TWI has all the solutions for sub-sea work

Sep 23 2008 by Karen McLauchlan, Evening Gazette

DEVELOPING skills and technology is key to the sub-sea sector.

TWI North East, was founded in Middlesbrough in 1992 and provides industry with the full range of services including access to Europe’s largest deepwater diving and underwater technologies tank - which is one of only two tanks of that size in the UK, measuring about 30m deep by 5m in diameter.

The majority of TWI’s testing is on sub-sea pipelines and robotic underwater techniques.

In Middlesbrough it carries out handwelding underwater - anything below 50m has to be welded with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

A spokesman said: “We have a number of European collaboration programmes in developing new technology for ROV, including non-destructive testing using long-range ultrasonics to test pipe lines on the sea floor.”

TWI is also bidding in Europe for an underwater arc welding programme looking at sub-sea oil and gas structures.

“There’s huge cost involved in these programmes,” added the spokesman. “So collaboration with a number of industrial partners is the only way to do it.”

TWI works with large and small companies, including some of the biggest names in the business.

“Probably one third of what we do is resonance testing, which was developed by TWI. That involves taking a strip of pipe, filling each end, pressurising it and put a counter weight on it and rotating it at 60hz to give it a wobble. This six-tonne pipe looks like a skipping rope, which simulates the movement of the sea on a pipeline.

“The strengths of the pipe are getting higher and higher as people go deeper and deeper. Now they are looking to lighter materials because of the cost.”

TWI is also looking at more efficient - and crucially - speedier ways to join pipes.

“When lay barges cost £0.5m a day, the ability to weld these pipes quicker is going to save a lot of money,” the spokesman said.

There is also growing demand for specialist clad pipe and the team is investigating new ways of welding them.