BJ inks deal to inspect Kern River pipeline

Pipeline & Gas Journal, July, 2004

BJ Pipeline Inspection Services has been awarded a multimillion-dollar four-year contract to provide baseline pipeline inspection services to Kern River Gas Transmission Company of Salt Lake City, UT. BJ will inspect the 1,374-mile Kern River pipeline which runs from southwest Wyoming to Bakersfield. CA. The system is designed to transport 1.7 Bcf/d of natural gas.

The company will carry out baseline inspection for Kern River with its in line inspection tools, including the GEOPIG[TM] mechanical caliper and VECTRA[TM] MFL tool. By using the Vectra MFL tool with its active speed control and gas by-pass system, BJ will keep the tool velocity constant throughout the run, thereby assuring that all data captured is accurate and of the highest resolution. In addition, the gas by-pass feature makes it possible to perform inspections without disrupting gas flow.

The inspection work commenced last month on a section of 36-inch mainline that runs from Salt Lake to Elberta--a total of 192 miles. The remainder of the 683-mile NPS 36-inch mainline and the 627-mile loop line will be completed over the remainder of the four-year contract. Several 12-inch, 16-inch and 24-inch laterals will be inspected using GEOPIG and Vectra MFL technologies.