Rationale Conventional Computational Pipeline Monitoring (CPM) - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Liquid Pipeline Leak Detection -

Ongoing Research to Evaluate Selected External Leak Detection Technologies

Mark Stephens, C-FER Technologies Pipeline Safety Trust Conference, New Orleans LA October 20, 2016

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Rationale

• Conventional Computational Pipeline Monitoring (CPM)

methods have very limited ability to detect small leaks

– Small leaks if undetected can lead to significant spill volumes

• Interest in alternative External Leak Detection (ELD) methods

– In conjunction with existing internal methods can provide system redundancy and thereby enhance overall leak detection capability – Have potential to address blind spot associated with detection of small leaks

• Many ELD technologies are new and capabilities are evolving

– Performance capabilities have yet to be verified – Difficult to verify through field trials and/or pilot projects

• Actual pipeline leak events are rare
• Realistic simulation of leak events problematic

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External Leak Detection Methods

• Continuous monitoring (in-ground systems)

– Acoustic, temperature or displacement sensing (fibre optic cable) – Hydrocarbon sensing (electrical cable) – Vapour sensing (permeable tube)

• Periodic inspection (airborne and/or satellite systems)

– Visual inspection

• Manual or automated image interpretation

– Vapour sensing

• Laser or ambient light absorption sensing
• Flame ionization detection

– Temperature sensing

• Thermal imaging

– Displacement sensing

• Laser light detection and ranging (LIDAR)

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C-FER Airborne Leak Detection JIP C-FER Ground Based Leak Detection JIP

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Ground Based Leak Detection Joint industry Project

• Program objective

– Experimentally valuate selected commercially available cable or tube based systems for leak detection on buried liquid pipelines

• Technology focus

– Fibre optic cables for distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and/or distributed temperature sensing (DTS) – Vapour sensing tubes (VST) – Hydrocarbon sensing cables (HSC)

• Deliverables

– Independently verified data on system performance capabilities – Information to help vendors benchmark and improve their systems

• Research partners

– Enbridge Pipelines, TransCanada Pipelines, Kinder Morgan Canada

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DAS and DTS VST HSC

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Experimental Design Considerations

• Simulate leaks under real world operating conditions

– Realistic soil conditions and sensor placement configurations – Realistic temperature differentials between oil and soil – Realistic release events

• Representative driving pressures, hole sizes and flow rates
• Range of release orientations (i.e. different clock positions)
• Facilitate unbiased evaluation of ELD technologies

– Matching conditions for competing technologies – Provisions to ensure ‘blind testing’ from vendor perspective

• Ensure safe handling and disposal of hydrocarbons

– Apparatus to accommodate full range of LVP hydrocarbon liquids – Near-term focus on diluted bitumen (dilbit)

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Test Apparatus

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Soil Containment Tank Retractable Enclosure Product Storage Vessel Test Pipe with Release Ports Spill Containment Berm Pump Skid with Acoustic Enclosure and Base Isolation System Catalytic Oxidizer High Pressure Product Discharge Vessel

Product Filter and Circulation Piping, Discharge Piping, Vessel Pressurization Systems, Control Valves, Pressure Regulators and Flow Meter Not Shown

External Leak Detection Experimental Research (ELDER) Apparatus

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Test Apparatus – Commissioning Trials

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Candidate ELD sensor cable/tube placement locations

Light compaction: backfill Heavy compaction: undisturbed soil ← Trench boundary

Soil and Sensor Placement

Soil placement considerations:

• In lifts to maximize consistency
• Lift compaction varied to simulate

undisturbed soil and consolidated backfill

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Sensor placement considerations:

• Sensing mechanism and vendor

recommendations

• Pipeline construction and cable

installation feasibility

• Insight from previous tests

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Test Preparation

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Apparatus Ready for Testing

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Release parameters and timing

• f release events not known by

vendors Testing involves the staging

• f multiple release events
• ver a one-week period

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Ground Based Leak Detection JIP

• Directional Findings
• Leak detection capabilities varies between technology

types and between vendors of a given technology type in terms of both detection threshold and time to detect

• Detection capability can be significantly influence by

sensor placement location and release orientation

• Detection of small leaks (leak rates < 1% flow rate)

is possible

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Airborne Leak Detection Joint industry Project

• Program objective

– Evaluate selected technologies conveyed on airborne platforms for detecting hydrocarbon liquid leaks from buried pipelines

• Technology focus

– Laser absorption – Flame ionization – Thermal imaging

• Deliverables

– Models for volatile liquid vapour migration through soils, vapour dispersion in the atmosphere and thermal effects of leaks at ground surface – Evaluation of sensitivity of selected technologies for hydrocarbon liquid vapour detection in the atmosphere and temperature differential detection at ground surface

• Research partners

– Enbridge Pipelines, TransCanada Pipelines, Kinder Morgan Canada

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 hydrocarbon vapour sensing  hydrocarbon vapour sensing  ground temperature sensing

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Release Modeling – In Ground

Temperature change Vapour flux

• Determine magnitude of “signal” reaching surface
• Determine species of gases generated by liquid leaks

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Release Modeling – In Atmosphere

• Determine hydrocarbon vapour plume concentration

above ground surface

50 100 150 200 250 300 350 1.0E-08 1.0E-06 1.0E-04 1.0E-02 1.0E+00 Height Above Ground (m) Pentane Concentraion (ppmV) Class 1 Class 2 Class 3

Height above ground Concentration

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Model Verification

Example

• Confirm vapour flux model by

collecting volatile compounds produced by liquid leaks in ELDER tests

PI D

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Technology Evaluation

Example

• Conduct controlled outdoor gas releases with vendor

sensors mounted on boom-lift

• Evaluate detection capabilities

Mobile boom-lift (up to 125 ft) Central weather station Release points & weather stations C-FER Data Acquisition Trailer AITF mobile release lab

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Airborne Leak Detection JIP - Current Status

• Evaluation of technologies for detecting liquid

leaks by sensing hydrocarbon vapours in the atmosphere is on going

• Evaluation of technologies for detecting liquid

leaks by sensing ground surface temperature changes is soon to start

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