COMPARISON OF CMI AND ILI
Inline inspection tools (ILI) or »smart pigs« monitor pipelines for anomalies which dimensions can be as small as a few millimeters. The applicability of pigs is mainly dependent on the geometry of the pipeline and therefore 50% of the global pipeline network are unpiggable.
CMI is an advanced screening technology which monitors the safety of every metallic pipeline, without interrupting the product flow or needing direct access into the pipeline. It works independent of the pipeline’s geometry and information provided by CMI cannot be replicated by traditional integrity tools or inline inspection services.
| ILI | CMI | |
|---|---|---|
| Applicable on pipelines | ||
| With bend radius <3D | no | yes |
| With different internal diameters | no | yes |
| Without guide bars in T-branches | no | yes |
| Without pig launcher | no | yes |
| Which are not cleaned before inspection | no | yes |
| Interruption or change of product flow | neccessary | not neccessary |
| Pipelines that are of out of service | no | yes |
| ILI | CMI | |
|---|---|---|
| Types of detected features | ||
| Internal features | yes | yes |
| External features | yes | yes |
| General corrosion | yes | yes |
| Cracks | special tools needed | perpendicular cracks only |
| Pitting corrosion | yes | no |
| Lamination | special tools needed | direction dependent |
| Deformation | yes | yes |
| Anomaly dimension classification | absolute | relative |
| Anomaly type classification | yes | no |
| Girth weld identification | yes | yes |
| Metal part identification | yes | yes |
| Pipeline localization | relative | absolute |
| Bend characterization | yes | yes |
| Right of Way (RoW) control | no | yes |
| Depth of cover (DoC) mapping | no | yes |
| ILI | CMI | |
|---|---|---|
| Limitations | ||
| Response threshold level for features | > 1 mm | 20% of WT |
| Maximum DoC | does not matter | up to 2 m |
| Outer Diameter (OD) of pipelines | > 6“ | > 3“ |
| Electrical connection to the pipeline | not necessary | necessary |
| RoW preparation | not necessary | free of heavy vegetation |
WHAT CAN CMI OFFER?
THE MOST POWERFUL ALL-IN ONE SOLUTION FOR REMOTE MAPPING AND INSPECTION OF BURIED PIPELINES.
CASE STUDY
Mapping – Case study
CMI is used for the 3D-mapping and digitalization of pipelines in a high consequence area
It’s for a reason that we are amongst Germany’s Top 100 innovators. Because our mission is to overcome these inspection challenges and, together with our clients, continuously improve the safety and reliability of all pipelines.