Digital Integrity

Intelligent Integrity Monitoring

Integrity monitoring is currently a labour intensive process , expensive to carry out and still may not provide the data needed. MASiP is a new pipeline system which offers a new approach to digital pipeline integrity management. Spirally wound optical fibre is embedded in the structure of a new type of flexible pipe. This provides a very intimate connection to pipe behaviour making real time monitoring of pressure temperature, stress / strain, vibrations, etc., possible for every 0.2m of the pipe. Pig tracking, locating stuck pigs and optimising pig cleaning schedules are all facilitated. This has the potential to reduce the pigging schedule by being better informed of what is going on in the pipe.

The graphic above shows the acoustic response (left) and the strain response (right) from the fibre, interpretation of these signals enable the real time integrity monitoring

The pipeline system Mobile Automated Spiral Intelligent Pipe (MASiP) is designed for manufacture and installation in the field using automated processes. The strain based digital system offers 1000x greater sensitivity than other available systems.

The pipe wall structure and manufacturing process incorporates fibre optic cable as a spiral winding. Trials have shown that this measures changes in hoop stress in real-time, pinpointed to specific locations. The hoop stress variation pattern can then be used to determine changes having an impact on lifetime, such as ground movement and pressure cycling.

A life prediction approach can be applied to those events that can contribute to known failure modes. Front end visualisation provides different users with real time information in the format of most use to them.

The figure above shows the internal structure of the MASiP Pipe without the coating (right) and the leak prevention visualization dashboard. The spirally wound fibre optic cable providing the sensing system to monitor pipeline parameters with a high spatial resolution. Purpose built visualization dashboards provide valuable real time data for pipeline condition monitoring.