Roxtail™ is Cokebusters’ bespoke inspection data interpretation and visualisation software, developed to transform in-line inspection data into clear, structured and actionable integrity insight.
Originally conceived in the late 1990s, Roxtail™ has evolved alongside Cokebusters’ intelligent pig technology and remains a core component of the company’s inspection, verification and integrity capability.
The original Roxtail™ concept was inspired by Roxann, a patented sea-bed mapping software developed to characterise seabed conditions.
Founder John Phipps recalls discussions with the inventor of Roxann, who explained that the name was inspired both by the types of features found on the sea-bed – “rocks and…” – and by his love of Sting & The Police and their song Roxanne.
John took the underlying principle of seabed characterisation and mapping and developed it further to suit the inspection of internal tube and pipeline environments. The name Roxtail™ reflects this evolution, with TAIL forming an acronym for:
Tube Anomaly Identification and Location
Prior to an inspection campaign, a general arrangement drawing supplied by the client is uploaded into the smart pig system using Roxtail™.
The software is used to configure the inspection tool before deployment and to manage the ultrasonic data collected during the run. As the intelligent pig navigates the asset, inspection data is recorded and stored in the tool’s on-board memory.
Following retrieval, the data is uploaded and automatically interpreted by Roxtail™. The software effectively populates the original general arrangement with inspection data, building a detailed picture of the internal condition of the asset and providing clear spatial context for all identified features.
Roxtail™ enables technicians to review and analyse all collected ultrasonic A-scans, ensuring that only valid and reliable measurements are included in the final inspection report.
In addition to inspection measurements, Roxtail™ records and presents key operational parameters, including:
These parameters provide assurance that the inspection tool operated within defined limits and that data quality and coverage meet inspection objectives. This verification capability gives users confidence in both the integrity of the data and the success of the inspection run.
Roxtail™ presents inspection results in multiple formats to support efficient analysis and informed decision-making.
Outputs can be provided:
The software can generate detailed visual representations, including C-scan style imagery of process tubes and pipelines, enabling clear identification of anomalies, patterns and areas of interest.
A key strength of Roxtail™ is the ability to directly compare data from successive inspections. By maintaining consistency in data interpretation, validation and presentation, Roxtail™ enables operators to:
This repeatability ensures that inspection data remains meaningful and defensible across the full lifecycle of the asset.