Framework for Verifying and Validating the Performance and Viability of External Leak Detection Systems for Liquid and Natural Gas Pipelines

Main Objective

The primary objective of the project is to develop a Leak Detection Evaluation Framework for verifying and validating leak detection technologies. The framework will include standardized methods to assess the performance of technologies intended to detect small release events (i.e. leaks) and quantitative criteria to rank the performance of these systems over a range of release scenarios. The intent is to identify technologies that would be appropriate for field pilots but will not cover the processes required for the field pilot or operational implementation as these processes are well established in each operating company.

Public Abstract

Pipeline leak detection technology vendors offer a broad range of configurations and measurement approaches to pipeline operators. This project will develop an assessment framework consisting of procedures and guidelines to assist pipeline operators in selecting viable technologies and in validating the performance of leak detection systems for specific applications. The framework will assist pipeline operators in collecting information from technology vendors, specifying and modeling the characteristics of the release events that need to be addressed, determining the viability of each technology and conducting tests to evaluate technology performance. The project will also include a demonstration of the implementation of the framework for an example application. This will include assessing a variety of technologies to identify viable options and conducting performance evaluation tests on representative technologies.

Quarterly Status Reports

First Quarterly Progress Report - Public Page

Public_Page_QuarterlyReport_DTPH561RA00001_03_31_2016.pdf (66,875 bytes) [View] [Download/Save...]