Automation for an industrial architecture is built on a consistent, cohesive software ecosystem from intelligent field devices to the edge, and to the cloud—integrating operations to make all data instantly accessible, understandable, and usable for analytics, innovation and performance improvement. Whilst the impact of this strategy is important in many industrial systems, pipeline leak detection is one area where a completely sole sourced, bundled solution incorporating devices, communications, polling and standardized software solutions can bring benefits in cost, implementation and operational support that is hard to realize with system that are implemented in a piecemeal approach.

In this paper we discuss such a single source approach which has the sole purpose of providing the best-in-class pipeline leak detection for any tight fluid pipeline (be it liquid, gas, dense or supercritical phases) using readily available off the shelf components and software solutions. The result leverages real time data from minimally intrusive devices bounding the leak detection segment covered; but can also act as a conduit for any other leak alarm or right of way intrusion detection on your pipeline system. Moreover it is a solution that can be retrofitted to pipelines that are currently considered insufficiently instrumented to support internal leak detection solutions or those that a shorter transportation or transit lines that perhaps do not benefit from a robust control and communication infrastructure.

Industry standard communication protocols are used to connect devices and software independently of the master control system; and alarms and event signals to the control room as needed.

Please enjoy as we delve into the technical architecture, data processing algorithms, and the integration of sensor measurements into the leak detection algorithm, providing readers with a detailed understanding of how this solution can improve pipeline safety and efficiency in a cost and time efficient manner.