Pipelines are used the world over to transport many materials, from oil and has to water and chemicals. They may span many kilometres, the longest in the world for example, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline is 1, 768 kilometres and whilst this provides an efficient way to transport materials, ensuring that pipelines remain secure and intact over such vast distances can be problematic.
As such a range of technologies have been developed to monitor the integrity of these pipes; one of these technologies is fibre optic leak detection. Understandably, as a company responsible for transcontinental pipes leaks can be disastrous, not purely in terms of financial effects but also in the environmental and social repercussions.
When a pipe spans continents however understanding what is happening all the way along it requires an innovative solution, fibre optic leak detection technology provides this, by giving operators early identification of leaks, subsequently reducing the chances of a minor leak, becoming a major catastrophe.
But how does fibre optic leak detection work?
Without delving deeply into the technical aspects of leak detection technology, fibre optics works by placing a fibre optic cable within the long distance pipeline, interspersed by repeater stations. The optical fibre senses leaks through temperature measurement as when leaks occur (ether liquid or gas) the temperature within the pie falls, typically, it is possible for measurements to be taken at metre intervals, meaning that when a leak does occur, it can be traced to the accuracy of 1 metre, quite a feat considering some pipelines stretch across
buy wow gold thousands of metres.
This technology offers numerous benefits over more traditional monitoring methods including:
• Faster response times - The quicker detection of leaks, combined with the accuracy of such systems dramatically reduces the time it takes to react and reach a leak point.
• Safer - The sensors are intrinsically safe and are incapable of igniting flammable materials, making them particularly useful in dangerous environments.
• Cost effective maintenance - Because fibre optic sensors are reliable, require little maintenance and have a lifespan of 30 years they are a long term, cost effective option.
• Sensitivity - Fibre optics can detect even the smallest of leaks in litres meaning that problems are identified quickly and resolved before they grow.
• Fully automated - A fully automated system which uses relays at predefined distances requires little operational resources, once again providing cost effectives.
These benefits combined fundamentally provide owners and operators of pipelines with improved safety across the board through better reliability and reduced maintenance time. This combined with the accuracy and rapidity of detection also helps to reduce the risks of a financial, social and environmental catastrophe.
Author
Topic: Fibre Optic Leak Detection Uses and Benefits (Read 304 times)