Development of Gas Leak Detection Model for Gas Facilities and Pipelines

Abstract Leakages in gas facilities and pipelines are caused by material defects, corrosion, age or operational errors. These leakages, if not monitored, can lead to undesirable damages including financial losses, human casualties, ecological disaster and environmental pollution. Many pipeline leak detection methods have been developed, from the simplest manual inspection (trained dogs and personnel) to more sophisticated smart sensor leak detection. These traditional methods have their shortcomings, such as been time-consuming, prohibitively costly, difficulty in implementation, noise and some may not meet industry performance metrics. Hence, the need for the development of low cost solutions with a high degree of customization. Measurements of pressure, temperature and flow rates data are used in developing leak detection models This study included the design of a gas processing plant, fabrication of a table-top experimental setup, running of the facilities, introduction of elements of gas leakage into the facilities, generation of data for various scenarios and development of a model for determining leak rate. The experimental setup was made up of a high-pressure pipeline loop, using an 8ft long stainless steel pipe of internal diameter 10mm and a wall thickness of 3mm, fitted with digital (electronic) measurement gauges. From analysis of the results, it was observed that there is a direct relationship between Flow Pressure and Actual Volume of gas released, its Flow rate and its Flow Velocity while the Slope value of these relationships showed that for every change in pressure, there was an equivalent and corresponding change in the flow rate. This value tells the amount of volume that can be discharged or pushed per unit pressure. Conclusively, the study confirmed that whenever there is a gradual drop in pressure, the first item to check for leaks is the volumetric flow rate, which if affirmed, is a confirmation for possible gas leak.