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Company Profile
July 2002
Introduction to Pitchford In-Line
John
Pitchford Pipeline Inspection Consultant Ltd. was established in April 1995 to
provide an independent consultancy service to the oil and gas industry.
In 2001 the company name was changed to Pitchford In-Line Ltd. The general areas of consultancy dealt with by the company are in-line
inspection of pipelines and general pigging.
The company was incorporated in England as a private company limited by shares under
The Companies Acts 1985 to 1989. The registration number of the company is 3041359.
The registered office of the company is:
Pitchford In-Line
14 Earnshaw Way
Whitley Bay
Tyne & Wear
NE25 9UN
UK
Tel & Fax: +44 (0) 191 289 2300
The prime asset of the company is the experience of the director John Pitchford who
has spent many years working for a leading intelligent pig operator where he was
involved in all aspects of pigging.
In
February of 2001 Pitchford In-Line took on a junior engineer to accommodate an
increased workload.
Services Provided by Pitchford In-Line
Advice
on the most suitable type of inspection technology.
Preparation of tender specifications for pipeline inspections.
Assessment of tenders.
Co-ordination of pigging and pipeline inspection operations.
Provision of procedures for pigging and in-line inspections.
Design of special pipeline pigging systems.
Expert input to hazop and other safety studies.
Independent trials of contractors’ equipment.
Troubleshooting studies.
Independent assessment of inspection data.
Expert witness testimony.
Blockage and stuck-pig location.
Past and Present Clients of Pitchford In-Line
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BP
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Total
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Shell
UK
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Shell International
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Texaco
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Amoco
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Statoil
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BG Group
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Total
Exploration and Production Myanmar
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Penspen
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Stolt
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Caltec
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RST
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IBC Technical Services
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Pipes and Pipelines International
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Wescott Trading
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OIS
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Entec
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Hill Wallack
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Mentor Project Engineering
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Wintershall Noordzee
B.V.
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Intec Engineering
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PPSA
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Petroleum Development Oman
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EMC
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J.F.White
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Typical Projects
Intec Engineering – BP Mardis Gras System – Development of a Future
Pigging System
Advise on conventional and intelligent pigging. Analyse the proposed pipeline
systems to asses piggability. Oversee and report on contractors design and
test work.
Shell
– Blockage Location
Propose
a system for identifying the position of a line blockage. Perform a
feasibility study for the system. Design, test and implement the system on
a blocked north-sea pipeline within 3 weeks.
BP – Foinaven Flowlines – Inspection Feasibility Assessment
Assess the 8” and 10” Foinaven flowlines and
report on the most suitable method of metal-loss inspection. Compile a scope of work for the inspection and send inquiries to the most
suitable inspection contractors. Analyse the capabilities of the contractors and the data available on the pipeline to
determine the preferred method of inspection.
BG Group – Amethyst Condensate Line – Batching Proposal
Assess the condensate line for batching capability. Detail the
work required to prove the piggability of the line. Write procedures for the batching process.
Shell – 8” Audit
Assess the quality system used in the preparation of the Ultrasonic WM tool for the inspection of
the Cormorant UMC Water Injection Line, with the aim of avoiding costly
re-runs due to failure.
BP – CATS line – Inspection Feasibility
Assess the CATS pipeline system and report on the
most suitable method of metal-loss inspection. Compile a scope of work for the inspection and send inquiries to the most
suitable inspection contractors. Analyse
the capabilities of the contractors and the data available on the pipeline to
determine the preferred method of inspection.
BP - Schiehallion Project
Design and manufacture a test rig for dual
diameter pigs. Undertake trials and
report on the capabilities of the proposed dual diameter pig.
Texaco
Assess anomalies found in the data from a baseline
in-line inspection of the Erskine gas pipeline.
Lectures given by John Pitchford
Pipes and Pipelines – In-line Inspection Technology
Amsterdam 1997
Houston 1998
Kuala Lumpur 1998
Houston 1999
Stavanger 1999
Houston 2000
BP – Pigging Technology
Aberdeen 2001
PPSA – Design of Pipelines for Pigging
Aberdeen 2001
Pipeline Engineering - General Pigging
Catterick 2002
Director’s
Curriculum Vitae
Personal details
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Name
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John Pitchford
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Address
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14
Earnshaw Way
Whitley Bay
Tyne & Wear
NE25 9UN
UK
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Telephone
number
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+44
(0)191 289 2300
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Date
of birth
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21/07/43
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Nationality
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British
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Academic qualifications
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Feb
1967
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BSc Hons (Mechanical Engineering)
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July
1974
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MSc Durham (Pure Science)
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Professional qualifications
Chartered Engineer
Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Papers published
Pipeline Inspection: Is sufficient data being collected? Pipes & Pipelines International, 40, July-August 1995.
Stuck pig release velocities. Pipes & Pipelines International, 41, July-August 1996.
Latest Developments in On-Line Inspection. Advances in Pipeline Technology ’97, IBC, Dubai.
Employment history
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1968-70
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British Iron and
Steel Research Association
Scientific Officer: Materials handling.
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1970-82
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ICI
Plant Engineer:
Maintenance
and development of high pressure chemical plant (1970-76)
Senior
Research Design Engineer: Design and construction of process plant (1976-82)
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1982-95
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British Gas On-Line Inspection
Centre, Cramlington
Senior Design
Engineer: Design of intelligent pigs (both magnetic and ultrasonic) and their operation,
analysis of data from intelligent pigging, assessment of pipelines for pigging
systems and haz-op. studies.
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Current
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Pitchford
In-Line
Chief
Consultant: Co-ordination and planning of inspection activities, technical evaluations of tenders, design
of pigs and pigging systems, feasibility studies, procedures and assessment of pipelines.
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