Speir Hunter, like ROSEN, started as a small business, offering bespoke aboveground inspection solutions to clients since 2011. Jointly conducted with the University of Leeds in the UK, the Speir Hunter team undertook research into the practice of magnetometry and defined the relationship between stress and magnetic fields produced by steel structures under localized corrosion and metallurgical and mechanical stresses. The existence and location of these magnetic anomalies were then identified through an automated algorithmic analysis of the magnetic data. This method of data collection is now known internationally as large standoff magnetometry (LSM), also referred to as SCT™ (stress concentration tomography).

“Partnering with Speir Hunter will allow ROSEN to continue to provide the very best inspection and integrity services available in the world, particularly with respect to ‘challenging-to-inspect’ and non-piggable pipelines. Until now, the full potential of LSM has not been realized within the industry – a topic which this partnership will explore. This will enable ROSEN to continue to provide our customers with the broadest range of integrity-focused services worldwide,” says Paul Casson, Director Sector EUK, ROSEN Europe.

With increasing demands by regulators to improve existing condition assessment of difficult-to-inspect pipelines, the two companies recognize the need to accelerate the development of new technologies to satisfy those demands. ROSEN is currently a leading company in challenging pipeline inspection; however, this strategic partnership between ROSEN and Speir Hunter allows operators even more options when it comes to the inspection of non-piggable or challenging pipelines. Combining ROSEN’s world-class pipeline inspection experience with Speir Hunter’s leading next-generation non-intrusive technology, the ROSEN–Speir Hunter partnership brings together an unparalleled depth of knowledge of data interpretation, machine learning with asset care, and inspection technology development and deployment.

“The ROSEN–Speir Hunter partnership is a powerful combination. Speir Hunter’s understanding of complex magnetostriction behavior, its deep specialist engineering expertise and agile collaborative approach is uniquely complementary to ROSEN’s ‘Think Global, Act Local’ mentality. ROSEN brings its world-renowned expertise in the pipeline inspection and integrity industry. Together with ROSEN R&D facilities and established global organization, proximity to clients and staff of more than 4,000 employees, this partnership will allow for the maximum impact and benefits to clients operating challenging and non-piggable pipelines,” says Paul Jarram, Managing Director, Speir Hunter.

By connecting ROSEN’s engineering expertise with Speir Hunter’s next-generation technology, the collaboration represents a step change in the way operators can address the needs of the challenging and non-piggable pipeline market.