Technical Toolboxes to market SmartBall® Leak and Theft Detection for US Oil and Gas Pipelines

HOUSTON, May 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Technical Toolboxes has partnered with Pure Technologies Ltd. to offer a complete solution for leak and theft detection in oil and gas pipelines. The solution combines the Technical Toolboxes pipeline integrity approach with SmartBall® leak detection, which offers unparalleled size estimation and location accuracy.

Oil and gas pipeline operators are responsible to multiple stakeholders with their pipeline integrity programs. Not only must they meet or exceed federal and state regulatory requirements, but also answer to stakeholders that are concerned with economic and environmental losses.

The SmartBall solution complies with all regulations, while reducing economic and environmental losses through the detection of small leaks that may go unnoticed using traditional leak detection methods.

The tool can be easily transported, set up, launched and retrieved with minimal training for the existing company or service provider personnel. Results from the inspection are extremely reliable with data analysis and preliminary reporting within hours.

Overall, the SmartBall solution can be used for a fraction of the cost of traditional inspection methods, which helps operators better manage risk, lower operating costs and improve pipeline performance.

Through PHMSA's R&D grant the SmartBall has been optimized to detect and locate very small leaks in gas pipelines. Additional information is available on this PHMSA link: http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/matrix/PrjHome.rdm?prj=234

"This solution will become the new standard in pipeline leak detection prove-up," said Joe Summa, Technical Toolboxes President & CEO. "The SmartBall solution will radically change the way pipeline owners and operators conduct pipeline leak sensitivity studies, over/under business audits, respond to issues and maintain regulatory compliance. This product solves many of the issues the pipeline industry has faced over the last decade."

There are more than 2.5 million miles of pipelines in the U.S. and about 3,000 pipeline operators, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

"We are extremely pleased to partner with Technical Toolboxes to market the SmartBall platform," said Mark Holley, President, Pure Technologies US Inc. "Technical Toolboxes is a well-known brand in the energy industry with many not-for-profit research and new technology affiliations which have been used to assist in the development and testing of this exciting technology in the energy industries."

About Technical Toolboxes www.technicaltoolboxes.com

Technical Toolboxes Inc. (TTI) is a provider of integrated software solutions, consulting services and training for engineering and technical professionals focused on asset infrastructure in the energy markets. The integrated Toolbox software products developed by TTI provide companies with engineering productivity tools for standardization and training of their engineering and technical professionals. TTI offers the following energy infrastructure products & services:

• Software – "Toolboxes" or suites of engineering, technical, safety and compliance tools; Pipeline, Drilling, Petroleum, HDD, etc.
• Hardware – Advanced inspection and analysis technologies; 3D Structured Light "Toolbox", SmartBall, AUT Solutions, etc.
• Training & Consulting – Specialized advanced training and consulting with the industries most experienced Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) including basic and advanced NDT.

About Pure Technologies, Ltd. www.puretechltd.com

Pure Technologies Ltd. is an international asset management technology and services company which has developed patented technologies for inspection, monitoring and management of critical infrastructure around the world. Pure's business model incorporates four distinct but complementary business streams:

• Sales of proprietary monitoring technologies for pipelines, bridges and structures (SoundPrint®, SoundPrint® AFO);
• Recurring revenue from data analysis and site maintenance for these technologies, and from technology licensing;
•  Premium technical services including pipeline inspection, leak detection and condition assessment (P-Wave®,  SmartBall®, Sahara®, PipeDiver®, PureRobotics™);
• Specialized engineering services in areas related to asset management, primarily in the area of pipeline condition assessment for water and wastewater infrastructure (Openaka Corp., Price Brothers UK Ltd, and Jason Consultants).

SOURCE Technical Toolboxes Inc.