SUBSEA FLOODED MEMBER RADIOGRAPHY

In 1993 Sonsub International, a Saipem Group Company, designed and bui lt an ROV-deployed tool to enable subsea pipelines lip to 12 '' diamet er to be radiographed. This tool, known as the Mini-Pipemate(R), was s uccessfully used by an ROV located on Esso's Marlin platform to measur e the wall thickness and examine pitting corrosion of a 12 '' oil pipe line and a 6 '' gas pipeline in 60 msw. The main features of the syste m were that the tool was capable of removing the concrete weightcoat f rom the 12 '' line without damage to the pipe, and then provided a ser ies of radiographs for the complete circumference of the pipe for a le ngth of 400 mm. This was performed without divers and without the need to halt oil production.