Frequently Asked questions
Company Overview & Credentials
What is PICA Corp and what does the company specialize in?
PICA Corp — short for Pipeline Inspection and Condition Analysis Corporation — is a Canadian-headquartered non-destructive testing (NDT) company specializing in proactive condition assessment of pressurized and lined pipelines. Founded in 2008 and backed by the electromagnetic technology heritage of its parent company Russell NDE Systems Inc. (established 1972), PICA provides a full spectrum of inspection services: from rapid in-service pre-screening runs to high-resolution internal electromagnetic analysis for the most complex pressure pipe types.
PICA serves water utilities, wastewater operators, industrial facilities, mining operations, power plants, and oil and gas operators across North America, South America, Australia, Europe and Asia. The company’s guiding principle is captured in its tagline: “Good Decisions Start with Good Information.”
How long has PICA Corp been providing pipeline inspection services?
PICA Corp was federally incorporated in Canada in 2008, with PICA USA following in Denver, Colorado, in 2009. As of 2026, PICA has 18 years of operating history and has completed hundreds of successful inspection projects across multiple continents. Its roots go back further still: PICA’s parent company, Russell NDE Systems Inc., has been advancing electromagnetic inspection technology since 1972, beginning with heat exchanger tubes and expanding to large-diameter metallic water mains in the late 1990s. That 50-plus year technology lineage is one of the reasons PICA’s inspection tools are more capable than what most competitors can offer.
Where does PICA operate — are you a regional, national, or global company?
PICA is a global company, headquartered in Canada with active operations across North America, South America, Australia, Europe and Asia. PICA USA is incorporated in Colorado and maintains client-facing and project-delivery professionals across North America. Whether your pipeline infrastructure is in a Canadian province, a U.S. sunbelt city, or an international mining or industrial facility, PICA has the geographic reach and regional expertise to mobilize for your project.
What industries does PICA serve?
PICA provides inspection services across six primary industries. Water utilities use PICA to identify corrosion and structural deficiencies in transmission and distribution pipelines before costly failures occur. Wastewater operators rely on PICA’s in-line and external tools to keep force mains and treatment plant piping in service while identifying integrity risks. Industrial facilities — including processing plants, commercial buildings, and educational campuses — use PICA to assess cooling water and fire suppression piping without disruptive outages. Mining operations depend on PICA for firewater loops, slurry lines, brine disposal, and water supply assessments. Nuclear and thermal power generation facilities use PICA to inspect cooling water and fire suppression systems. Oil and gas producers use PICA’s autonomous in-line tools to detect localized wall loss and corrosion pitting with minimal production downtime.
What types of pipelines does PICA inspect?
PICA inspects virtually every pressure pipe material in service today that are lined with some kind of material hiding the metallics in the pipeline materials. For metallic pipes, PICA covers cast iron (CI), ductile iron (DI), and steel — including cement mortar lined, HDPE-lined, and epoxy-lined variants. For legacy infrastructure, PICA inspects asbestos cement (AC) pipe. For concrete pressure pipe — which includes some of the highest-consequence assets in municipal water systems — PICA has specialized capabilities for prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP), bar-wrapped pipe (BWP, also known as RCCP), and reinforced concrete pipe (RCP). For non-metallic pipe, PICA’s visual and pre-screening inspection tools assess HDPE, PVC, and FRP pipelines for structural defects including weld failures, crushing, and slow crack growth and leak detection. If your pipeline carries water, wastewater, oil, gas, slurry, or chemicals under pressure, PICA almost certainly has the right inspection solution for it.
Is PICA Corp certified to any industry standards or governed by specific regulatory bodies?
PICA’s inspection methodologies align with the AWWA standards governing the pipe types it inspects — including AWWA C301 for PCCP, C303 for bar-wrapped pipe, and C302 for reinforced concrete pipe.
PICA has its Certificate of Recognition (COR) safety certification.
PICA is ISN (ISNetworld), ComplyWorks, Avetta, Veriforce and Brown & Caldwell qualified on these compliance management platforms.
PICA is a certified environmentally responsible contractor (CERC) program.
PICA has 3 technicians that are ASNT level III certified and 1 technician ASNT level II certified.
How large is PICA's team and what qualifications do your inspectors and analysts hold?
