Berkeley Tech Company's Invention Prevents Oil Pipeline Failures; Imaging Firm's Technology Used to Examine Oil Pipelines, Identify Damage from Corrosion before Leaks Can Occur.

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Berkeley-based 4-D Imaging has partnered with industrial firms to analyze and correct potential corrosion in oil pipelines before they reach the magnitude of the problems at Prudhoe Bay that have shut down 8 percent of US oil production. Using the most sophisticated detection techniques available today, 4-D Imaging has applied its state-of-the-art imaging system to pipeline networks to ensure activity continues to be safe and efficient.

Oil companies and other industrial firms use miles of pipelines to connect oil fields to refineries. Pipeline arteries have traditionally been inspected and checked for flaws by using a hand gauge and ultrasound technology to inspect the pipelines. By utilizing 4-D's patented imaging technology, 4-D's customers have been able to inspect pipelines and vessels more precisely and accurately than using these other methods.

4-D Imaging, based in Berkeley, California, is revolutionizing three-dimensional digital imaging. Used in a variety of industrial and artistic applications, 4-D uses structured light technology to replicate three-dimensional images that can be manipulated and scaled by a variety of professional software programs. Using the most advanced imaging technology to create the most advanced 3-dimensional images, 4-D Imaging is revolutionizing digital imaging.

"Assessing the internal condition of oil pipelines is a difficult but critical process for oil companies and other industrial operations, as the unfortunate events at Prudhoe Bay have demonstrated," said Dr. Glen Stevick, of 4-D Imaging. "Using 4-D Imaging's advanced detection techniques has streamlined the process of inspecting pipelines and vessels. It is faster, more easily implemented, and, most importantly, more accurate."

In developing an oil pipeline inspection system designed to specifications provided by industrial and refining partners, 4-D Imaging utilizes a scanner to take three-dimensional images of pipe damage to determine levels of corrosion, pitting and/or gouging. The three-dimensional images are then channeled into a computer program that compares the level of corrosion found in the pipe to standard corrosion acceptance criteria.

"Our technology gives industrial firms a new option for inspecting critical pieces of equipment more accurately and efficiently than ever before," Stevick said. "What we are doing now, we believe, will usher in a new era of equipment inspection that will be able to detect problems before they can cause operational disruptions. With recent events, we've seen how important that process can be."

To learn more about 4-D's imaging technology and its wide range of industrial and artistic applications, visit www.4Dimaging.com.