新技术为管道泄漏检测增加了另一层

From the highly-trained operators who work in our computerized control centres around the clock, to our detailed maintenance and inspection programs and the regular patrols we do on the ground and from the air, it's safe to say that there are a lot of eyes on our pipelines as they deliver the natural gas and oil that fuels our society.

监控技术将在Keystone管道上进行试点

Soon there will also be a set of very sharp ears added to our comprehensive pipeline monitoring and leak detection program, 这要归功于将被添加到Keystone管道系统中的创新技术. 经过实验室的广泛测试，横加公司 合作 up with Enbridge and the Government of Alberta for a pilot project that will see both companies install a new fiber optic-based monitoring system on short sections of their oil transmission networks to see how the product, 由阿尔伯塔省的一家小型高科技公司开发, 在现场表演. 这个项目是我们项目的一部分 行业领先的R&D程序, in which new ideas and technology undergo rigorous evaluation to determine whether they are suitable for deploying on large-scale commercial pipelines.

“管道已经是运输石油和天然气最安全的方式, but our goal is to have zero safety incidents and this is another step towards achieving that goal,道格拉斯·罗伯逊说, 泄漏检测技术计划的团队领导. “我们花了几年时间评估一些基于电缆的监测系统, and this one has reached the point where we would like to see  how it performs in real operating conditions.”

Steven Koles, Hifi Engineering总裁兼首席执行官.

Calgary-based company Hifi Engineering is the first firm to participate in the Alberta Small Business 创新 and Research Initiative, a program that supports Alberta-based enterprises in accessing markets through partnerships with industry.

"We're proud to help homegrown Hifi Engineering bring their new leak-detection technology to some of the biggest players in the oil-and-gas industry. 我们一起发展我们的经济, creating new jobs and ensuring Alberta continues to be the energy and environmental leader the world needs for the 21st century,德隆·比卢斯说, 阿尔伯塔省经济发展和贸易部长.

Hifi's monitoring system uses a fiber-optic cable installed along the length of the pipeline to act as a highly sensitive microphone and strain gauge.

Hifi Engineering's High Fidelity Dynamic Sensing (HDS) technology is being called the 'ears of pipeline monitoring.'

"Our existing systems are very good at monitoring things like flow rate and pressure in the pipe, 而Hifi的技术可以让我们感知振动, 温度和应变对管道具有很高的精度,罗伯逊说. “这将让我们更好地了解管道周围发生了什么, such as if the ground is shifting due to an earthquake or if somebody might be digging near it when they shouldn't be."

对于试点项目, Hifi's system will be installed next year on short 'feeder' pipelines at the beginning and end of the Keystone Pipeline in Hardisty, 阿尔塔., 和休斯顿, 德州, and will be incorporated into the computerized leak detection and monitoring system at TransCanada's oil pipeline control centre in Calgary.

This project just the latest example of 协作 with industry peers and government to try and advance safety and reduce environmental impact of our operations. TransCanada, Enbridge and the provincial government are also involved in testing technology at a 位于埃德蒙顿的世界级管道泄漏模拟设施，以及…… 基于直升机的传感技术评估 这有可能加强空中巡逻时的泄漏检测.

"Partnering with other companies and the government allows us all to do more than we could do individually through our R&D项目. 我们都同意在安全方面没有竞争。”罗伯逊说.