Case Study: Leak Detection System for Chemical Pipelines.

Background:

A plant that manages and maintains several pipelines for transferring environmentally hazardous liquids and gases between plants, initially approached the Diagsense Group experts to help manage the network by adopting real time monitoring and utilizing the latest AI Algorithm for detection of leaks.

This continues to be considered to be a critical infrastructure due to the hazardous liquids being transferred and significant environmental concerns in the event of any failures.

Objective:

To deploy a continuous leak control system in the factory to monitor the liquid and gas transmission lines and alert employees to any leaks or abnormal events. The system needed to be a customized technology solution with real time measurements and providing actionable insights on a 24/7 basis during the operational life cycle of the critical facility.

Methodology:

Initial Assessment: Experts deployed to survey the factory’s pipeline network and gathering necessary data.

Gaining an understanding on the length, diameter, location, layout, and equipment installed on these lines (pump, booster, pressure, and flow gauges).

Learning phase: Establishing a baseline on the day-to-day operations and the behavior of the materials being transported in each line, including but not limited to, when they are opened and operated, what flow regimes they work, and what special events or treatments these lines pass through etc.

Planning: Adapting the sensors and flow meter’s location, how to extract information from the sensors, and where explosion-proof cabinets should be placed to send data from the field to the factory’s central control room.

Deployment: system deployment.

Running and field trials: Run the system for a period, learning the different situations in which the lines operate, and educating the system with this data of normal behavior.
To perform field experiments and simulate leaks in each line at several points along the line.

Results:

A robust monitoring system, with the following attributes:

• Online monitoring system that calculates the sum of substances passing in the pipeline at each required moment.
• Reliable System: Alert on any simulation of abnormal events, including leaks at ultra-small resolution.
• Significant Cost Savings: Saving manpower hours – as they currently now control all pipelines remotely and the system calculates the amount of substance passing through the pipes every hour. or upon request.