Advanced pipeline
monitoring technologies

Vibration analysis allows for real-time data acquisition on pipeline tightness, mechanical impacts on the pipeline and surrounding soil, determination of the coordinates of in-line inspection tools, diagnosis of internal geometry defects, and measurement of volumetric flow rate of the transported product along the entire length of the pipeline.

Infrasonic vibrations generated by leaks, mechanical impacts, and in-line inspection tools are masked by the noise of pumping stations, which exceeds their power by hundreds of times. When using classical approaches, detecting such vibrations is only possible if they exceed the noise level of the pumping stations.

The scientific and production firm "TORI" has developed special noise suppression methods that have enabled high sensitivity and accuracy in signal registration.

The developed technologies are implemented in the «Infrasonic Pipeline Monitoring System».

The ability to simultaneously monitor various parameters of the pipeline's technical condition allows for the use of a single system instead of a set of equipment or systems.

Superior leak detection performance is consistently provided compared to leak detection systems operating on other known principles. These results were obtained during simultaneous testing of several hydraulic-type systems: pressure wave, parametric, combined, and infrasound systems.

Automatic equipment status monitoring and hardware redundancy ensure system operability during power outages, communication failures, and other malfunctions in individual registration nodes by automatically switching to operational equipment.

Operational characteristics do not decrease.

We record ultra-low-intensity leaks, undetectable by pressure sensors, in challenging hydraulic system conditions with high noise levels:

High sensitivity and several signal processing methods adapted to pipeline operating conditions enable the detection of leaks of varying intensities.

The system has proven effective in oil gathering pipelines with multiphase flow and in offshore gas-condensate fields. The system has demonstrated stable operation during pipeline cleaning operations.

Connection points with extremely low product withdrawal rates are identified.

Special signal processing methods enable leak coordinates to be assigned to pipeline features with an accuracy of 10 meters.

Mechanical impacts on the pipeline and the surrounding soil are recorded, and pipeline deformations are detected.

Operational experience has shown that the system detects mechanical impacts during the process of making connections before the pipeline is disrupted.

The system is highly resistant to external noise generated by rail and road traffic, wind noise, and other sources.

Mechanical impacts on the soil in the pipeline's security zone are recorded, and these results were obtained on main gas pipelines, oil pipelines, and condensate pipelines.

Passive location is performed by processing infrasound noise generated by the in-pipe device, including a cleaning device, as it moves through the pipeline in real-time.

No installation of devices on the in-pipe devices is required.

The system stores the history of all previous runs of the in-pipe device in tabular and graphical form, which allows for the analysis of the quality of pipeline cleaning/diagnostics.

For pipelines not equipped with the system, the real-time location of in-pipe devices is performed using mobile equipment.

Remotely, in continuous recording mode, the internal condition of the pipeline is monitored: internal pipeline features — defects — are detected, their linear and geographic coordinates are determined, and they are referenced to the process map and the pipeline’s elevation above sea level.

Infrasound defectoscopy differs from acoustic emission diagnostics by a significantly greater length of the inspected sections, amounting to 20–30 km, which corresponds to the distance between the installed infrasound sensors.

Sensors can be installed on one side of the pipeline only, which is particularly relevant for offshore sections.

Control of the volumetric flow rate of the transported product is provided by an infrasound method without the installation of flow meters, enabling continuous measurement along the entire length of the pipeline.

The measurement is performed by standard infrasound sensors. The infrasound method, due to its physical capabilities, offers a lower theoretical measurement error compared to ultrasonic flow meters.

The use of this function is relevant when there is a need to monitor the volumetric flow rate of the product along the entire pipeline, and it also ensures cost savings associated with the installation and maintenance of flow meters installed at control metering points.