NDT and the oil & gas industry

Non-destructive testing (NDT) has a long and productive history with the oil & gas industry, from the detection of oilfields to safety in drilling, production and shipment. NDT in the oil & gas industry is critical for both the integrity of equipment and the safety of petroleum extraction, shipping and refining operations. Keeping potentially hazardous chemicals and fluids safely contained within pipes and pressure vessels means careful inspection of welds and metals for flaws and corrosion using non-destructive testing solutions.

NDT plays a role in many parts of the oil & gas industry. Running a safe, efficient and profitable petroleum extraction operation on land or offshore requires effective non-destructive testing methods and technology. Transferring the extracted crude oil and gases to the refineries where it will be converted into usable products requires a complete suite of midstream NDT solutions to keep pipelines and transportation running smoothly. The vessels that contain the pressure and heat to ‘crack’ petroleum into a range of useful fuels need downstream NDT solutions to ensure their incident-free operation.

This relationship has been beneficial to both parties. NDT has continued its historical growth in technology and applications. Oil & gas products have been administered with a high degree of safety for materials and manpower. The oil & gas sector is now being confronted with demands for a reduction in the production of oil & gas.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), unabated combustion of all the present fossil fuel reserves will emit over three times more emissions than the remaining carbon budget for 1.5°C of global warming, pushing temperatures to catastrophic levels. Given the critical situation and its substantial contribution to global emissions, the oil & gas sector has to seriously consider what role, if any, fossil fuels can justifiably play in the decarbonisation of the global economy. As the world moves towards the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, the sector faces significant transition risks, ranging from increased policy and societal pressure to legal and market risks. Without major changes to their current business models, companies in the sector are expected to rapidly lose market value.

Gordon McBean, Professor Emeritus, Western University, Canada, published an article on 29 May 2024, stating that: “The oil and gas industry has been lying about global warming for decades – accountability is long overdue.” ^[1] He believes that the science is clear: the planet is warming at an alarming rate and we need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

In May 2024, the United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability completed its three-year investigation into how USA oil companies sought to avoid accountability for climate change. The report, tellingly titled: ‘Denial, Disinformation and Doublespeak: Big Oil’s Evolving Efforts to Avoid Accountability for Climate Change’, explores Big Oil’s decades-long campaign of deception and denial, finding that: “Documents demonstrate for the first time that fossil fuel companies internally do not dispute that they have understood since at least the 1960s that burning fossil fuels causes climate change and (that they) then worked for decades to undermine public understanding of this fact and to deny the underlying science.”

The committee found that “Big Oil’s deception campaign evolved from explicit denial of the basic science underlying climate change to deception, disinformation and doublespeak,” and that the fossil fuel industry deliberately spread confusing and misleading narratives, lobbied against climate action and strategically funded under-resourced universities while silencing opposition voices. The report concluded that, as the climate science became stronger, Big Oil shifted its strategy to one of public support for action while privately avoiding it as part of an “elaborate campaign of deception”.

As active participants in NDT and providing insurance against defects in material and plant safety, we cannot reduce our efforts in the examination of materials for flaws, but we do have an obligation to future generations to leave them with a planet that will provide them with the freedom to breathe clean air! The only way to address climate change is by tackling misinformation head on. Holding the oil & gas industry to account for decades of deceit in the USA and Canada is an important first step in that process.

Reference