To maintain
innovation and growth while avoiding potential disruption, the governing bodies
responsible for regulation and processes within the pipeline industry are
expected to anticipate change and implement the appropriate solutions.
Not just vital to
facilitating progress and optimizing operational efficiencies, the anticipation
for and establishment of change are necessary to protect and safeguard the
future well-established legacy of operators and their far-reaching
infrastructure.
Against a tide of
increasingly more complex demands — both internal to the industry and
subsequent external factors — those who oversee the industry need to foresee
how the industry and those who inhabit it will look in five, 10 and 15 years’
time.
In protecting the
best interests of the industry, disruption can be critical. And from October
2024, disruption is exactly what many operators will face.
As facilitated by
the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), impending
regulation changes, arriving Oct. 1, indicate a need to embrace change. As
mandated by 49 CFR 195.134, onshore hazardous liquid pipelines transporting
single-phase liquid pipelines constructed before Oct. 1, 2019, must be equipped
with effective leak detection systems.
The new mandate applies
directly to each liquid pipeline transporting liquid in a single phase (that
doesn’t feature gas in the liquid), ensuring that each pipeline is equipped
with a system for detecting leaks that complies with PHMA’s requirements in §
195.444.
The first wave of
this change has already begun, with pipelines constructed on or after Oct. 1,
2019, requiring the § 195.444-appropriate leak detection system by Oct. 1, 2020.
Although
long-established pipelines have had additional time for the planning stages,
the deadline is fast approaching.
Evolving
Regulation
This phase of the
mandate from PHMSA focuses on older pipelines built prior to October 1, 2019.
In the United States, it’s estimated that half of all gathering, distribution
and transmission lines were commissioned more than 50 years ago. In the 2010s,
according to PHMSA, there were up to 3,000 serious pipeline incidents,
resulting in a $7 billion loss for the industry.
While reports
indicated that within the 20 costly incidents, a supervisory, control, and data
acquisition (SCADA) system was in place, leaks were only detected approximately
50% of the time. Previous reporting within the Cross-Country Pipeline Risk
Assessments and Mitigation Strategies in 2019 found that within the U.S., the
leak detection systems were effective less than 20% of the time.
Pipelines are
prone to leaks, due to natural aging, corrosion, climate change and human
interference, which makes a reliable and effective leak detection solution a
must for pipeline operators.
Implementing an
effective leak detection solution, while simple from a mandate standpoint, is
challenging to operators, as they may be unaware that their current solution is
not adequate to detect small releases that, if left unnoticed, can turn into
significant environmental and public relations challenges.
Mass-volume
balance is one of the most widely used options, particularly for long-distance
transmission lines. While easy and cost-friendly to implement, mass-volume
balancing as a standalone solution does not constitute a comprehensive leak
detection strategy, as it often fails to detect small product releases and can
be challenged by complex yet common flow regimes.
On the other
hand, more advanced techniques, such as fiber-optic sensing, can detect small
releases, however laying and maintaining is highly cost-prohibitive — even more
so for pre-existing pipelines.
The key for
operators is being able to detect, react and stop a leak quickly, which
requires not only real-time leak detection but also the capability to determine
the leak location with a high degree of accuracy. Operators will need to make
efforts to seek out and adopt new methods and technologies that will provide
the best leak detection possible.
With just a few
months left until the regulations are introduced industry wide, pipeline
operators across the United States must consider their options and act swiftly
to prepare, ensuring compliance, safety and operational efficiency for all
their pipelines and sites.
Supporting Change
Using the latest
technological advancements, PipeSense offers the PipeSentry suite of
products — a name given to its portfolio of technologies, which covers
real-time advanced pipeline leak detection, real-time hydrotest leak location,
pig location tracking and locating pre-existing leaks.
PipeGuard was developed
to detect and locate leaks, typically within two to five minutes and 20-50
feet, and to be integrated into existing pipelines, mitigating the need to
replace existing systems.
Case Study
Requiring advanced
leak detection capabilities to augment an existing system within a
high-consequence area (HCA) crude oil pipeline, an operator, in this case,
needed to deploy a leak detection system capable of promptly recognizing
small-volume releases within a short timeframe.
The project would
entail implementing a sophisticated leak detection solution along a 16-mile
section of pipeline, in a densely populated area. To avoid disruption, a
non-intrusive approach was critical, as was the need for an assured solution
that could offer immediate leak identification and precise location while
minimizing false positives.
Following analysis
and recommendations from the PipeSense team, the client opted for the advanced
PipeGuard system.
Commencing the
project, the system was installed on small-bore branches of the pipeline, using
three pressure manifolds before establishing a connection to three field
processing units.
To fine-tune the
system to the characteristics of the pipeline, a technician collaborated with
the client to conduct a series of simulated leaks. The system’s sensitivity was
validated and endorsed by the client before operational control was
transferred.
Additionally, to
ensure as smooth a process as possible, the client was provided with an updated
and optimized version of their web-based interface, upgraded to offer
deployment flexibility and maintain a streamlined display of system operations,
without necessitating extensive client involvement.
As A.I.
continues to proliferate across various industries, it’s imperative to possess
the expertise and insight to effectively implement A.I.-driven solutions for
optimal outcomes.
By
striking a balance between disruptive solutions and evolving industry
requirements, operators and service providers can advance pipeline performance
and bolster leak detection and monitoring capabilities, thereby fostering safer
and more efficient operations. P&GJ
Stuart Mitchell, president and CTO at PipeSense, has over 28 years
of experience working in the pipeline integrity management sector of the oil
and gas industry, including more than 20 years working to develop and
commercialize innovative technologies.