Key pipeline solution updates
Building on the success of Q3 2024, we’ve ended the final quarter of 2024 with ongoing success for our customers.
Quarterly achievements
- 2 leaks detected
- 40 thefts detected
- 6 SATs completed
- 19 FATs completed
- 7 training sessions delivered
- 3 software upgrades
Below is a selection of success stories from a busy quarter at Atmos, including:
- Leak detection in Asia
- Attempted pipeline theft in Africa, Asia and the UK
- Improving the operations of produced water gathering networks
- Airports across the world digitizing pit valve integrity tests with Atmos Pit Sentry
- Ending 2024 with the launch of “Atmos wrapped” video
Read our quarterly update below to find out more.
Leak detection in Asia
Atmos Pipe recently alarmed on a jet fuel pipeline in Asia. Atmos engineers investigated and confirmed that it was a leak caused by the following operational activity:
- Start-up failed due to signal issues
- Relieve the pressure and restart up
- System alarmed 50 minutes after restarting up
The engineers investigating the alarm discovered that the jet fuel had entered the relief tank due to an operator error. During the transient, Atmos Pipe correctly detected this as a leak.
Since the system was commissioned in April 2018, Atmos Pipe has issued minimal false alarms for the customer.
Atmos Pipe has been at the forefront of leak detection technology since its release as the first statistical volume balance system in 1995.
It uses the powerful Sequential Probability Ratio Test (SPRT) with pressure and flow analysis to optimize leak detection.
The design of Atmos Pipe assures tuning and optimization for every pipeline to minimize the effect of:
- Instrument faults, including telecommunication failures
- Operational changes from start-up, running and shut-in conditions
- Fluid property changes
- Seasonal changes or supply and demand variations
- Instrument drift and calibrations
A quarter of detecting global theft activity
Africa
A suspicious product loss event lasting 22 minutes was identified during routine checks on a customer’s pipeline in Africa (see Figure 1). We reported a leak location of PK328 km to the customer which was later confirmed as the exact location of the theft site when the customer identified a plug that had since been sealed (see Figure 2).
Figure 1: The opening (left) and closing (right) of the customer’s theft tap
Figure 2: A plug sealing the tapping point on a customer’s pipeline in Africa
Latin America
While our installation of Atmos Wave Flow was still in progress on a pipeline, the customer notified us that they were suspicious of theft activity because they’d noticed some of their monitoring points had been broken into (see Figure 3) to steal diesel.
Figure 3: The broken into monitoring point on this customer’s pipeline
Our theft detection system wasn’t fully operational at this point but as soon as our data acquisition units started to receive data we were notified of suspicious activity. Atmos Theft Net engineers analyzed the raw data we had access to and we were able to locate the theft site for this customer (see Figure 4) at 73 km, which was only 6 km from the outlet station where their locked part was broken into.
Figure 4: The leak location for this customer’s theft
As theft activity ramps up across the world and thieves’ techniques evolve to include dangerous techniques such as booby traps, it’s now more important than ever for pipeline operators to use reliable and sensitive theft detection technology in order to minimize product loss and limit potential damage.
UK
Atmos Theft Net engineers recently reviewed a UK customer’s data when they suspected an illegal tapping point on their pipeline.
After analyzing the data, we identified that there was no product loss, however the customer found evidence of interference along the pipeline, such as the theft site being covered and booby traps being placed in the vicinity.
An extended data review from Atmos Theft Net engineers still found no instances of product loss on the pipeline and after the customer was able to inspect the tapping point in more detail they discovered that it was a failed pipeline theft attempt because a concrete protection slab prevented full access to the pipeline.
Atmos Theft Net combines fixed and portable hardware solutions to collect and analyze pipeline data. Experienced engineers trained in the latest theft detection techniques analyze 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.
Using Atmos Theft Net reduces the:
- Costs of illegal product theft
- Amount spent on pipeline repairs
- Risk of catastrophic accidents such as explosions or environmental disasters
Improving the operations of produced water gathering networks
As oil and gas production increases so does the number of gathering networks because they transport hydrocarbons between the production sites, processing facilities and to end customers.
Gathering networks generate a large amount of produced water during the oil and gas extraction process, which needs to be appropriately disposed of or reused to reduce the risk of environmental impact.
Integrating well conversions into a produced water gathering network can allow the system to collect, transport and manage produced water more easily.
This year we completed 29 well conversions for our customers across the world, improving produced water gathering network operations.
It’s important to consider leak detection on pipelines transporting produced water
Airports across the world are digitizing their pit valve integrity tests with Atmos Pit Sentry
Asia
To support their trial of Atmos Portable Tightness Monitor (APTM), one customer has been trialing Atmos Pit Sentry with a focus on critical learnings related to the device’s:
- Installation
- Calibration
- Daily usage
- App and device connectivity
- Cloud system performance
Europe
We’ve been busy installing Atmos Pit Sentry devices at a busy airport in mainland Europe. Early results from the installation have already indicated a possible hot or passing valve condition, demonstrating Atmos Pit Sentry’s unparalleled capabilities as a safe and cost efficient technology for digitizing pit valve integrity tests.
Figure 5: An open hydrant pit valve lid with Atmos Pit Sentry attached to the hydrant system (left) and an Android mobile device wirelessly connecting to the pit valve (right)
USA
At a high traffic airport with Atmos Pit Sentry systems installed, we recently updated their devices to the latest version. This visit showcased Atmos Pit Sentry’s ability to handle over the air updates
We also supported on a pit valve integrity test that had previously recorded a hot valve.
Figure 6: Operators performing a pit valve integrity test in the USA
Learn more about Atmos Pit Sentry
Ending 2024 with the launch of “Atmos wrapped” video
Combining data from our Engineering, Marketing and People & Culture teams, we launched a video to celebrate a year in the life of the world’s leading leak detection provider and our outstanding team of dedicated professionals across the world who make Atmos’ continued success possible.
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.