By Kobus Vermeulen, direct sales executive, Process Automation at Schneider Electric.
At any given moment, thousands of kilometres of critical assets flow through pipelines that cross veld, mountainous areas, dense forests and even busy streets. Surprisingly, many of these pipelines operate either unmonitored or with scant oversight, leading to missed opportunities for operational continuity and efficiency.
The result of ineffective pipeline monitoring can also be catastrophic. In Nigeria, an estimated 250 000 barrels of crude oil are stolen daily from pipelines, while a few years ago another global pipeline operator remained unaware of an oil leak for 17 hours, incurring nearly $177 million in cleanup fees and fines.
Despite growing interest in leak detection across various industries, current market solutions often fall short. Traditional monitoring systems typically alert operators to the presence of a leak in a general location. Operators are then left to investigate the cause and determine the specific location of the leak, a process that can be time-consuming and ineffective.
To address these challenges, Schneider Electric partnered with Prisma Phototonics to offer an advanced monitoring solution designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of pipelines. PrismaFlow employs Hyper-Scan Fiber Sensing technology, which utilises fibre optic sensing technology and machine learning algorithms for accurate, real-time monitoring of pipeline systems.
Kobus Vermeulen.
In essence, Hyper-Scan analyses laser backscatter light from every location along the pipeline using pre-deployed fibre optics cables. As a practical example, tapping a pipeline is noisy. Thieves need to dig, drill or weld; this mechanical work is easily detectable with PrismaFlow’s fibre optic sensing tools in place.
Indeed, what sets PrismaFlow truly apart is its exceptional sensitivity, capable of detecting changes as minute as 0,025% of pipeline flow. For instance, preventing a single leak can save oil and gas industries millions of dollars, while water industries can similarly benefit from reduced losses along transportation pipelines. It also accurately tracks events such as manual digging, vehicle movement, inline inspections (PIG) and other suspicious activities near pipelines, ensuring rapid response to any potential issues.
Moreover, PrismaFlow dramatically reduces nuisance alarms, which often plague monitoring systems located near busy roads or urban areas. By leveraging machine learning, PrismaFlow can characterise and differentiate between various events, alerting users based on their specific areas of interest.
Additional PrismaFlow benefits include:
• Instant effectiveness: Unlike conventional systems, PrismaFlow can be deployed within hours, leveraging the existing optical fibre networks installed alongside pipelines. No additional sensors are required, reducing both the time and cost of deployment.
• Cost-efficiency: PrismaFlow introduces a cost-effective, pay-as-you-grow business model, allowing operators to scale their monitoring capabilities as needed, without heavy upfront investments. This flexible model ensures that both small and large pipeline operators can benefit from its advanced features.
• Scalable and always-on: Designed to monitor thousands of kilometres of pipeline infrastructure, PrismaFlow provides around-the-clock monitoring in any condition, whether day or night, rain or shine.
Five data centre trends to watch in 2025
IT in Manufacturing
Any innovation that comes out in 2025 – whether it’s flying cars, highly advanced AI or a breakthrough medical treatment – will be built on the back of an equally innovative IT foundation driven by data. Data that needs to be stored, managed and made accessible in the data centre, in the cloud or at the edge. Is it too much of a stretch to say the future of humankind is dependent on data storage? We don’t think so.
Read more...Recovering from a cyberattack
IT in Manufacturing
While many organisations have invested heavily in frontline defence tools to try to keep out bad actors, they have spent far less time and money preparing for what happens when the criminals eventually get in. And they will get in.
Read more...The value of proactive maintenance management Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Maintenance has come a long way from the days when we waited for things to break, and thanks to the ever-increasing capabilities of technology, predictive maintenance has become a viable solution for keeping equipment running smoothly and efficiently around the world.
Read more...Next-generation AI-enhanced electronic systems design software Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Siemens Digital Industries Software has launched the latest advancement in its electronic systems design portfolio. The next-generation release takes an integrated and multidisciplinary approach, bringing a unified user experience that delivers cloud connectivity and AI capabilities to push the boundaries of innovation in electronic systems design.
Read more...Spatial computing and AI – where no man has sustainably gone before Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Some will argue that we now live in a sci-fi world where we dream of electric sheep, and today’s technology – unlike HAL – can provide us with the answers we seek. To the realist it might seem a bit implausible, but when you start using terms like ‘spatial computing realises sustainable AI’ it doesn’t seem that far-fetched.
Read more...Changeover switch between two power supplies Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric South Africa has unveiled the Resi9 Changeover Switch product range which provides the perfect solution to switch manually between two power supplies or circuits.
Read more...Partial discharge monitoring solution for MV switchgear Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric South Africa has unveiled its PowerLogic PD100 Partial Discharge Monitoring Solution, designed to be installed on MV switchgear to detect anomalies early, to prevent unplanned downtime.
Read more...Safeguarding DCS today and tomorrow Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Today’s distributed control systems (DCS) are highly intelligent, converging OT and IT in a centralised manner that allows for simplified management and coordination of operations. It is technology evolution at its finest, but with a caveat, cybersecurity challenges.
Read more...Quantum computing is not as futuristic as it sounds
IT in Manufacturing
The first quantum computer was created almost three decades ago. While its applications are still unknown to many, this advanced field combines computer science, physics and mathematics to deliver solutions the world has been trying to find for aeons – and those it doesn’t yet know it needs.
printer friendly version