Case Study: Boosting Safety and Durability in Airport Pipeline Inspection with EMPIT's CMI Technology
The Challenge — Inspecting Unpiggable Airport Fuel Pipelines
Airport jet fuel pipelines operate under demanding conditions. They run beneath taxiways, aprons, and terminal buildings — often encased in concrete or buried alongside complex electrical networks. Ensuring their integrity is critical to both operational safety and environmental protection.
At a well-known Swiss airport, the fuel pipeline network could not be inspected with conventional In-Line Inspection (ILI) tools. Sharp bends, diameter changes, and horizontal pits classified these lines as unpiggable pipelines — ruling out pig-based or crawler-based methods entirely.
How CMI Was Deployed at the Airport
EMPIT's Current Magnetometry Inspection (CMI) provided a non-invasive alternative. CMI applies a multi-frequency electrical current (2 Hz – 2 kHz) to the pipeline and measures the electromagnetic response from the surface — without excavation and without interrupting fuel supply operations.
Using the portable Current Mapper system, EMPIT's inspection team surveyed the pipeline network from above ground. The tool's tri-axial sensors recorded data at up to 20,000 points per second, enabling the team to map pipeline condition even where lines were encased in concrete or ran through areas with significant electrical interference. This aboveground pipeline inspection approach required no physical access to the pipeline interior.
What the Inspection Revealed
Through patented spectrum analysis, CMI identified sections where active corrosion and coating defects were present — meaning bare steel was in direct soil contact and a corrosion cell was electrically active. The technology also distinguished these from passivated corrosion, where a protective film had formed and the corrosion process had stopped.
This classification allowed the airport operator to focus excavation and repair efforts exclusively on actively corroding sections, while passivated defects were flagged for monitoring only. All defect locations were GPS-georeferenced with a precision better than 1 mm².
Why CMI Is Suited for Airport Infrastructure
Airport pipeline networks present conditions that conventional inspection methods cannot address effectively. CMI offers distinct advantages in this environment:
- No service interruption — pipelines remain fully operational during inspection, avoiding disruption to airport fuelling schedules.
- No excavation required — inspection is performed entirely from the surface, even over concrete-covered sections.
- Corrosion activity classification — CMI distinguishes active from passivated corrosion, enabling targeted repair decisions rather than blanket excavation.
- Applicable to unpiggable lines — CMI works regardless of pipeline geometry, including lines with sharp bends, diameter changes, or missing launcher stations.
EMPIT's CMI technology aligns with ISO 15589-1 and is ECDA-ready, supporting integration into existing pipeline integrity management programs.
Discuss Your Pipeline Inspection Project
Whether your pipelines run beneath airports, industrial facilities, or urban infrastructure — EMPIT's CMI technology can assess their condition without excavation or downtime. Contact us to discuss your specific requirements.