Integrity · Pipelines
SCADA & Leak Detection
The control center that watches pressures, flows and valves along the whole line in real time and runs the leak detection.
What it does
Remote control centers watch the line and run the leak detection. Methods range from comparing metered volume or mass in and out to computational pipeline monitoring; operators usually use two or more. Small leaks are the hardest and slowest to detect.
Basics
| Methods | Volume or mass balance, rate of change, computational pipeline monitoring |
| Liquids practice | API RP 1130 |
| Also used | Aerial and ground surveillance |
| Hardest case | Small leaks below the detection threshold |
Common failures
- Alarm treated as a meter error and ignored
Troubleshooting
- Symptom
- Line balance shows a growing imbalance
- Likely cause
- Leak, meter drift or line pack change
- What to check
- Check meters and line pack, and if unexplained, shut down and isolate the segment