SBIR Phase I: Pipeline Integrity in Natural Gas Distribution and Transmission Systems

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project aims to develop intelligent acoustic sensors to detect and pinpoint leaks on gas pipelines. Applied to transmission lines the technology has the potential to provide early alerts of failed pipeline integrity. In distribution systems the technology will be able to pinpoint gas pipeline leaks accurately and non-intrusively. Almost 2 million miles of hazardous pipeline in the US carry flammable materials under high pressure through rural, residential, and downtown areas. Mandatory Pipeline Integrity Management plans are limited by existing technology. The limited detection capability and delay might easily allow on the order of 10,000 liters or more of hazardous material to contaminate the environment. There is a compelling need for new technology to reduce the cost, effort, and risk associated with ensuring pipeline integrity. The technology to be developed under this research project has the potential to detect losses of 0.02% of flow or less on a loss-dependent time scale. Therefore, total losses could be reduced by one or two orders of magnitude; the source of emissions could be pinpointed without taking the pipeline out of service; and a timely integrity alert (with supporting data) could be transmitted to a person or office from remote pipeline locations.