PICA’s team consists of experienced inspection and condition assessment professionals who have collectively completed hundreds of successful projects across North America and internationally. The team spans field inspection personnel, data analysts, project managers, and engineering professionals, all supported by the technical depth of Russell NDE’s 50-plus year history in electromagnetic technology development. Both organizations are approximately 50 personnel.
3 staff have P Eng. accreditation.
1 staff have PhD accreditation.
PICA has 3 technicians that are ASNT level III certified and 1 technician ASNT level II certified.
Average years of experience for entire organization is 20 years+ with 30% of staff having 25+ years of experience.
Does PICA belong to any industry associations or hold any accreditations that clients should know about?
PICA contributes to the broader pipeline inspection field through published technical papers and references, available at picacorp.com/technical-papers/, and through its parent company Russell NDE’s 50-plus year engagement with electromagnetic NDT.
PICA has associations with AWWA, NASTT, EPRI, NASSCO, ASNT.
PICA and Russell Tech organizations hold 11 patents.
technology & differentiation
How often does PICA invest in new technology, and what drives those decisions?
Technology development is continuous at PICA through its strategic partnership with Russell NDE. Recent milestones include PICA’s own NFT tool manufacturing program launched in March 2022 and the introduction of the new NAVIGATOR multi-sensor acoustic sphere for Pre-Screening NDT in January 2024. Gen 2 of the EMIT RFT tool was completed in October 2025.
RFT, NFT and other tools are continuously improved with all R&D investment across all service offerings ranging from $800,000 to $100,000,000 per year.
Development priorities are driven by client needs — particularly the challenge of inspecting pipe types and operating conditions that existing tools cannot adequately address.
What sets PICA Corp apart from other pipeline inspection companies?
Four things consistently distinguish PICA from other inspection providers. First, PICA has exclusive commercial rights to inspection tools designed and developed by Russell NDE Systems Inc. — tools with 50-plus years of electromagnetic technology development behind them that no other inspection company can legally offer for lined pipelines. Second, PICA customizes every inspection program to the specific pipe material, operating conditions, access constraints, and risk profile of the client’s system rather than applying a generic approach. Third, PICA delivers expert analysis: complex electromagnetic and acoustic data is translated into clear, prioritized, actionable condition assessments that asset managers can use without needing an NDT specialist on staff to interpret. Fourth, PICA’s five-tier service portfolio — from rapid pre-screening to high-resolution advanced NDT — means clients can grow their inspection program with one partner rather than switching vendors as their needs evolve.
Does PICA develop its own inspection technology, or do you use third-party tools?
Most PICA’s core inspection tools were designed and built by Russell NDE Systems Inc., PICA’s parent company, which has been advancing electromagnetic non-destructive testing since 1972. PICA holds exclusive commercial inspection rights to these technologies, meaning they are not available from any other inspection provider. The PICA-Russell NDE relationship is an active technology partnership, not a simple licensing arrangement. PICA began manufacturing its own Near Field Testing (NFT) tools in 2022 following patent expiry and collaborated on the development of the NAVIGATOR multi-sensor acoustic sphere launched in January 2024. Every tool deployed in a PICA inspection was purpose-built for pipeline condition assessment.
PICA does represent some third party technologies like UT Handhelds, CCTV, Laser, Lidar and P-Cat technologies used in some of it’s inspection services.
Can PICA inspect pipelines that other companies have declared uninspectable?
In many cases, yes. PICA’s combination of proprietary tool designs, modular architectures, and a full spectrum of service tiers gives it access to pipelines that standard inspection approaches cannot reach. For example, any pipelines that are lined with other materials like cement mortar, coal tar, HDPE, epoxy, pre-krete, rubber, ceramic and glass. This is where our RFT technology shines with its ability to see through liner materials to assess the metallic components behind the liners without damaging the liner materials. RFT tools inspect metallic pipe through internal liners and scale without requiring dewatering or liner removal for 36 inch (914 mm) and under.
The NAVIGATOR pre-screening sphere requires only a 4-inch air release valve (ARV) or tap. Modular electromagnetic tools can be disassembled and inserted through access openings as small as 17 inches. RFT tools inspect metallic pipe through internal liners and scale without requiring dewatering or liner removal.
What is PICA's approach to data quality and accuracy — how do you ensure results are reliable?
