Inline inspection technology for oil and gas pipelines has evolved and delivered highly complex and robust tools over the last 20 years. The levels of data accuracy available today would have been unachievable just five years ago. However, the rapid evolution of technology and deployment techniques has only come about due to a drive for excellence within the industry. The oil and gas industry's reliance on its infrastructure, and specifically its pipelines, has aLways been a problem that materials scientists, engineers and plant operators have had to address. The importance of being able to identify, manage and repair corrosion, damage or other defects in pipelines while in service was clear by the 1960s and precipitated the development of the first 'smart pig'. While comparatively low-tech compared with today's standards, these first inline inspection (ILI) tools contained a series of instrumented modules that travelled through the pipeline, recording corrosion pitting, dents, and other imperfections based either on ultrasonic wall thickness measurements or disturbances in an induced magnetic field.
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