June 14th, 2013
OptaSense to provide industry-leading robust, reliable, sensitive and accurate leak detection
Real-time asset intelligence company OptaSense today announces the addition of its four-mode leak detection module to its industry leading Pipeline Integrity Management platform. The new software based enhancement module brings together four methods of leak detection – negative pressure wave monitoring for rupture events; acoustic signature recognition of high pressure leaks; fast Distributed Temperature Gradient Sensing (DTGS); and ground heave strain monitoring – into a single platform, providing a comprehensive leak detection system.
This new leak detection module greatly enhances the business case for using fibre. Optasense technology enables customers to obtain an unrivalled level of data from a single system. For the first time a single system can deliver the full suite of pipeline integrity management requirements including third party intrusion and leak detection as well as operational condition monitoring eg pig tracking.
The newly released OptaSense leak detection module combines all of the four most commonly used detection methods, making the system significantly more sensitive and able to provide more accurate localisation than alternatives such as Flow Mass Balance and Chemical Sensing. The module allows for leaks to be detected and repaired more efficiently than in the past, improving safety and potentially reducing financial losses resulting from the leak.
The OptaSense Pipeline Integrity Management platform uses standard fibre optic communications cables as sensors to gather data on potential leaks. The benefits of the OptaSense System include:
- Leak detection via negative pressure wave monitoring: OptaSense sensors are created every 10m compared to industry standard of c.10km-20km. As the sensors are much closer to any given event, the speed, spatial resolution and sensitivity of detection is greatly increased.
- Acoustic leak detection signature recognition: Fluid or gas passing through a leak orifice creates a sound or energy event that can be detected by the OptaSense fibre optic system.
- Ground heave monitoring to identify high pressure gas leaks: When pipelines are breached there is an instantaneous release of pressure which causes the ground expansion, this effect together with the acoustic rupture signal produces a reliable leak detector, less sensitive to fibre offset distance.
- Distributed Temperature Gradient Sensing in real-time: OptaSense DTGS delivers a revolution in leak sensing, for the first time opening up a new category of difficult-to-detect small leaks to inspection. For example, with properly located cables DTGS can provide detection of small 15 litre per minute real-world leaks with a 1° temperature differential to be detected in a few minutes under typical pipeline conditions.
Magnus McEwen-King, Managing Director at OptaSense, said: “The new module complements our existing pipeline security and monitoring toolkits and delivers all of the operational measurement requirements from a single system. Our four-mode leak detection module will deliver operators a more powerful and comprehensive leak detection capability which will be alert on leaks faster and more accurately than ever before.”
OptaSense is launching its new module at the Pipe Tech World Summit in Barcelona 17-19th June 2013 supported by a presentation from Jerry Worsley, Global Sales Director at OptaSense UK. The presentation will be at 11.50 on the 19th June at Hesperia Tower, where the summit will take place.
