Darren DuncanAsset Integrity Engineer Download CV

Pipeline & asset integrity

Darren
Duncan

Asset Integrity Engineer

Pipeline integrity across UK subsea gas transmission and Australian CSG networks. Experience in fitness-for-service, inspection strategy and technical assurance, backed by a hands-on mechanical background.

Explore project work View A4 CV

Seeking a permanent pipeline / asset integrity role.

~A$940k

Annual savings through inspection and maintenance optimisation

10,213 km

CSG gathering network covered by integrity compliance work

8 to 1 week

Annual report preparation, reduced from up to eight weeks

Selected work

Projects & engineering decisions

What needed to change, the work involved, and the resulting decision or improvement.

CATS pipeline / Teesside

North Sea and Teesside, UK

Indicative map only; not surveyed asset data.

Engineering systems

Wood / CATS pipeline system

From an annual reporting exercise to continuous assessment

Development of automated Technical Integrity Assessment reporting in Nexus Integrity Centre, covering the CATS pipeline system.

OutcomeAnnual report preparation reduced from up to eight weeks to one week.

Read the case study: From an annual reporting exercise to continuous assessment
The challenge

Annual regulator reporting required a substantial manual effort. The opportunity was to maintain current integrity assessments throughout the year instead of reconstructing the asset picture at year end.

Darren's work
  • Coded database functionality to support continuous integrity assessments and generate the year-end report automatically.
  • Covered the system from the North Everest riser, through five subsea tie-ins and the onshore tunnel, to the terminal pig receiver.
  • Worked with inspection teams to improve reporting cycles, address overdue records and give feedback on data quality.
  • Used the developing dataset for interim risk-based assessment updates and delivered live demonstrations and training workshops to experienced and graduate engineers across Wood teams.
The result

The new process reduced reporting effort while creating a more current view of asset health. The methodology also formed the basis for rollout to other assets, supported by reporting workshops and user training.

Nexus Integrity Centre · Technical Integrity Assessments · Risk-based assessment

Hydrogen assessment

Kellas Midstream / Wood

Testing whether legacy pipelines could carry hydrogen

H2NorthEast: suitability assessment of 800 m, 20-inch API 5L X60 pipelines beneath the River Tees, with limited original design information.

OutcomeA recommendation against conversion, supported by inspection and material-testing evidence.

Read the case study: Testing whether legacy pipelines could carry hydrogen
The challenge

The lines ran through a flooded tunnel beside the operating CATS pipeline. Missing design data, tunnel condition and weld quality all had to be addressed before considering hydrogen service.

Darren's work
  • Acted as Single Point of Accountability, developing work scopes, cost estimates and schedules for the £400k hydrogen development project, with direct vendor and client coordination.
  • Planned ground-penetrating radar to locate buried terminations and ROV inspection of the pipelines within the tunnel.
  • Developed weld sampling and hydrogen-charged material-testing scopes, alongside weld stress and hardness testing and design-document reviews.
  • Assessed suitability against ASME B31.12 and presented the findings to engineering and business stakeholders.
The result

The assessment concluded that the lines were not suitable for hydrogen service, with unresolved tunnel structural-integrity and pipeline weld-quality concerns. Darren communicated the negative recommendation despite significant investment in the project.

ASME B31.12 · API 5L X60 · ROV inspection · Hydrogen-charged testing

Reliability investigation

Wood / CATS pipeline system

Resolving a difficult-to-operate 36-inch maintenance valve

A root-cause investigation following a spurious closure and subsequent difficulties operating a large maintenance valve.

OutcomeA targeted £30k gearbox overhaul restored operation with significantly lower actuation torque.

Read the case study: Resolving a difficult-to-operate 36-inch maintenance valve
The challenge

Identify why the valve was difficult to operate and define a proportionate intervention that restored reliability.

Darren's work
  • Reviewed historical inspection reports and consulted the original equipment manufacturer.
  • Identified degradation of the internal PTFE coating as the primary failure mechanism.
  • Drafted a technical note recommending a gearbox overhaul with upgraded components.
The result

The valve was disassembled in situ, the relevant components were replaced, and successful actuation confirmed a significant reduction in required torque.

Root-cause analysis · OEM consultation · Technical recommendations · Maintenance verification

Site & offshore assurance

Wood / CATS & North Everest

Technical assurance from the offshore riser to the terminal

Integrity responsibilities for the 400 km CATS 36-inch subsea pipeline, an asset with capacity for approximately 25% of UK domestic gas demand.

OutcomeSix weeks of turnaround technical assurance, alongside offshore inspections and third-party work authorisations.

Read the case study: Technical assurance from the offshore riser to the terminal
The challenge

Connect engineering assessment with the quality of work and evidence collected on site, across a large subsea and onshore system.

