Detecting small leaks in liquid pipelines

The integrity of the liquid pipeline net- work in the United States is of concern to pipeline operators, surrounding communities and government. Liquid product that is released unintentionally from pipelines can have severe economic, safety and environmental repercussions. The frequency and volume of leaks in the U.S. petroleum pipeline industry have been significantly reduced in the past 30 years. However, the potential for leaks still presents significant risks that pipeline operating companies must manage. While the best means of mitigating leaks is their prevention, the detection of leaks that do occur is vital to integrity management practices for the liquid pipeline community. Liquid pipeline operators employ a variety of systems to detect leaks. The approaches range from aerial surveillance to external hydrocarbon sensors to the use of computational pipeline monitoring (CPM). Government regulations, economics, safety, pipeline characteristics and public perception guide the selection of a leak-detection system.