveling along the pipe, thereby providing 100% coverage of the pipe length. Affected areas were precisely located in terms of distance from the transducer ring.

With SGS's assistance, the condition of the piping was evaluated, wall thinning and defects were assessed and recommendations for corrective actions were given.

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