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Liquid Pipeline Leak Detection -Ongoing Research to Evaluate Selected External Leak Detection Technologies

Mark Stephens, C-FER TechnologiesPipeline Safety Trust Conference, New Orleans LA

October 20, 2016

12016 Pipeline Safety Trust Conference

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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)

32016 Pipeline Safety Trust Conference

C-FER AirborneLeak Detection JIP

C-FER Ground BasedLeak 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/ordistributed 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/tubeplacement 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 of release events not known by vendors

Testing involves the staging of multiple release events over 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 typein 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

2016 Pipeline Safety Trust Conference 11

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Airborne Leak DetectionJoint 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 detectionat 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

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1.0E-08 1.0E-06 1.0E-04 1.0E-02 1.0E+00

Heig

ht A

bove

Gro

und

(m)

Pentane Concentraion (ppmV)

Class 1Class 2Class 3

Hei

ght a

bove

gro

und

Concentration

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Model Verification

Example• Confirm vapour flux model by

collecting volatile compoundsproduced by liquid leaks inELDER tests

PID

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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 weatherstation

Release points & weather stations

C-FER DataAcquisition Trailer

AITF mobilerelease 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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