Darren's work
  • Provided QA/QC and technical assurance for manual valve overhauls and replacements during a six-week CATS terminal turnaround, liaising with contractors, operators and senior management.
  • Visited North Everest to inspect the pipeline riser and assure integrity activities offshore.
  • Developed data-based reporting forms for leak and valve-actuation tests in place of unqualified pass comments.
  • Reviewed third-party method statements, required additional risk controls where necessary and issued Authorisation to Work documents within the pipeline area of interest.
  • Applied submarine pipeline guidance to anomalies and interacting free spans, engaged fatigue-assessment vendors, and reviewed cathodic protection data and anode depletion.
The result

The role combined integrity planning, practical verification and communication between site crews, corrosion, mechanical and electrical teams. Test records were made more useful for subsequent engineering review.

DNV-ST-F101 · ASME B31.8 · ISO 15589-2 · API 580 · ISO 13623

Eastern Queensland gathering network

Eastern Queensland, Australia

Indicative map only; not surveyed asset data.

Pipeline integrity

Santos GLNG / Verbrec

Integrity planning across a 10,213 km gathering network

A full-time secondment covering 14,066 flowlines across the Fairview, Roma, Scotia and Arcadia fields in Eastern Queensland.

Outcome~A$940k in annual cost savings through inspection, survey and preventive maintenance optimisation.

Read the case study: Integrity planning across a 10,213 km gathering network
The challenge

Bring inspection scopes, asset records and compliance activities into a consistent, auditable integrity programme across a large CSG gathering network.

Darren's work
  • Audited integrity activities against the APGA Code of Practice, AS2885 and Queensland legislation, then defined corrective actions, inspection scopes and fixed-interval activities.
  • Revised cathodic protection survey scopes and coordinated remediation campaigns for carbon steel risers, with improved reporting quality and inspection records.
  • Developed integrity management plans, safety management study reviews, leak and right-of-way survey requirements, and emergency response documentation and exercises.
  • Produced fitness-for-service assessments for steel, GRE and HDPE lines, including corrosion growth and remaining-life evaluation. Applied API 579-1 and ASME B31G / Modified B31G where appropriate.
  • Developed a scope to reconcile asset registers across SAP, GIS and MyPlant, and built compliance dashboards to make inspection status visible.
The result

Refined scopes and competitive re-tendering reduced annual costs while addressing compliance requirements. The work combined technical assessment, vendor coordination, budget forecasting and engagement with field teams.

APGA Code of Practice · AS2885 · API 579-1 · ASME B31G · AS 2832.1

Inspection strategy

Santos GLNG / Verbrec

Replacing high-risk driving with aerial LiDAR surveys

A revised right-of-way survey strategy for the Eastern Queensland CSG gathering network, using fixed-wing aerial UAV LiDAR.

OutcomeRemoved 500 hours of high-risk vehicle operation and over 10,000 km of off-road driving from the survey scope.

Read the case study: Replacing high-risk driving with aerial LiDAR surveys
The challenge

Extensive vehicle-based patrols exposed personnel to driving risk. Survey coverage also needed to support repeatable assessment of ground movement across the network.

Darren's work
  • Developed and implemented an aerial survey approach within the gathering-network compliance programme.
  • Refined the LiDAR scope to support year-on-year comparison of ground movement and subsidence.
  • Combined the inspection change with updated monitoring and reporting requirements and vendor scope optimisation.
The result

The approach reduced personnel exposure while improving repeatability of ground-movement analysis. Avoided driving was estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by four tonnes, alongside the reduction in high-risk vehicle operation.

Right-of-way surveillance · Fixed-wing UAV LiDAR · Ground-movement monitoring

Map credits

Further consulting work

Origin Energy: site visits to the Orana and Talinga gas processing fields, buildings and structures integrity plan reviews, and dropped-object survey and reporting requirements following near-miss incidents.

BMA/BHP: operational readiness, SAP CMMS build and updates, maintenance-strategy and criticality reviews, and integrity-management hierarchy development.

Santos PNG: CMMS documentation reviews, corrosion circuits and inspection routines.

Feedback & recognition

Client feedback & manager review

Selected client feedback from Verbrec's regional updates and manager comments from the annual review, with the source kept alongside each excerpt.

Santos · Upstream CSG integrity support

“Darren has had an excellent period of delivery for Santos and the Integrity team. The value he has provided to the business is clear.”

Adam Blenkinsop(Acting) Manager, Onshore Technical EngineeringSantosExcerpt shared in Verbrec's client feedback update, 15 July 2026.

Internal performance feedback

From the manager's review

Selected manager comments from the Verbrec annual performance review.

Autonomy & quality

“Darren's performance has been exceptional this year. Client feedback has been consistently good, citing Darren's ability to work autonomously and provide high quality work.”

