Posted Friday, September 12, 2003 - 12:15 by petromin
StarTrak Pigging Technologies, Inc. (StarTrak), a leading systems integrator for oil and gas network services, has announced that ExxonMobil selected StarTrak to provide a satellite-based monitoring solution for ExxonMobil’s 30-inch African pipeline span from Chad to Cameroon. StarTrak supplied their patented 30-inch ‘Pathfinder’ magnetic pigs as well as the detection and satellite monitoring equipment and successfully completed the project earlier this month.

The African pipeline project required the removal of the air in front of the pig travelling in the pipeline and filling the pipeline with crude oil from ExxonMobil's Chad facility. There are certain areas where the pipeline drops as much as 5,000 feet, which made it necessary to maintain control of the pig at all times to ensure that station was operating properly. StarTrak placed multiple pigs in each of the two sections of the 650-mile pipeline. Each pig was monitored at pre-selected GPS stations along the route, providing reliable and accurate GPS time data to within one second.

Timely data was transmitted via the ORBCOMM low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite system through a Moroccan Gateway Earth Station then on to an Italian Gateway Earth Station, which quickly sent the critical data via the Internet to StarTrak's Master Control facility. The operation was handled around-the-clock by two StarTrak field teams, significantly improving the safety, security and efficiency of the remote pipeline. In addition, the monitoring equipment stored the event times for subsequent downloading into a master computer for valuable daily reports prepared for ExxonMobil, so they knew definitively how their assets were performing.

“We are delighted for the opportunity to help ExxonMobil manage its extensive African pipeline cost-effectively by delivering up-to-date, reliable status and performance data via satellite where and when they need it,” said Ernest Casey, President of StarTrak. “The capability of our cutting-edge technology to revolutionize pipeline operations is simply mind-boggling! We are certain that our proven solution has enabled ExxonMobil to increase their productivity, reduce operating expenses and minimize liability, thus providing them with a significant competitive advantage.”


About StarTrak
Headquartered in Katy, Texas, StarTrak Pigging Technologies, Inc. is a systems integrator for oil and gas network services. StarTrak’s directors have been in the oil and gas business for over 40 years, and its supervisory personnel have more than 30 years of industry experience. The company’s broad expertise ranges from remote monitoring of fixed assets such as storage tanks and pipelines to troubleshooting for both land and marine operations, pigging and electronic river crossing surveys. StarTrak’s extensive experience in the United States and abroad has led to the development of superior products and systems. For more information about StarTrak, contact 281.391.6311 or visit www.starpig.com.


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