Aberdeen-based, Innospection has designed and developed the MEC-Combi Pipecrawler which is said to be the first of its kind to use two types of subsea inspecting methods simultaneously for the external inspection of caissons.
Innospection has already completed the inspection of two caissons for an operator in the North Sea using the new technology.
The scanner collects both UT (Ultrasonic) and MEC (Magnetic Eddy Current) data, as well as close visual data and uses rotatable wheels in the design which pivot 90 degrees on its axis, so it can seamlessly overlap scans of the entire caisson circumference, the company explains.
Andreas Boenisch , managing director, said: “The combination of the two techniques in our new tool, to inspect caissons externally is a solution which provides the highest quality and accuracy of data, with minimal disruption to operations for our clients.
“Previously many caisson inspecting techniques have only spot checked the circumference and therefore not fully shown the state of the caissons. This technique shows in detail any localized corrosion and wall thickness to allow the operator to maintain caissons integrity to the highest standards.”