Dr. Martin Bürgel
Dircksenstr. 42-44
10178 Berlin, Germany
Germany
Phone: +49 30 2801-1502
mbuergel@psi.de
White Paper
Safety Integrity Certification for Pipeline Leak Detection System
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Leak Detection and Location
Leaks can be caused by third-party intervention, ground movement or corrosion, but also by improper operating procedures and material failure. PSIpipelines provides several methods for leak detection and location.
The selection of appropriate methodology depends upon instrument availability,
field devices, communication infrastructure, transported fluids and gases and performance criteria. PSIpipelines Leak Detection System does not depend on special instrumentation and field devices, but the overall system performance
improves if integrated with ultra-fast scanning sensors and dedicated Leak Remote Units with sufficient processing power.
Any invalid measurements or field device malfunctions will not cause a shutdown of the PSIpipelines Leak Detection System. All leaks are clearly indicated and presented graphically via the PSIpipelines graphical user interface. This interface is highly customisable and provides significant information to the operator. Leak warnings and alarms are also sent to the SCADA system.
Compliance
PSIpipelines Leak Detection System is the most accurate solution for long distance pipelines with intermediate pumps, extreme elevations and slack line flow conditions. PSIpipelines Leak Detection System is compliant to international and industry standards including API 1155 / 1130 and TRFL – German Regulations for Pipelines. PSIpipelines Leak Detection System is also certified by all TÜV organisations.
Methods
In combination with statistical analysis PSIpipelines Leak Detection System provides model-based methods (Model Compensated Mass Balance, Transient Model, Pressure-Temperature Method and Gradient Evaluation) and methods that utilise the signature of a leak (Pressure Wave Analysis, Pattern Recognition).
Methods are optimised to detect and to locate leaks accurately during steady state, shut-in and transients operations for onshore and offshore pipelines of all sizes. The different methods can be deployed in parallel in order to ensure the highest possible reliability. PSIpipelines Leak Detection System has been designed to handle many pipelines as well as pipeline segments for different fluids and gases in one single solution. The system takes available data from composition analysis and density measurements also into account if the conditions of transported products change.
