PIPELINE

Case Study
1

Integrity Monitoring of Trans Andean Pipeline

> Ground movement > Geohazard > Water level > Leak detection The challenge
The 34 high pressure gas pipeline, operated by Peru LNG (1), which joins the Transportadora de Gas del Per (TGP) pipeline to the Peruvian coast is 408 km (250 mile) long and reaches an altitude of nearly 5000 m (16,000 ft.). Three aspects make this a particularly challenging region for pipeline installation and operation. Firstly, the topology and geology, (landslides and erosion cause over 50% of pipeline incidents in the region) with slopes of up to almost 45 requiring extensive measures to limit erosion and water run-off. Secondly the climate, with hot, dry periods followed by heavy rain causing erosion and landslides. Thirdly, the evolution of water levels surrounding the right-of-way is a constant threat in certain areas. A solution was sought to monitor ground movement and changing water levels reliably over the 60 km pipeline section which crosses the Eastern slopes of the Andes. Remote operation and control was required, since no local installation or maintenance was possible. Since most of the pipeline right-of-way is isolated, remote and difcult to access, traditional geotechnical monitoring techniques and patrolling could provide only partial information.

1 - PERU LNG consortium comprises: Hunt Oil Company, SK Energy, Repsol and Marubeni Corporation.

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Case Study
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The solution
Fiber optic distributed sensing provided an ideal match to the requirements for ground movement and temperature monitoring in these challenging conditions. The Omnisens Brillouin-based DITEST AIM system was selected since with one interrogator ground movement (via strain monitoring) and changing water levels (via temperature monitoring) could be accurately detected and located over the 60 km section in the Andes Mountains. Leak detection is provided by the temperature monitoring performed Ayacucho along the Rio Torobamba Rio Apurimac continuously pipeline.
Rio Yucaes
Ayacucho Rio Yucaes Rio Torobamba Rio Apurimac

masl

6000 5000
masl

4000 6000 3000 5000 2000 4000 1000 3000

2000 0 1000
B

100

100

180 km
B

100

100

180 km

Melchorita

Camisea
BRAZIL
Campo Malvinas

The system comprises an interrogator unit placed in the rst valve station at kilometer 30 and a server in the control room at Pampa Melchorita for data processing, analysis and storage. The server also generates alarms, sending these to the SCADA system, as well as sending a email to nominated recipients. (email alarming service). Two separate sensing ber cables are placed alongside the pipeline, (both with single mode communications grade bers). The strain measurement cable, SMC, is a dedicated specialty ber optic cable that has one ber held in a exible structure so that it accurately reects the strain of the soil moving around it, while spare bers within the ber optic telecommunication cable were used for temperature sensing. Soil movement, likely to be a precursor to pipeline movement, deformation and eventually rupture, is detected and precisely located early and then continuously monitored, enabling the operators to take action quickly. The SMC strain sensing cable (IEC 794-1 compliant) included in the trench provides this early warning of soil movement. Any elongation of this sensor cable is detected and located by the Omnisens system, which sends an alarm to the control system when the strain exceeds userdened thresholds. Sensitive enough to detect small ground movement (in the 5 cm range) it is crush and abrasion resistant, rodent-proof, with a life expectancy of 30 years or more. The temperature is monitored using bers from the communications cable, buried in the trench approx. 10 cm from the pipeline upper surface. Temperature event and location data arrive at the interrogator, allowing the Omnisens system to monitor water level changes and incipient leaks using automatic leak detection algorithms. This ber optic cable is also used for communication between the Omnisens DITEST interrogator and the server.

