LEAK DETECTION IN PIPELINE

PRESENTED BY JIJO GEORGE R150210009 MTECH PLE

WHAT IS LEAK ?
Pipeline Leak is an unwanted product escape

from the pipeline. Due to the pipeline damage the pipeline product will escape from the pipeline, which is known as pipeline leak. The leak leads to environmental pollution and product loss to the pipeline company

CAUSES OF LEAKS

Natural hazard 4% O perational 7%

Mechanical failure 24%

Third-party damage 36%

Corrosion 29%

NEED OF LDS
Product Loss

Environment Pollution
Disruption in supplies Loss of life & property

Pipeline leaks has legal implications

Enhances productivity and system reliability

LEAK DETECTION METHODS

Internal Systems: Software based systems that

use operating data retrieved by the SCADA system are classified as internal systems. External Systems: These system use sensors that may or may not be physically connected to the pipe.

INTERNAL LEAK DETECTION

Volume balance

Pressure analysis
Real time transient modelling

VOLUME BALANCE
Based on the principle What goes in must

come out. Requires accurate flow measurements at both ends. Flow in is reconciled with Flow out considering pipeline inventory to calculate flow imbalance. V (leak) = V (inlet) - V (outlet) - V (change in inventory) Leak detection is if flow imbalance exceeds predefined limit.

Warning Leak Alarm No leak

Response

Possibl Warning Alar e m Volume Balance

THRESHOLD

Persistence is the length of time the VB remains above the threshold and declares a leak

Warning Limit (90% Threshold) time

PRESSURE ANALYSIS
Based on analysis of pipe pressure variation

When leaks occurs sudden drop in pressure

followed by rapid re-pressurisation Low pressure expansion waves travels through liquid Instruments placed at intervals along the pipeline respond as waves passes Easy to detect larger leaks

REAL TIME TRANSIENT MODELING

Most sensitive, most complex and costly

Based on computer simulation of pipeline

conditions using advanced fluid mechanics and hydraulic modeling Able to locate and size the leak 3 step analysis Pressure flow profile at inlet Pressure flow profile at outlet Above proflies are overlapped and location of leak identified where the 2 profiles intersect

EXTERNAL LEAK DETECTION

Acoustic emissions

Fiber optic sensing

Liquid sensing Vapor sensing

ACOUSTIC EMISSIONS
Escaping liquid create an acoustic signal as it

passes through leak Sensors affixed to the outside of the pipe Data are used to create a baseline acoustic map of the line When leaks occurs signal detected and analysed Deviation from baseline acoustic profile signal alarm Signal near leak strong and gradually decreases enabling leak location

FIBER OPTIC SENSING

Fiber optic sensing probe are driven into the soil

beneath or adjacent to the pipeline Presence of hydrocarbon, the patented covering of sensor changes its refreactive index Change is registered optically by sensor and converted to parts per million reading of hydrocarbon

LIQUID SENSING
Liquid sensing cables buried beneath or adjacent

to a pipeline Designed to reflect changes in transmitted energy pulses as a result of impedence differential induced by contact with hydrocarbon liquid High accuracy in determing leak location, no modification to existing pipeline and easy software configuration and maintenance High installation cost and extensive power and signal wiring requirement

VAPOR SENSING
Frequently used in storage tank system

When a liquid seeps into soil, vapor migrate into

soil pore spaces Probes are arranged in the soil Soil vapor are collected for field analysis Tracers or chemical markers may be added to product When tracers or markers are encountered during analysis it can be surmised that a leak has occured

LEAK DETECTION MODULE PERFORMANCE INDICES

Reliability

Measure of leak detection system to render accurate decisions about occurrence of leak in the pipeline while operating within operational envelope for which it is designed. Measure of size of leak that the system can detect and the time required to issue an alarm when leak of that size occurs. Measure of error in the estimate of leak location

Sensitivity

Accuracy

Robustness

Measure of the size of the operational envelope and the system ability to continue to function when data is lost or suspect, for changing conditions of the pipeline

THANK YOU