The Problem of Precise Asset Visibility

Pipeline monitoring is not new to the industry, but typical SCADA systems cannot provide the required granular asset visibility.

FREMONT, CA: Whether in upstream, middle, or downstream activities, pipelines are a vital component of the oil and gas business. Although regarded as the safest and quickest method for transporting hazardous materials, these critical assets are not error-free. Pipelines are prone to multiple structural failures under the progressive effect of material flows and changing environmental conditions. Corrosion, cracks, leaks, and debonding are the most prevalent problems.

In addition to substantial product loss, pipeline leaks can have enormous, irreversible effects on the environment and animals and endanger workers and public safety. According to a 2018 study, liquid pipeline mishaps annually cost the United States $326 million. This includes $140 million for environmental and cleanup costs. In addition, the study indicated that it took an average of 9 hours to identify an accident and 5 hours for operators to respond.

Due to increasing pressure from stricter laws, price instability, militant environmental movements, and a paradigm shift toward renewables, the oil and gas business is compelled to change. Progressive companies have increasingly adopted digitalization to improve asset management and minimize costly leaks. Pipeline monitoring is not new to the industry, but typical SCADA systems cannot provide the required granular asset visibility. When it comes to pipelines that are hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometers long, it is crucial to know what is happening every meter.

Numerous pipeline systems began in remote exploration areas with unreliable or nonexistent terrestrial networks. Thus, monitoring choices are restricted to labor-intensive manual inspections or costly satellite subscriptions, neither of which permits the desired level of granularity in data collecting. Even when available, terrestrial connection such as cellular and Wi-Fi is power-hungry and burdens endpoints with costly data plans. Frequently, sensor data is limited in size, and a message must be sent only when a value deviates from a predetermined range. Consequently, a cellular data plan is unnecessary, which increases the cost of deploying and maintaining a large-scale monitoring network.

With a new sensor and communications technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the game by making asset monitoring easier and more economical than ever before. Specifically, low power wide area networks (LPWAN) introduce a low-cost, energy-efficient method for collecting granular telemetry data. LPWAN can connect vast, geographically dispersed metering stations with less infrastructure due to its extended range and star topology. Private LPWAN is perfect for the oil and gas industry because its network coverage can be customized to meet the specific requirements of firms in offshore and inaccessible places.

In conjunction with tiny, multi-sensing, intelligent sensors, strong LPWAN uncovers a plethora of vital information regarding pipelines' structural health and operating conditions. Sensor data can be transmitted to a local HMI for quick response, a central management system, and a cloud platform for long-term storage and analytics.

This type of IoT-enabled pipeline monitoring network can improve oil and gas operational procedures, including reducing costs and downtime, minimizing environmental impact, and enhancing safety and regulatory compliance.

Quicken troubleshooting and response times

With access to pipeline integrity data around the clock, any anomalies or deviations may be notified immediately. While a pressure drop may appear to signal a leak, other sensor metrics might assist uncover structural problems with pipelines before a catastrophic leak or death explosion occurs. Ultrasonic and acoustic sensors, for instance, can detect aberrant sound waves that indicate crack start and growth, as well as delamination. Similarly, magnetic sensors can see a change in the wall thickness of a pipeline caused by corrosion.

Smart sensors can convey early-stage damage and its position and severity to expedite the identification and execution of necessary actions. To minimize material losses and contamination caused by discharged products, it is crucial to reduce the time between failure and remediation. Detecting defects at the outset simplifies repair, resulting in decreased costs and downtime associated with maintenance.