Online Electronics’ award winning MEG ARTS® subsea analysis and sampling system has successfully completed its first operation during the summer of 2015 in a pipeline project in the UK Continental Shelf.
The project recommissioned a gas export line following maintenance. A conditioning pig train was run from the production facility to a sea bed manifold that connected to an operating gas line.
Deployed from a construction support vessel, MEG ARTS® was placed next to the manifold and connected by hose to a vent valve. The system operated unattended, monitoring and recording the density, temperature, and pressure of the received fluids. The line fill of water from the pressure test was followed by MEG (mono-ethylene glycol) in the pig train. Samples of MEG were captured according to limits defined for the project. During transit of a pig train there was some mixing of water with MEG. It was important to know that the quality of MEG confirms that the line is sufficiently dry and ready for production.
The system was retrieved to the support vessel and the samples were recovered. The data clearly showed the change from sea water and different qualities of MEG as each pig was received.
Both the construction company executing the project and the operating company were pleased with the performance of the system and quality of pipeline data that it has not been practical to obtain before the availability of MEG ARTS®.
The system is the winner of the Pipeline Industry Guild Technical Awards; Subsea Pipeline Technology Award 2015.