 |
|
Drawing of an airborne natural gas leak detection system
|
The Remote Sensing Technologies Area develops advanced technologies to detect and identify 3rd party intrusion near gas line right-of-ways and facilities, detect and image metallic and non-metallic underground facilities, detect and quantify natural gas leaks, and other pertinent applications. Remote sensing is expected to be associated with very mobile platforms that can cover extended regions of the facilities quickly. Next generation natural gas leak detection and quantification is expected to focus on very high altitude (>50,000 feet) applications to allow improved, cost effective assessment.
There are three sub-areas related to Remote Sensing:
Third-Party Damage
Third-Party Damage is one of the leading causes of damage to natural gas pipeline infrastructure in the United States. Research is under way to develop monitoring technology to alert gas system operators of unauthorized right-of-way intrusion allowing an opportunity to prevent accidental damage to the infrastructure.
Leak Detection
Advanced leak detection research is focusing on the ability to remotely detect natural gas leaks from either transmission or distribution systems. These technologies are designed to be used on service trucks or low flying aircraft to detect leaks in congested, urban environments or over large expanses of infrastructure that would require significant time and cost to survey by conventional means. Incorporation is expected to allow gas system operators more efficiently and thus more frequent a survey of their assets of system leaks resulting in reduced impact due to lost product and fugitive emissions.
Underground Imaging
Difficulty in precisely locating underground facilities is a common factor in many third-party damage incidents. R&D, in this sub-area, focuses on not only detecting but imaging all types of underground facilities including gas, water, sewer, and telecommunications
One
DOE/NETL project, "Testing of an Advanced Airborne Natural Gas Leak
Detection System", has as its goal "to improve the method by which the
nation’s natural gas pipelines are monitored for leaks. This project
(picture below) will flight test a high-sensitivity, broad-coverage,
airborne, natural gas leak detection system developed by ITT Industries
(formerly Eastman Kodak Company)".
|
About NETL
E&P Technologies
