Key pipeline solution updates
Building on the success of Q2 2024, we’ve ended the third quarter of 2024 with ongoing success for our customers.
Quarterly achievements
- 2 thefts detected
- 8 SATs completed
- 7 FATs completed
- 5 training sessions delivered
Below is a selection of success stories from a busy quarter at Atmos, including:
- Single ended leak detection on UK rising sewer mains
- Improving operations on a CO2 pipeline in Oceania
- Enabling safer pit valve integrity checks for airports operating fuel hydrants
- Pipeline theft in Asia
- From Costa Rica to the UK: a quarter of giving back globally
Read our quarterly update below to find out more.
Single ended leak detection on UK rising sewer mains
We’re currently conducting leak trials on a rising sewer main in the United Kingdom. Rising sewer mains are typically difficult to monitor because there are minimal access points to install leak detection equipment.
Our approach to pipeline leak detection on a rising sewer main involves the negative pressure wave (NPW) method, which monitors the pressure in the rising main 60 times per second, revealing a new leak when a sudden drop in pressure appears in the data.
The initial challenge we encountered with NPW leak detection on rising mains is that it typically requires instrumentation at both ends of the monitored section and access to install instrumentation is difficult on rising mains, particularly at the top (high point).
We overcame this with single ended leak detection by using the high point on the rising main to reflect the negative pressure wave back down the pipe so we can pick up both negative pressure waves with a single device.
The live system we’ve been testing on a UK rising sewer mains has responded well using Atmos Sentinel hardware. All leaks were visible in the data, with the smallest detected leak being 0.25 l/s (see Figure 1).
The 0.25 l/s leak detected for this water utility
Single ended leak detection allows us to both identify a new leak as it forms as well as estimate its location along the rising main.
Discover the hardware that’s instrumental in single ended water leak detection
Large pressure surges can also occur in a wastewater network from activities like pumps starting up and shutting down or valves being closed too quickly.
We provided a fast data acquisition with insight into the utility’s pipeline behavior including transients where a high pressure surge resulted in a real leak, which was also detected by the leak detection system (see Figure 2 and Figure 3).
Figure 2: The site of the small leak detected for the customer
Figure 3: The cause of this customer’s leak was the pipeline pressure reaching 11.6 bar
Moving forward, this utility has opted for our transient monitoring solution so they have access to the high resolution data recordings (see Figure 3) that can identify these pressure surges.
Atmos Eclipse and Atmos Sentinel provide flow and pressure data to support transient monitoring, giving operators valuable insight into pipeline performance and integrity.
Atmos Eclipse Atmos Sentinel Models
Improving operations on a CO2 pipeline in Oceania
Continuing on from Q2’s sustainability update, our CO2 and CCS expertise has now extended to Oceania. We’ve begun deploying Atmos Pipe on a new CO2 pipeline in the region, which is configured to monitor operations in dense phase and supercritical phase.
Atmos Pipe has been at the forefront of leak detection technology since its release as the first statistical volume balance system in 1995.
Enabling safer pit valve integrity checks for airports operating fuel hydrants
It’s recommended that airports with hydrant points complete monthly pit valve integrity checks to determine if they have a “hot valve”.
Traditional methods for pit valve integrity checks involve using a coupler fitted with a pressure gauge, pressure bleed valve and stainless steel bucket. It’s an intrusive process and presents an increased risk of jet fuel leaking into the pit box.
By attaching directly to the pit valve to detect hot valves, Atmos’ new hardware is intrinsically safe while protecting the safety of employees in the process.
Instead of manually recording the status of each pit valve with pen and paper, the new hardware solution has the capacity for digital logging (see Figure 4). When operators arrive at a hydrant point that contains a pit valve with the hardware installed, app connectivity via Bluetooth enables an audit trail of data logs.
Figure 4: The pit valve integrity test hardware solution’s dedicated app
Three units of this hardware were attached to hydrant points at an airport in the USA, with data flowing smoothly and the system identifying hot valve conditions.
Learn more about our enhancements to the pit valve integrity testing process
Read the article Visit us at IATA
Pipeline theft in Asia
We’ve recently detected multiple thefts on a 265 km crude oil pipeline in Asia. Despite this being a challenging system to maintain, Atmos’ ongoing support and site coordination have been key to the system being able to produce excellent results.
One illegal tapping was located under three hours after the customer received an alarm from the online system. The location was at 214.100 km, which was only 40 meters away from the theft detection system’s location estimate (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: Chart revealing a pressure drop (left) which led to the discovery of the theft site (right)
A more discreet example of pipeline theft was reported by our online system a few weeks later. The reported location was only 20 meters away from the actual theft site (see Figure 6).
Figure 6: The second theft site
Atmos Theft Net combines fixed and portable hardware solutions to collect and analyse pipeline data. Experienced engineers trained in the latest theft detection techniques analyse the data in greater detail to locate the theft site to within meters.
The human element adds superior accuracy while maintaining highly sensitive theft detection without the distraction of false alarms.
From Costa Rica to the UK: a quarter of giving back globally
A core value at Atmos involves being brilliant together because we achieve more when we collaborate, which is why Atmos colleagues recognize the importance of directly supporting local charities and initiatives.
Costa Rica
Atmos Costa Rica colleagues recently organized a social responsibility event at a local nursing home. The initiative focused on renovating their greenhouse so residents could continue to participate in recreational activities like gardening.
UK
Atmos UK colleagues completed the National Three Peaks Challenge to raise funds for Manchester & Salford Samaritans. The challenge involved hiking the three highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales: Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon.
Over £4,600 was raised in the name of suicide prevention, which will support the Manchester & Salford branch of Samaritans’ plans to introduce a support service to local schools, colleges and universities.
USA
Our San Antonio colleagues recently partnered with Latched Support, a non-profit charity local to their office that aims to empower growing families with life saving prenatal and parenting education through resources and advocacy so children can receive a healthy start in life. Our colleagues donated children’s books and non-perishable food.
Learn more about the company whose solutions have been applied to over 1,500 pipelines in more than 60 countries
Atmos International was originally founded in 1995 with a primary focus to detect pipeline leaks reliably on operational pipelines. Nothing has changed except advances in our technologies which continues to grow and adapt to the changes within the oil, gas, chemical, water, aviation and mining industries.