Scientists Develop Sensing Technology to Detect Underwater Gas Pipeline Leakage

Scientists at the University of Southampton have developed a new technology to sense leakages in gas pipelines underwater. According to this technology the research team has used simple underwater microphones to create acoustic signals that detect changes in the seabed.

This system can prove to be cost effective and more efficient than current detection systems that are used by the oil and gas industry.

Oil and gas pipelines can pose a grave danger to the environment when gas pipelines leak gases such as methane, which is a greenhouse pollutant. Oil leaked from oil rigs can harm the shipping industry and other facilities located on the shore. The new sensing system that is still in its developmental stages has the potential to reduce leakage of atmospheric gases by enabling remote monitoring of the pipelines. The new technology can also be used to analyse the integrity of the structure of facilities that capture and store carbon emissions, which is one of the major causes of global warming. The government of the UK had recently announced that it will invest £1 billion for the development of such storage facilities. Professor Tim Leighton and Professor Paul White from the University of Southampton conducted the research. The report of the research has been published in “Proceedings of the Royal Society A”.