PICA’s inspection tools are designed to produce accurate, repeatable, and reliable data across variable field conditions.
For Remote Field Testing (RFT), PICA’s tools can be configured for multiple frequencies pending the metallic wall thickness and deploy several detectors to increase resolution and confidence in wall loss findings.
Calibration tests are run for all new or unknown pipe materials before full inspections are completed to confirm the frequency and speed of inspection and to test and confirm tool operations before starting a lengthy inspection.
Inspection data goes through a two-stage analysis process: a preliminary analysis delivered within 48 hours to two weeks of field work (depending on service tier), followed by a comprehensive final report with full analysis and prioritized findings in the weeks to follow.
All data analysis results are peer reviewed and QC’d before release of finding to clients.
Do you inspect both metallic and non-metallic pipelines, including aging concrete or pre-stressed pipe?
Yes — PICA’s technology portfolio spans the full range of pressure pipe materials, including some of the most challenging asset types in the industry. For metallic pipelines (cast iron, ductile iron, steel), PICA uses Remote Field Eddy Current (RFT) tools that detect corrosion and wall loss through internal liners and scale without requiring liner removal.
For non-metallic pipelines (HDPE, PVC, FRP), PICA’s Visual NDT service identifies structural defects, weld failures, and slow crack growth and PICA’s Pre-Screening NDT identifies leaks and gas or air pocket locations.
For aging concrete pressure pipe — including PCCP, bar-wrapped pipe (BWP/RCCP), and reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) — PICA has specialized Advanced NDT capabilities using RFT technology that detect broken prestressing wires, cylinder corrosion, and loss of preload. These concrete pipe types represent some of the highest-consequence, highest-risk assets in municipal water systems, and PICA has deeper inspection expertise in them than virtually any competitor.
Concrete pressure pipes can also be inspected for wire or bar breaks only using Standard NDT service offerings deploying Near Field Testing (NFT) technology tools.
How does PICA handle pipelines with limited or non-standard access points?
Access constraints are routine in PICA’s field work, and the company’s tool designs account for real-world access limitations.
The NAVIGATOR pre-screening sphere requires only a 4-inch air release valve (ARV) or tap, making it deployable in systems with almost no dedicated inspection access infrastructure.
For internal electromagnetic inspections of large diameter pipelines 36 inches (914 mm) or greater, PICA’s modular tools can be disassembled and inserted through openings as small as 17 inches (431 mm) , then reassembled inside the pipe.
PICA reviews available access points during project scoping and recommends the service tier and tool configuration that best fits the site’s physical constraints.
Sometimes site assessments are required for atypical access situations. In this case, PICA can send our trained field personnel to review pipeline access points to determine which are the best to use for deployment of PICA tools.
Can PICA combine multiple inspection technologies in a single deployment to get more complete data?
Yes — PICA’s service tiers are specifically designed to be combined, and layered inspection programs are common practice. Visual NDT tools (HD CCTV, laser scanning, and LiDAR) can be mounted directly onto Standard NDT and Advanced NDT electromagnetic tools, providing both quantitative condition data and a high-resolution visual record of internal pipe conditions in a single pass.
Pre-Screening NDT using the NAVIGATOR acoustic sphere is routinely followed by Intermediate NDT service offerings to spot check areas of interest in high resolution where the pre-screening technologies identified anomalies — directing more detailed inspection only where the data indicates it is warranted. This layered approach maximizes data completeness while minimizing the number of access events and disruptions to pipeline operations.
the inspection process
Do you provide repair or rehabilitation recommendations, or only condition data?
No, PICA does not include specific repair or rehabilitation recommendations in its reports — e.g., spot repair locations, lining options, replacement triggers.
PICA provide condition data and anomaly classifications and leaves repair decisions to the client or in most cases, partners with engineering firms who can use PICA’s analysis and reporting to perform engineering analysis like finite element analysis, remaining useful life and remediation recommendations.
What does a typical PICA inspection project look like from the first call to final report?
A typical PICA project begins with a scoping conversation with sales and solution engineering resources covering pipe type, diameter, total length, available access, operational constraints, and timing requirements.
PICA prepares a proposal and schedules the inspection within the appropriate lead time for the selected service tier. Before mobilization, PICA coordinates with the client’s operations and safety teams on site access, logistics, and any pipeline preparation including the development of a full work plan and safety plan.
