Apr. 23, 2025
In the field of oil and gas energy transportation, oil and gas pipelines are responsible for transporting dangerous fluids such as crude oil, light oil, and liquefied gas, some of which also contain toxic substances. Nowadays, the number of pipelines has increased, the age of pipelines has increased, and problems such as corrosion, natural disasters, and man-made damage have occurred frequently. Once leaked, the economic losses will be huge, and the environment will be polluted and secondary disasters will be caused, especially in densely populated areas. At the same time, the operation of pipelines is threatened by various threats such as stratum movement and geological disasters, and early hazard monitoring and positioning are difficult.
In order to promote the safe development of the oil and gas industry, Weite launched an online monitoring system for oil pipelines, which can accurately locate hazards, provide real-time warnings, assist in rapid repairs, ensure pipeline safety, and reduce accident losses.
Technical principles
A large number of fiber Bragg grating sensors with a reflectivity of less than 0.1% are engraved on the optical fiber. The optoelectronic signal processing and demodulation technology are integrated, and the corresponding stress and temperature values are obtained through demodulation analysis of the wavelength change. This can detect and accurately locate early signs of hazards and issue early warnings, reducing the consequences of delays and preventing them from escalating into major hazards.
Fiber optic stress sensing is based on the advantages of fiber optic inherent safety, easy deployment, all-weather coverage, high precision, continuity, long distance and high cost-effectiveness. Fiber optic information capacity is large, real-time multi-parameter, and distributed perception of temperature, stress/strain, deformation, vibration and other information is a major breakthrough in the history of sensor technology development.
Solution
Fiber optic sensing technology is a new type of sensing technology that uses light as a carrier and optical fiber as a transmission medium and sensor. Implanting optical fiber into the interior of an engineering structure is like implanting a "sensory nerve". It can passively, long-distance, and long-life (30 years) sense the internal information of the object being measured, and is widely used in engineering health monitoring.
Installing optical fiber strain sensors on pipelines can monitor and warn of developments in pipeline pivots or buckling, and notify valve room managers with meter-level positioning accuracy. In order to detect small leaks as soon as possible and minimize damage to the environment, temperature sensing optical cables are laid at different locations in the pipeline according to the different liquids transported by the pipeline. By monitoring the abnormal temperature of the surrounding soil, it is possible to determine whether the pipeline is leaking, whether it is caused by leakage or changes in the external environment, and it can be discovered immediately.
Distributed vibration monitoring: When light is transmitted in an optical cable, Rayleigh scattered light is generated. External vibrations cause the fiber core to deform, affecting the length and refractive index, and thus changing the phase of the scattered light. These signal lights carrying vibration information are processed by the system and converted into light intensity changes, and then analyzed by computers after photoelectric conversion and signal processing to determine the vibration location.
Distributed Acoustic Surveillance (DAS): The most advanced fiber optic acoustic field restoration technology, real-time acquisition of the frequency, phase and amplitude of acoustic vibration. Compared with Φ-OTDR, DAS has higher sensitivity and can obtain complete information of the external acoustic field. The system is easy to deploy, cost-effective, and has a wide measurement range. It is widely used in security protection, civil engineering, oil and gas extraction, marine development and other fields.
After the system is used, it can accurately and timely find out whether there is any third-party construction information on the site, so it can be warned in advance on the original basis, and rush to the site for disposal in advance. During the application of the whole system, according to the degree of integration between the system and our existing resources, the line patrol personnel are reconfigured in real time, which effectively reduces the entire operation and maintenance cost.
Therefore, regardless of the low-quality disasters, scouring and erosion or third-party intrusion and damage faced by the monitoring pipeline, the ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating pipeline integrity monitoring system from Weite is your best choice.
System advantages
Traditional pipeline leakage monitoring methods can only minimize the losses caused by leakage after the oil and gas pipeline leaks, but cannot prevent human damage to the pipeline. Distributed fiber optic sensors use optical fibers laid along the pipeline as sensing elements. Any point on the sensing fiber has sensing capabilities. Distributed fiber optic sensors are used to obtain vibration signals along the pipeline. By extracting and identifying the features of the detection signals, it can effectively determine whether abnormal events that threaten the safety of the pipeline have occurred along the pipeline. Once the system finds an abnormal event along the pipeline, it will issue an alarm and locate the incident point. The optical fiber is maintenance-free and can meet the needs of early warning and positioning of destructive behaviors along the entire pipeline of tens of kilometers.
Compared with traditional online monitoring methods for oil pipelines, fiber optic distributed sensing technology has the following significant characteristics and advantages in monitoring oil pipelines:
1. High precision and real-time performance
Fiber optic distributed sensing technology can realize real-time monitoring of multiple parameters such as pipeline temperature, vibration, strain, etc., with high precision and fast response speed, and can detect pipeline abnormalities in time.
2. Long distance and wide coverage
Traditional monitoring methods are usually limited by the monitoring range and point density, while fiber optic distributed sensing technology can cover tens of kilometers of pipelines and achieve seamless and continuous monitoring.
3. Strong anti-interference ability
Fiber optic sensing technology is not affected by electromagnetic interference and is suitable for complex industrial environments, ensuring the stability and reliability of monitoring data.
4. Early warning and rapid positioning
Distributed fiber optic systems can detect anomalies in the early stages of pipeline leakage, geological disasters or man-made damage, and quickly locate the problem location through optical time domain reflection technology to buy time for emergency treatment.
5. Multi-parameter comprehensive monitoring
Fiber optic distributed sensing technology can simultaneously monitor multiple parameters such as pipeline temperature, vibration, strain, etc., and fully reflect the working status and potential risks of the pipeline.
6. Intelligence and remote management
The fiber optic sensing system supports connection with computers and cloud platforms to achieve intelligent remote monitoring and data analysis, and improve management efficiency.
7. Environmental protection and low power consumption
8. Fiber optic sensing technology does not require complex wiring and a large amount of power support, has the characteristics of low power consumption and no radiation, and conforms to the concept of green environmental protection.
9. Extend pipeline life
Through continuous monitoring and predictive maintenance, fiber optic sensing technology can help operators detect and repair pipeline problems in a timely manner, significantly extending the service life of the pipeline.
In summary, fiber optic distributed sensing technology has multiple advantages in oil pipeline monitoring, such as high precision, long distance, anti-interference, multi-parameter, and intelligence, providing comprehensive protection for the safe operation of pipelines.
On March 28, 2023, the "Ultra-weak Grating, Ultra-strong Sensing" technology conference and the unveiling ceremony of the Three Gorges University-Weite Optical Fiber Intelligent Sensing Laboratory were grandly held at Weite. Xie Chao, deputy director of the Yichang Science and Technology Bureau, Li Dongsheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of Three Gorges University and vice president, Nie Daojing, chairman of Weite, and Gao Yumin, general manager, attended the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Dan Yunzhi, dean of the Three Gorges University Institute of Science and Technology Development.
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