SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will assess the feasibility of long-term leak monitoring of water, gas, and petroleum pipelines. The firm has designed and validated a portable acoustic leak detector which exceeds the performance of other devices which are limited to detection of acoustic leak signatures of 60 dB below the pipe noise level. Alternative technology consists of vehicle-based surveying methods, registering emissions. The new system is aimed at the challenging, unsolved problem of detecting leaks whose acoustic signatures are 90 dB below the noise level. Pipeline sensors are placed up to 20 miles apart and data is analyzed remotely. The present proposal will develop sophisticated signal processing methods needed to detect small, emerging leaks automatically. The firm is partnering with a well-established gas pipeline supplier. A series of experiments performed on a 10-mile gas pipeline will establish the sensitivity of the technology and the parameters of monitoring. Results will determine whether long-term, computerized small-leak monitoring of pipelines (gas, water, and petroleum alike) is feasible. The concept has generated enthusiasm from the gas industry. The Company projects a potential market of over $400 million, building on a portable-device water market of $100 million in which the firm is active. This award is supported by the Small Business Innovation Research Program and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to design a network of locally intelligent, acoustic monitors for deployment on water and gas pipelines. Each monitor will transmit data on a regular, long-term basis to a central base station. Pipeline integrity monitoring will be performed using sophisticated signal processing methods to detect leaks at an early stage. Leaks manifest as pipeline vibrations due to the turbulent flow that emanates from the leak site. Currently, gas sniffing and water listening surveys are the most widely used means of leakage control. In contrast to the present labor-intensive survey techniques, this proposal uses state of the art methods to detect leakage network-wide, below the current sensing thresholds and in an automated cost-effective manner. Commercial applications of this project are well defined. A product for monitoring water and gas distribution networks will be released during the last six months of the grant period. If successful, the product will feature long-term data recording, remote processing, data transmission and alarm features. In subsequent years this product will be made more sophisticated and expanded to include electric utility pipe, steam, and long-distance gas transmission lines. The total market potential in the US is estimated to be at least $400 million.