Protecting oil & gas pipelines with OptaSense

OptaSense intruder detection systems can protect oil and gas pipelines by detecting, classifying and locating unauthorised intrusion.

OptaSense converts a length of standard single mode optical fibre, up to 40km in length, into a line of microphonic sensors.

This sensing fibre, in a cable, can be used to provide:

• critical infrastructure pipelines with early detection of unauthorized tampering or of close proximity digging
• detection of the acoustic signature of high pressure leaks
• monitoring of downhole production, providing early warning of potentialproblems such as the clogging of sand screens
• sub-sea acoustic condition monitoring of deepwater production facilities.

OptaSense can use unused ‘dark’ fibre within existing pre-installed optical fibre cable. Fibre cable can be run in the ground, downhole alongside the pipe, or be placed in conduits adjacent to a pipeline. OptaSense can be buried in any soil type without the need for any special ground preparation.

The sensing fibre is electrically passive, providing sensing without the danger of introducing potentially hazardous electrical power into flammable environments.

OptaSense needs only to be connected to a single end of the optic fibre to effectively operate. In the case of damage, OptaSense will continue operating up to the break.

Sophisticated algorithms allow the system to differentiate between signature types. With high acoustic bandwidth and dynamic range, the detection of intrusion of up to 5-20m for people walking towards the pipe and 20-100m for mechanical vehicles is typically achieved.

Detection thresholds can be set independently for each 10m section of the fibre. Classification filters can also be set for each section thereby reducing false alarm rates.

OptaSense can integrate a wide range of other fibreoptic sensors on a single cable, for instance hydrophones and accelerometers.

OptaSense can be integrated into an operator’s existing processing system or Command and Control systems including CCTV installations to provide a cue to operators to zoom into areas of disturbance for visual verification.

Implementation Requirements
Cobalt Sensor Unit
The Cobalt sensor unit comprises COTS based components, configured to be either rack mounted [standard 19 inches] or free-standing.

Installation is straightforward requiring three connections to (1) a mains power supply [standard IEC connector], (2) the sense fibre [standard ST, or other fibre connector], and (3) a network connection [standard RJ45 connector].

User Interface
Whilst Cobalt is user interface independent [with the ability to integrate into a variety of customer specified Command and Control systems] QinetiQ’s supplied user interface is supported by standard PC based platforms. The user interface PC connects either directly to the Cobalt sensor unit, or can be connected via the internet or a private network. A well-defined communications protocol allows other security products and alarm enunciators to easily interface with cobalt.

Trials
An evaluation unit is available on application.

Our test site is located in Worcestershire. Please visit us for a detailed demonstration of OptaSense capabilities.