Development of a Free-Swimming Acoustic Tool for Liquid Pipeline Leak Detection Including Evaluation for Natural Gas Pipeline Applications

Project Categories

Click on any category to see other projects in this category.

• Onshore Transmission Pipeline
• Gas Pipeline
• Liquid Pipeline
• Leak Detection
• Integrity Management

Main Objective

The main objective of the proposed research is to leverage a free-swimming acoustic leak detection tool that is currently used in the water pipeline industry and further develop the device for application in oil product pipelines and evaluate its potential for natural gas pipelines. The target is to develop a device capable of detecting very small leaks (< 1 gpm) and further develop a software program to provide on-site evaluation of results to the end user. The goal is to have a commercially available device within a 24 month project duration.

Public Abstract

Line leakage of oil and natural gas systems can result in significant financial and environmental consequences. Often, small leaks lead to ruptures in the pipeline that result in product escaping into the surround soil. The objective of this joint academic-industry research project is to develop and test a free-swimming device capable of detecting small leaks in oil product (< 1gpm) and natural gas pipelines. The SmartBall swims through the pipeline being assessed and produces results at significantly reduced cost to the end user compared to current leak detection methods. Additionally, the leak detection threshold of the SmartBall will be 50 to 100 times greater than currently provided by conventional computational pipe monitoring (CPM) systems. GIS based above ground loggers that are GPS synchronized will capture low frequency acoustic signatures and digitally log the passage of the SmartBall through a pipeline. The Arizona State University-Pure Technologies Limited team brings complementary expertise to the project. Additionally, industrial partners Imperial Oil and Southwest Gas will provide end user technical expertise during development.

Quarterly Status Reports

Activity: 2nd Quarterly Status Report Deliverable: Status Report detailing work completed, and progress with respect to - Public Page

PublicPageQuarterlyReportDec_2008.doc (39,424 bytes) [View] [Download/Save...]

Activity: 3rd Quarterly Status Report Deliverable: Status Report detailing work completed, and progress with respect to - Public Page

PublicPageQuarterlyReportMarch_2009.doc (38,400 bytes) [View] [Download/Save...]

Activity: 5th Quarterly Status Report Deliverable: Status Report detailing work completed, and progress with respect to - Public Page

PublicPageQuarterlyReportSept_2009.doc (38,912 bytes) [View] [Download/Save...]

Public Page 4th Quarterly Report June 2009

Public_Page_4th_Quarterly_Report_June_2009.doc (38,912 bytes) [View] [Download/Save...]

Public Page Quarterly Report Sept 2008

Public_Page_Quarterly_Report_Sep_2008.doc (37,888 bytes) [View] [Download/Save...]