An Automated Real Time Oil Leakage Detection without False Alarm

In the course of this project, real time oil leakage detection without false alarm has been designed and implemented to ensure that leakages are detected without any incidence of false alarm. Here, a mass flow rate difference between the two ends of the oil pipeline is used as the basis of the oil leakage detection. A pipeline that connects two flow stations A and B is used as a reference. Flow station A has a microcontroller as the central control unit with pressure pump and sound alarm as the output devices and mass flow meter and start button as the input devices. It also has a mobile phone that serves on as a modem. Equally flow station B has similar arrangement as the flow station A except that it has sound alarm as the output device. This project is based on the modification of continuity equation (Inlet Mass flow rate equals outlet Mass flow rate) to Inlet Mass flow rate equals Outlet mass flow rate plus Losses due to pipeline. At interval of time (t), the flow meter at flow station A measures the mass flow rate MA and sends its value to flow station B via the mobile phone that acts as the modem. Flow station B in return measures its mass flow rate MB and compares it with MA received flow station A. If the difference between MA and MB is less than or equal to the threshold acceptable loss for the given pipeline, the system continues to pump oil through the pipeline but if the difference becomes greater than the threshold loss of the pipeline, it means that leakage has occurred. Hence, flow station B sends short message service (SMS) to flow station A to alert it that leakage has occurred and equally alerts its workers using sound alarm. Once, flow station A receives a short message service (SMS) alert from flow station B that leakage has occurred, it stops the pump and alerts its workers of the leakage. This system is real time based and eliminates false alarm that is common with other methods of leakage detection based on flow rates, since the exact tolerable threshold loss ML due to the pipeline length, cross sectional area and density of fluid flowing through the pipeline over a given time was considered as the acceptable difference between mass flow rates at the inlet and outlet of the pipeline.