A kick-off meeting is held with all key personnel for both the client and PICA to review the safety and work plans. The inspection equipment is shipped and once equipment is confirmed to have arrived at project location the field personnel mobilize to project location.
The field team assembles the tools and follows the work plan until all inspections in the work scope are completed and quality data for each pipe segments have been obtained.
After field inspection, PICA delivers a preliminary analysis within 48 hours to two weeks, then a comprehensive final report with full defect classification and recommended actions follow in the later weeks.
After client review, questions regarding the findings are handled in either communications or meetings to ensure all the findings are clearly understood.
Many times, clients verify PICA’s reporting results with direct measurements utilizing other techniques after the removal of linings. Once field verifications on some pipeline segments have been completed this information can be used to modify the reported findings across the entire pipeline.
Who will be my main point of contact throughout the project?
During the kick-off meeting, projects are passed from sales and solutions engineering to the project manager and operations for execution. The client’s primary contact becomes the project manager from project kick-off through to final report delivery.
The project manager stays in consistent contact through the execution phases of the project and coordinates activities between operations and data analysis with the client when any questions arise during the field inspection activities or the data analysis and reporting phases of the project.
Will inspection require our pipeline to be taken out of service?
It depends on the service tier selected, the pipe operating conditions, and the tool used — and many of PICA’s inspections can be performed while the pipeline remains fully pressurized and in service.
The Pre-Screening NDT service using the NAVIGATOR sphere is an in-service inspection by design: the sphere travels through the live, pressurized pipeline and is retrieved at a downstream access point as long as the flow rate can between managed between 1 and 4 feet per second (0.3 and 1.2 meters per second)
Advanced NDT free-swimming applications between 2 inch (50 mm) and 36 inch (914 mm) are also modified in-service inspections where pipelines don’t have to drained and can be flowing but at a much lower flow rate than normal pipeline operation. Ranges 5 -25 feet per minute (1.5 and 7.5 meters per minute)
Other services — including all Visual NDT applications, manually piloted Standard NDT, and Advanced NDT on larger pipe sizes — require the pipeline to be dewatered and out of service.
PICA identifies service-interruption requirements clearly during project scoping and works with clients to plan inspections around operational constraints. Detailed in-service versus out-of-service requirements by service tier are documented on PICA’s NDT Service Solutions page.
How do I request a quote or proposal from PICA?
The fastest way to get started is to contact PICA directly through the Get Started page at picacorp.com/contact-us/, by phone at 1-800-661-0127 (toll free), or by email at [email protected]. When you reach out, a general sense of your pipe type, approximate diameter, and total length is helpful — but even rough estimates are enough to start a scoping conversation and identify which service tier best fits your situation.
Cost, budgeting & roi
Is pipeline inspection cost-effective compared to full replacement or reactive repairs?
Yes — by a significant margin in most cases. Pipeline inspection programs are typically measured in single dollars per linear foot, while full replacement runs orders of magnitude higher. More importantly, inspection changes the decision framework entirely: rather than replacing pipeline segments based on age or material assumptions, asset managers can direct capital only to the sections that genuinely need intervention — and often confirm that segments assumed to need replacement are in serviceable condition, allowing replacement to be safely deferred. Research consistently indicates that 60–75% of catastrophic pipeline failures could be prevented or mitigated through timely inspections conducted at appropriate intervals. PICA’s core mission reflects this directly: proactive inspection services that ultimately eliminate the need for pipelines to be completely replaced.
How do inspection findings typically affect capital replacement planning and O&M budgets?
Inspection findings replace assumption-based capital planning with evidence-based capital planning — and that shift consistently produces better outcomes. When asset managers know the actual condition of each pipeline segment rather than relying on age, material, or failure history alone, they can build replacement and rehabilitation programs that are defensible to finance departments, elected officials, and regulators. PICA’s inspection analysis is specifically designed to translate inspection results into clear, prioritized condition assessments: identifying which segments need immediate attention, which can be monitored, and which are in better shape than assumed — allowing unnecessary replacement spending to be deferred and capital redirected to where it is genuinely needed. Inspection findings can also reduce unplanned O&M costs by identifying deterioration before it becomes an emergency.