Manager commentPerformance category · Verbrec annual review

Engineering judgement

“Darren always looks for the best and most pragmatic solutions to the work he completes. He applies sound engineering judgement to avoid overworking issues and provides clients with real value.”

Manager commentInnovation category · Verbrec annual review

Ownership

“Darren takes full ownership of his work and delivers successful outcomes to clients.”

Manager commentIntegrity category · Verbrec annual review

The review also records cover for the team lead during absence and ownership of the RTGS project, for which the manager reports 4/4 client feedback.

Further client and project-team feedback

Career history

Professional experience

Consulting, asset integrity and mechanical engineering roles.

Nov 2024 – Present

Asset Integrity Engineer

Verbrec · Brisbane, Australia

Full-time secondment to Santos GLNG, with responsibility for compliance audits, integrity planning, inspection scopes and vendor coordination across the Eastern Queensland gathering network. Additional consulting assignments in operational readiness, static equipment and integrity management.

Jul 2022 – Oct 2024

Pipeline Integrity Engineer

Wood PLC · Edinburgh, UK

Joined Wood in a graduate asset integrity role and took responsibility for CATS integrity activities, technical reporting and site assurance. Owned the H2NE hydrogen suitability project and developed automated assessment functionality in Nexus.

Nov 2013 – Sep 2016

Mechanical Technician

Stevenson & Kelly Ltd

Progressed from hands-on work in a roof-truss manufacturing workshop into design, structural analysis and QA/QC. Independently produced assembly drawings, cost estimates and quality-assurance work for manufactured components.

Aug 2010 – Aug 2013

Apprentice Mechanical Maintenance Fitter

Weir Oil & Gas

Completed an apprenticeship with practical experience in welding, lathes, milling and hand fitting. Inspected and overhauled offshore components under senior tradesmen, including dye-penetrant testing and hydrostatic testing of offshore pumps.

Working with Darren

How the work gets done

Technical responsibility includes the quality of the evidence, the clarity of the recommendation and the people who have to act on it.

Evidence before a preferred outcome

The H2NE assessment led to a recommendation against hydrogen conversion. Darren presented the technical findings to engineering and business stakeholders, explaining the limitations and risks rather than supporting an outcome the evidence could not justify.

Read the hydrogen assessment

Useful communication across disciplines

Experience as the liaison between site and offshore crews, corrosion, mechanical and electrical specialists, and clients. During the CATS turnaround, daily coordination and better test-reporting forms helped connect site activity with engineering review.

Read about site assurance

Helping others use the system

Mentors graduate engineers on fundamentals, scopes of work and CMMS processes. Developed training packages and live Nexus demonstrations for experienced and graduate engineers across international Wood teams, alongside the reporting software itself.

Read about reporting automation

Technical range

  • Fitness-for-service & remaining life
  • Risk-based inspection
  • Corrosion & damage mechanisms
  • Cathodic protection: SACP & ICCP
  • ILI & ROV inspection reviews
  • Integrity plans & compliance audits
  • Nexus IMS & CMMS systems
  • Shutdown & site technical assurance

Education & development

Qualifications, recognition & continued learning

Heriot-Watt University · 2018–2022

BEng (Hons) Mechanical & Energy Engineering

First-class honours

Dissertation: structural and thermal simulation of additive manufacture repair of turbine blades.

Seven A grades across eight final-year courses.

View final-year results
Academic year 2021–2022. All courses carry 15 credits; 120 credits in total.
CourseGrade
Engineering DesignA
Fluids 1A
Project 1A
Introduction to Petroleum EngineeringA
Engineering ManufactureA
Fluids 2A
Project 2A
Advanced Thermodynamic ApplicationsB

Edinburgh College · 2016–2018

HND Mechanical Engineering

Grade A

Recognition

IMechE Best Student Certificate

Awarded in 2022. Recognises the best first-degree BEng undergraduate on IMechE-accredited programmes at Heriot-Watt's Edinburgh Campus.

Deputy Principal's Award

Academic year 2021–2022. Recognises Grade A, or equivalent, in six or more courses during an academic year.

Professional development

CEng application under review

The IMechE Academic Assessment Committee has confirmed that Darren's completed Individual Further Learning route satisfies the academic requirement for Chartered status. The professional registration application remains under review; CEng is not yet an awarded title.

Continuing development includes approximately 30 hours annually through engineering events and seminars, practical polyethylene pipeline welding training, and DNV hazards-of-hydrogen training.

Contact

Discuss an engineering role

Seeking a permanent pipeline / asset integrity engineering role, bringing subsea and onshore integrity experience together with practical mechanical knowledge.

Email Darren Download A4 CV

Request supporting qualification documents and references

darrenduncan29@gmail.com+61 411 522 391LinkedIn