SmartBall - Leak Detection for Oil & Gas Pipelines

SmartBall® is a new innovative leak detection technology for oil, gas and petroleum products pipelines

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Fluid

Oil
Liquid Natural Gas

For pipelines larger than 4-inch (100 mm) diameter, SmartBall offers unparalleled leak sensitivity and accurate location capability. It is easy to deploy and can be used to complement existing pipeline integrity programs or as an integrity check on non-piggable lines. The device consists of an instrumented aluminum core in a urethane shell. The device contains a range of instrumentation, including an acoustic data acquisition system that listens for leaks as the ball travels through the pipeline.

SmartBall differs from conventional inspection pigs, in that is it not a full-diameter instrument. The ball is smaller than the pipe diameter. It rolls silently through the pipeline and the absence of mechanical noise allows unsurpassed acoustic sensitivity. The device can detect pin-hole size leaks as low as 0.03 gallons per minute (0.1 liters/min). This is exponentially more sensitivity than CPM-based leak detection systems; and the advantage increases along with pipeline diameter. Leak location accuracy is within 10 ft. (3 m) and given additional reference points can be even further tightened. The device can be deployed and retrieved using existing pigging facilities. In non-piggable lines, the device can be launched using off-the-shelf fittings. Travel time is 28 hours for up to 4-inch (100 mm) lines and up to 110 hours for larger lines.

Applications:

Routine leak surveys, including pin-hole sized leaks.
Emergency leak location, minimizing product loss and cleanup costs.
Validation of alarms generated by CPM systems (with leak location).
Acceptance testing of new pipelines.
Product theft detection.
Leak location during hydrotests

Featured Projects

Petrobras - Natal, Brazil

Pure Technologies (Pure) has conducted two inspections of a 12-inch multi-phase product pipeline in eastern Brazil, owned by Petrobras. Pure utilized its 10” Polyurethane coated SmartBall leak detection tool to detect a total of three simulated leaks during two separate runs on this pipeline.

TransCanada Pipelines - Alberta, Canada

Pure Technologies completed a demonstration inspection of a portion of the Grande Prairie Mainline gas transmission pipeline for TransCanada Pipelines. The inspection was conducted as a trial of the capabilities of the SmartBall leak detection tool in gas pipelines.

Contact Us

Contact Pure Technologies to find out how SmartBall® can help you find leaks in your Oil & Gas pipelines.