A new generation of accoustic inline leak detection tools
Proceedings Publication Date
Presenter
Rene Landstorfer
Presenter
Author
Rene Landstorfer
Part of the proceedings of
Abstract

Since decades pipeline operators are using pigs to search for leaks and locate them accurately. There had been many different physical approaches to this issue but one of them is being implemented to leak detection strategies of the operators since more than 50 years now. Acoustics are one of the best ways when it comes to detecting even the smallest leakages or illegal hot tapping spots that will not be discovered with other technologies.

Gottsberg Leak Detection, one of the leading companies in acoustic leak detection, has developed a new generation of inline tools that can outperform all other acoustic LD tools not only in detection threshold and location accuracy but also in reliability and
expenditure of work. These unique tools are the only ones with an Atex certification for zone 0 and the possibility to locate defects with an accuracy of less than 5m within just one run.

The presentation will cover the technical background of the tools and how they have developed over the decades. It shows the working principle and how it can be improved by using other data than pure acoustics. Additionally some case studies and the respective leaks detected will be presented to give an idea about the differences in the leak signals and signal geometries and to show the influence of several parameters like leak geometry or pipeline operating conditions on the results of data evaluation. Finally a comparison between old tools and the newly developed device will show the increased sensitivity and other improvements.

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