Permanently Installed Pipeline Monitoring Systems

Under Development

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Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)

Damage Prevention and Mitigation -- Damage Mitigation and Repair

This PHMSA-funded project designed and implemented a built-in monitoring system for assessing corrosion damage in pipelines. The system will be able to operate in two monitoring modes: 1) real-time continuous and 2) periodic, routinely-scheduled inspections. The system is based on permanently installed arrays of low-profile piezoelectric transducers which have the capability of transmitting and receiving guided ultrasonic waves over the length of the pipeline. Signal processing algorithms based on probabilistic concepts were developed to perform damage localization (e.g. leaks) and damage characterization (e.g. defect sizing).

The rate of corrosion can be reduced by appropriate mitigation strategies. Since corrosion processes are cumulative, periodic inspection is not always optimal for identifying areas that require timely action to mitigate corrosion. There is a need to change from periodic inspections, based on fixed time intervals, to a more cost-effective condition-based inspection (risk-based). This can be achieved by equipping pipelines with sensing and analysis systems to enable real-time, continuous and autonomous monitoring.

Increased Safety - This is a proactive approach to facilities monitoring, which will help to detect potential pipeline threats (corrosion or mechanical damage) so that they can be addressed sooner, resulting in more effective integrity management.

Greater Reliability - Proactively addressing known threats results in safer operation and enhanced reliability of facilities.

PHMSA, https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/matrix/PrjHome.rdm?prj=507