PERU
PERU
Lima
Lima
Pampa Melchorita OMNISENS SERVER
Pampa Melchorita OMNISENS SERVER

BRAZIL BOLIVIA BOLIVIA

Chiquintirca

Campo Malvinas

AyacuchoChiquintirca Pisco
Ayacucho
NEW PIPELINE

Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu

OMNISENS INTERROGATOR
OMNISENS INTERROGATOR

Pisco

200 miles
NEW PIPELINE

200 miles Pipeline route, showing area to be monitored in green rectangle Blue line - Peru LNG pipeline Red line - TGP pipeline

Omnisens SA
Riond Bosson 3, 1110 Morges Switzerland T: +41 21 510 21 21 - F: +41 44 274 20 31 sales@omnisens.com www.omnisens.com

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Case Study
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Results
Shortly after pipeline operation commenced, the Omnisens system gave early warning of a number events, all veried by patrols, allowing the operator to reinforce the pipeline right-ofway where necessary before that asset was impacted.

Event 1 - Rockfall
A sudden increase in strain raised an alarm through the SCADA system. The alarm signaled a strain event at point KP27 + 900. Investigation of the area showed that rocks had fallen, displacing the optical ber sensor. This rock fall was as a result of a tension crack higher up the slope. Reinforcements were made to the area to secure the pipeline.

Pipeline in trench, with Temperature Measurement Cable (left, orange), and Strain Measurement Cable (right, blue).

System conguration
Omnisens systems comprise one interrogator to monitor both temperature and strain over a given distance with meter spatial resolution. The ber optic sensing cables (TMC for temperature and SMC for strain) are allocated to different channels on the interrogator, so that the user can quickly see if the event is strain or temperature related. When pipeline operations began a reference for both temperature and strain was obtained. Zones were programmed, reecting the particular conditions of each pipeline length. The alarms and zones are programmed independently for each sensing cable with connection to the SCADA system and an email alarming service, so that an email is sent each time an alarm is recorded.

Earth movement can be controlled by gabion walls, constructed as prevention or in response to the detection of a creeping landslide detected by the Omnisens system.

Omnisens SA
Riond Bosson 3, 1110 Morges Switzerland T: +41 21 510 21 21 - F: +41 44 274 20 31 sales@omnisens.com www.omnisens.com

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Case Study
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Event 2 - Soil movement

A strain event was indicated by the Omnisens system which, on inspection, was due to seepage (possibly from a collapsed water channel). This seepage led to the partial collapse of the right-ofway. The pipeline was not damaged.

References
CS-003 (Pipeline Integrity Monitoring-Trans Andean route) en-04.pdf

Esford, F. Porter, M. Savigny, K W. Muhlbauer, W K. Dunlop, C. A risk assessment model for pipelines exposed to natural hazards, Proc. 5th International Pipeline Conference, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2004). Introduction to land-use and climate change impacts on landslides Winter, M.G., Dixon, N., Wasowski, J. and Dijkstra, T.A. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 43, 367-370, 2010 Hauswirth, D., Iten, M., and Puzrin, A. M. (2011). "Experimental study of a soil-embedded bre optic strain sensor crossing a shear zone". In 5th International Conference on Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure SHMII-5, Cancun, Mexico. 11-15 December 2011 Geohazard prevention with online continuous ber optic monitoring Fabien Ravet, Edilberto Gutierrez Ortiz, Brian Peterson, Greg Hoglund, Marc Nikls. Rio Pipeline Conference 2011 (IBP 1277_11) Geohazard prevention with online continuous ber optic monitoring Ravet, F. Ortiz, GO. Peterson, B. Hoglund, G. Nikls, M. Rio Pipeline Conference 2011 (IBPI 1277_11)

Conclusion
The Omnisens system answered Peru LNGs requirement for real time continuous condition monitoring of the Andean section of the project. It was able to detect early signs of ground movement and prole their evolution over time, as well as monitor changing water levels reliably and continuously, over 60 km, from a single interrogator located remotely. This was the information that the operator needed to carry out rapid and appropriate and strain relief on the pipeline and soil reinforcement, helping ensure the safe operation of this pipeline along this particularly challenging part of its route.

Slopes of up to 45 0 require extensive measures to limit erosion.

DITEST is a trademark of Omnisens

Omnisens SA
Riond Bosson 3, 1110 Morges Switzerland T: +41 21 510 21 21 - F: +41 44 274 20 31 sales@omnisens.com www.omnisens.com