What is ATEX?

ATEX is new EU safety legislation based on requirements of the European Directive 94/9/EC for equipment as well as compliance with 99/92/EC for workers. The acronym stands for ‘ATmosphère EXplosive’ from the original French legislation draft. It sets a framework for controlling potentially explosive atmospheres and establishes guidelines for equipment and procedures to be used in those conditions.

As of July 1 2006, EU operations found to be working without ATEX certification could face fines up to €100,000. If hazardous incidents occur, operations could also face production stoppages and legal prosecution.

There are specific responsibilities placed both on pipeline operators and their service providers. For instance, operation of our ATEX-certified inspection tools anywhere in the world must follow the guidelines or certification will be immediately invalidated for EU operation.

What this means for pipeline inspection

ATEX establishes three explosion-risk zones based on the likelihood of an explosive atmosphere occurring during normal operations. The in-line inspection of oil and gas pipelines falls within the medium-risk zone since an explosive atmosphere can be present during tool launch or receive operations when the pipeline’s product or associated vapours or dusts combine with the open air.

GE’s responsibility is to eliminate the presence of ignition sources within the specified zone (within a 3-m radius of the trap door or 1.5 m if the trap is nitrogen purged) by increasing safety precautions for tool electronics and in-field procedures.

Design and manufacturing

The first step toward ATEX certification for GE’s PII Pipeline Solutions business was a comprehensive quality assurance initiative at our major tool development sites in Germany, Canada and the UK. ATEX Quality certificates (extensions of ISO 9001) were awarded in June 2005, December 2005 and March 2006 respectively – well ahead of deadline. Each site then began an aggressive program of upgrades to our magnetic, caliper and ultrasonic inspection tools.

Tool modifications

Compare ATEX legislation to house construction, it lays out parameters for the final structure – but not necessarily for the specific hardware and materials that go into building it. Take for example the regulations pertaining to battery packs. The typical unit has a half dozen critical components from an ATEX perspective, but there were no established design standards to use as reference. This uncertainty was compounded by the fact that battery packs, assemblies and connections vary considerably across PII’s tool fleet. So our engineers had to invent a customized solution for each tool.

We reviewed existing standards for electronic components used in various industries and operating conditions, adapted best-case solutions to our specific needs and designed new approaches where existing ones could not address the distinct characteristics of an in-line inspection. Each incremental development was submitted for ATEX approval before proceeding.

Considering the number of different tools PII operates, one can see the sheer magnitude of detailed work involved in meeting ATEX requirements.

Personnel and procedures

The third and final area for ATEX certification involved our in-field personnel and processes. In addition to the guidelines and quality assurance program put in place, all our field crews have ATEX-specific training and individual certification. There is also a set schedule for ongoing evaluation and training.

To date, approximately 100 GE personnel have been directly involved in our ATEX certification program. It has been an enormous undertaking, the importance of which cannot be underestimated. Without it, diminished inspection resources would put the integrity of our customers’ pipelines at risk, legally and operationally.

For more information, please contact:

Germany: Wolfgang Markus
wolfgang.markus@ge.com

Canada: Michael Campbell
michael1.campbell@ge.com

UK: Derek Smith
derek.smith@og.ge.com

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