OMS employee awarded Carron Trophy
18/10/2011
Jim Buston, Client Solutions Executive at pipe measurement specialist Optical Metrology Services (OMS) Ltd, has won the Pipeline Industries Guild’s Carron Trophy Young Person’s Presentation Competition.Jim received the trophy and a £500 cash prize after delivering his winning presentation to a panel of judges and an audience made up of members of the Pipeline Industries Guild. The presentations were held at the Inn at the Park Hotel, Aberdeen, on 18 August 2011. On the night, Jim beat off stiff competition from three other shortlisted contestants to scoop the top prize for his presentation, entitled: ‘Fit-up solutions – the project manager’s secret weapon’. The official awards presentation will take place at the Guild’s Scottish Branch Annual Dinner on 7 October 2011 in Glasgow.
“After submitting a synopsis of my presentation earlier in the summer, I was really pleased to receive news that I had made the shortlist of four finalists,” commented Jim Buston. “On the night, presenting to the panel of judges and to members of the Guild was quite a nerve-wracking experience, but I’m absolutely delighted to have won such a prestigious award, particularly in the face of such strong competing entries.”
Jim’s presentation highlighted a number of different methods for checking pipe end geometry in oil and gas pipeline projects and how it is now possible to take this further and use actual measured profiles of the shapes of the pipe ends to proactively manage and improve the fit-up process in order to minimise HiLo. Measured profiles can now be assessed to identify difficult pipes early on and to achieve the best possible fit-up with the pipes.
As Jim puts it: “To maximise the benefit, different systems are now available to suit the logistical situation for any given project. It is possible to dynamically plan the best fit-up for each pipe or group of pipes as they become available for welding, or to plan a complete string architecture in advance. Methods like these can make a project go faster and enable a better weld quality. Processes like these are becoming ever more popular and for some sub-contractors they are becoming standard practice.”
Established in 1957, The Pipeline Industries Guild has evolved to become the only association worldwide to cater directly for the needs of the pipeline industry, regardless of engineering discipline, application or qualification. The Guild’s membership comprises those with interests in pipelines, transporting hydrocarbon products, chemicals, water, wastewater and many other substances, both onshore and offshore. All are governed by the industry’s twin need to combine quality with safety, whilst at the same time meeting all the latest environmental and legislative requirements.
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