Performance of the ThreatScan™ system in different operational and environmental conditions
Proceedings Publication Date
Presenter
Thierry Romanet
Presenter
Company
Author
Paul Roovers, Thierry Romanet
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Abstract
ThreatScan is a real time impact detection monitoring system based on acoustic propagation in pipelines. An impact on a pipewall creates a transient acoustic wave that travels upstream and downstream in the pipeline product. Through high sensitivity hydrophones, usually installed at block valve station locations, ThreatScan measures the timing and cross checks the spectral contents of these waves to validate the impact type event and determine its location and severity. From 2007 to 2009, ThreatScan first generation system was tested in real conditions and for various pipeline configurations under a DVGW project headed by E.ON Ruhrgas with six other gas network operators. The main conclusions after this long term period were that the system was generating a large amount of nuisance alarms as it was not able to distinguish real impacts from disturbances coming from normal plant operations. From these conclusions PII developed brand new firmware to increase system sensitivity and reliability first, and to bring up classification capabilities between real Third Party Impacts and other types of event. This paper will cover the tests of this new firmware (DDA-C) which were performed in real conditions, within a GERG research program headed by Fluxys between the end of 2010 and the end of 2011. It will detail the performance results in term of sensitivity, reliability and localization accuracy and explain why Fluxys decided to deploy ThreatScan on their large diameter gas pipelines. This presentation will conclude with the installation of the 39 firsts ThreatScan units on Fluxys’ Dorsale I and II 36” pipelines, providing customer’s feedback after three months of full utilization.

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