Bjorn, Dutch Shepherd
Welcome to OutPut!
Everyone that reads this knows that we are still in the middle of a depressed economy as far as services in some sectors of the oil and gas industry.
While the Permian, Eagleford and Haynesville in Texas, the Bakken in North Dakota, Utica and Marcellus in West Virginia and the Niobrara in Colorado and Wyoming are booming, in many others regions, it’s not.
This has brought on a turning point for new technology to decrease the cost of not only drilling and completing the wells but for transportation, shipping and everything else that has to do with getting one barrel to a refining facility.
These services are wholly owned or operated by larger entities in most cases, the crunch comes when there are issues or problems faced in other regions that are not as fortunate, this makes for a hard day trying to sort through stacks of vendors that can provide a full service when there are issues that arise after the fact, the depressed economy has driven some prices down for services but not in all places.
As we finds ourselves increasingly moving toward Industry Iot (Internet of Things) and slowly moving away from employing services that are mainly human powered, it’s refreshing to see that there are still companies out there that can offer a premium service and can compete with the current digital troposphere that we all find ourselves living in today.
Many of the current systems available to detect leaks in pipelines cost a large sum to install and test and put into service, then you have regular maintenance upkeep, spares, service visits etc etc. There are many methods that can be used, analytical, digital, infrared, acoustic, vapor, fiber optic, biological and fly overs. All of these have a large price tag attached to them and yes, when oil prices are high these systems are installed and commissioned under a budgeted cost and maintained in the same fashion, but with prices this low, what do you do?
Although the technology that we are going to speak about is not new, seems that it started in 1991 as a service on the market but it is an eye opener to see that people are still willing to get out there and start businesses knowing what they are currently up against in the industry.
OutPut would like to introduce Mich Hager and K9 Pipe Inspection LLC in Idaho. K9 Pipe Inspections has a 24 hour emergency response phone line. In the past, canine leak detection services were a service called after other technology failed to locate a known leak. Now, as pipeline leak detection dogs gain more and more success, companies are calling in the dogs the moment they realize they are losing pressure in their lines.
They have a rapid mobilization team on call and the moment the contract is signed we are on the road. They always have their canine and human gear packed and ready for the call. Fortunately, dogs are very easy to mobilize and travel with.
Upon arrival, their lead technician will inject the industry approved odorant. The odorant system was developed by Imperial Oil and Exxon Mobil. It is versatile and works well on oil or gas pipelines. Their services can be used during hydrostatic testing or in-service lines.
After the line has been pressurized for 24 hours, their canine teams will inspect along the ROW. A minimum of two dogs is used pending scope of work.
Their specially designed odorant is designed to migrate vertically to the surface. KPI detection dogs are trained to indicate (dig) at the strongest source of saturation therefore KPI dogs can typically pinpoint a leak within a meter. Because these dogs have such an acute sense of smell, their highly trained detection dogs can find pinhole leaks and even stress corrosion cracking.
When a leak is indicated, the handler will mark the leak location so digging/repair can begin.
Pending the company’s needs, the line will be repaired and pressurized again and they will be asked to double check with their canines.
The first leak isn’t necessarily the only leak- so the canine team will continue the inspection. Pending conditions, their canine teams can inspect up to 20 kilometers a day.
An additional thing to note, K9 Pipe Inspections also offers scheduled maintenance inspections. A regular maintenance schedule can help insure the integrity of a pipeline for companies.
After a full day’s work, their canines have the same demands as any other dog. Food, water, and reward for a job well done. KPI dogs are well versed in long distance travel and acclimate easily.
OutPut Staff
K9 Pipe Inspections can be reached at the below contact information:
Mich Hager
https://k9pipeinspections.com/
(530) 777-8091
mich@k9pipeinspections.com
