Pure Technologies : A 1,100-MILE HISTORY OF COLLECTING PIPELINE CONDITION DATA WITH THE ADVANCED PIPEDIVER® PLATFORM

Pure Technologies has long embraced research and development, with a strong dedication to continually develop new technologies and improve existing pipeline inspection systems.

Nowhere is this spirit of inventiveness more evident than in the evolution of the highly-trusted PipeDiver platform, a versatile, free-swimming condition assessment tool that collects data regarding the pipe wall, and operates while the pipeline remains in service.

'As an inline tool, PipeDiver provides utility owners with an easier and less costly alternative than inspection methods that require shut-down or dewatering, or for lines that cannot be removed from service due to operational constraints or lack of redundancy.' Allison Stroebele, Business Line Manager, PipeDiver

Worldwide to date, the PipeDiver tool has collected data on more than 1,100 miles of water and wastewater pipelines.

Ideal for assessing large-diameter pipes typically in a single mobilization

The PipeDiver tool is ideal for assessing large-diameter pipelines, and the tool requires only a 12-inch access, and can be deployed on pipelines ranging from 16 inches up to 120 inches.

Typically the tool can be deployed, collect information on pipeline condition and extracted in a single mobilization, and in most instances an inspection can be performed in a day.

The PipeDiver tool is also equipped with cameras, enabling it to collect video data of the internal pipe conditions, which gives an additional layer of condition assessment data.

Insert and extract with in minimal civil effort

To begin an inspection, the tool is balanced to be neutrally buoyant and then inserted into a pressurized or depressurized pipeline through a tap connection or an existing access point. From here, the tool travels with the product flow and utilizes flexible petals to navigate butterfly valves, tees and bends in the pipeline. Extraction of the tool can be simple, and it can be retrieved by a use of a tube, a net or letting the tool flow into a reservoir.

By inspecting the pipeline while it remains in service, utility owners can make confident repair and replacement decisions to successfully manage that pipe into the future.

Designed to assess both PCCP and metallic pipes

Originally designed for use in prestressed concrete cylinder pipes (PCCP), the tool has specialized electromagnetic sensors to identify and locate broken prestressing wire wraps, which are the main structural components of PCCP, and the primary indicators that this type of pipe will fail.

Historically, technologies available to assess the condition of metallic pipe have been limited, which led Pure to develop the specialized PipeDiver for metallic pipes, equipped with advanced electromagnetic technology to identify localized areas of wall loss.

The PipeDiver electromagnetic technology can also be used in bar wrap pipelines to identify broken bars and steel cylinder damage, the two main structural components of bar-wrapped pipe.

Using the PipeDiver platform as part of a larger asset management plan

All in all, the PipeDiver platform can be used as part of a larger asset management program to understand the actual structural condition and project the remaining useful life of the pipe. With that understanding, utility owners can make confident repair and replacement decisions to successfully manage that pipe into the future.