BP/Pipeline Engineering
With the support of BP and Pipeline Engineering, the Control Systems group have developed the Acoustek(R) pipeline monitoring system. The system works by injecting an acoustic pulse inside the pipe. The pulse propagates along the pipeline and wherever there is a hole in the wall of the pipe or a full or partial blockage, a portion of the acoustic energy will be reflected. By monitoring the reflections that are produced, pipeline defects can be detected and located. The system has been tested on a number of offshore gas platforms where it was able to successfully detect obstructions in sub-sea pipelines in situations where existing techniques failed. The system can survey pipelines with lengths of up to approximately 10km and through a licensing agreement is being commercialised by PIpeline Engineering Ltd.
For more information, please visit: www.pipelineengineering.com/acoustek.php