Our Technologies
Pipeline Defect
Locator (PDL)
Until PDL, a perfect
fast-monitoring system for leak detection had not yet been designed.
The ideal system is:
- Automated (no
manual control)
- Continuous (24-hour
emergency service)
- Able to detect
and locate small leaks
(A small undetected leak can turn into an environmental disaster.)
- Applicable to
all old long buried pipelines
(The old ones have more corrosion problems.)
- Affordable
- Provided with
a rapid response system
(It provide almost real-time detection, which means that immediate
action can be taken to minimize the effect of the leak.)
- Low-powered
(It is not simple to supply power along a pipeline.)
The PDL technology
that KMD Science has designed supplants current technologies which
are the
standard in the pipeline industry. There are currently two acoustic
technologies under development in the U.S. which are used for the
detection
of defects in pipe systems. None can, thus far, detect defects beyond
250 feet with any degree of accuracy and none are truly portable
or
developed for permanent installation.
The current state-of-the-art
has been an invasive technology called "Smart Pigs." The Smart
Pigs are heavily instrumented plugs that are inserted into a pipe. They
then video- and data-link back to a central location where defects and
pipeline condition can be monitored. This process is very expensive,
slow, and sometimes requires that a pipe be emptied of its contents.
This can cost several tens of thousands of dollars per segment.
Typically, a pig
will only be inserted for lengths of less than 1,500 feet, removed,
and re-inserted at another location. Because of the extreme cost of
operation, pigs are typically only utilized in high-risk areas, such
as at elbows or other angular sections where interior scrubbing and
corrosion are a real threat to a pipe’s integrity.
The PDL, developed
by KMD Science, is a permanent installation that can detect wall
thinning, cracks, corrosion losses, nicks, dings, and dents at lengths
up to
2,500
feet for a fraction
of the cost.
The PDL technology
is very prescient and timely, given the enormous financial risk associated
with environmental fines, personal injury/death, and property damages
resulting from pipeline failures. Over $385 million is spent annually,
inspecting pipelines. Over $125 million is spent annually, repairing
collateral damages from broken pipelines, excluding legal fees, fines,
payouts to the injured and survivors.
PDL can indicate
tampering and defects for most scenarios, allowing for early alert.
PDL technology is
based upon Guided Wave Technology, a known science extended and improved
for a real-time, in-situ monitoring system for rapid detection of developing
internal/external defects in piping systems.
PDL’s primary
benefits include:
- Combines state-of-the-art
and proprietary solid state acoustic imaging components with custom
software.
- System components
measure and analyze amplitude(s) and time domain(s) of system-generated
acoustic source/return signals.
- Each “station”
can monitor up to 2,500 feet of continuous pipe and detect flaws within
three linear feet in both directions or approximately one-half mile
of pipeline per station.
- Automatic, robust
operation.
- Favorable comparative
cost to all competitive systems over the life of the system
While PDL can’t
stop natural pipeline deterioration or prevent terrorism attacks, it
can hedge financial risks and give peace of mind where pipeline integrity
is concerned and inspection costs and associated financial risks are
high.
PDL is very relevant
for environmental issues defense and public safety. In light of the
thousands of incidents, thousands of deaths and injuries, and millions
of dollars in property damage logged as a result of pipeline failures
during 1986 through 2000, there is ever more pressure being placed upon
legislators to impose more stringent pipeline defect monitoring capabilities
on the companies that operate them.
