ATMOS Wave detects and locates leaks based on the negative pressure wave associated with the onset of a leak and the much weaker signals generated from an existing leak. This rarefaction wave propagates out from the location of the leak in both directions and can be sensed by high performance pressure meters at the ends or along the pipeline.
ATMOS Wave is the result of several years of research and development directed at producing a pressure-based leak detection system that is capable of differentiating between pressure waves that originate from pinhole leaks and the background noise and other pressure signals caused by normal pipeline operations. Extensive performance evaluation and field trials have proven that ATMOS Wave can detect small leaks without generating false alarms due to pipeline transients or process noise.
The main features of ATMOS Wave are:
- Very low false alarm rate
- Based on high performance, off the shelf pressure meters from reputable manufacturers
- Detection of leaks less than 1% of nominal flow-rate within 4 minutes, resulting in a very small product release before a confirmed leak alarm
- Detection of existing pinhole leaks, under running or shut-in conditions
- Location of leaks within ± 100 to ± 400 metres depending on operational conditions during the leak
- Dedicated data acquisition unit (AWAS) certified to the European Union's ATEX Zone 1 standard, with local data storage to mitigate the effect of communication failures
- Detection of pipeline thefts effectively including the closure of a theft valve, which is very useful for identifying theft locations
- Detection of leaks under all operating conditions including shut in and hydrostatic tests.
