Development of a monitoring system for detection, location and assessment of impact events in petroleum pipelines

Third party damage to petroleum pipelines can be catastrophic if undetected. This damage results in financial losses, environmental pollution and frequent loss of life as a result of explosion. Therefore damage detection and location methods will play a key role in the overall integrity management of a pipeline system. This thesis presents the development and testing of mathematical techniques for locating an impulsive event on a pipeline and reconstructing the pressure pulse caused by it from measurements made remotely. When an impulsive event occurs along a pipeline, the pressure pulse propagates in both directions and can be detected and measured by sensors located at different positions along the pipeline. From these measurements the location of the event can be determined and its form reconstructed. Techniques for reconstructing the pulse at it source from the distorted pulses measured were developed using deconvolution theory and inverse methods. This theoretical work was validated by experiments using a simulated pipeline. The experimental work was carried out using an experimental test rig comprising a flexible hose pipe 23 m long and 19 mm diameter with four pressure sensors distributed along the pipe and connected to a data acquisition system. The techniques were tested for both static and flowing air in the pipe, and were found to give good results. Finally, an outline design was produced for a monitoring system suitable for use in the field. The principal components were identified and costed and the power requirement determined. From this it was shown that a system of that type could be constructed at a realistic price.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo