MFL Data Standardization

Pipeline inspection industry has been evolved for over 50 years since the first MFL ILI commercial tool run in 1964. There are now near hundred pipeline inspection companies. MFL technology has been the primary use in pipeline inspection. The MFL industry was operated completely by the inspection companies. Inspecting company’s tools run the pipeline, collecting and analyzing the data. The raw MFL data was provided in proprietary format along with the software to view them. Each inspecting company uses its own proprietary format. It is time to standardize pipeline inspection data, particularly MFL inspection data. This is a bold idea. Why we need MFL data standards. Most of the transmission pipelines have been inspected by MFL. Many large companies own hundred to thousand miles of pipelines. Pipeline operators regularly hire difference inspecting company. The inspection data are in different proprietary formats. These inspection data are asset that make pipeline safer and are part of pipeline integrity. They should be stored in same format and managed uniformly. This article suggests three MFL data format standardization. First, MFL raw data needed to be standardized so that different ILI vendors can produce the MFL run data with the same format, with which pipeline operator can easily manage, compare, and analyzed them. Secondly, MFL data analyze report should be uniformed. Pipeline operator can expect same format report from MFL runs. Finally, the defect area data ought to be provided with same data format. The defect area data can be incorporated into the dig report and managed by integrity management plan.