751607A novel vision system to detect liquid in gas pipelinesClosedVouchersInnovate UKPipelines have formed an integral part of our Natural Gas transportation infrastructure for decades and their importance is growing, as resources reduce and new markets and demand open up. Liquid contamination in pipelines is a serious issue for safety, reliability of supply and commercially for gas supply and transportation companies. Existing technology is designed only to analyse dry gas. Liquid contamination damages the analysers and sample systems and there is no indication of the quantity of liquid present. Early detection of contamination is key and will result in the issue being dealt with before it becomes a commercial problem and most importantly an urgent safety issue. Our idea is to introduce a non-intruding vision system at various points in the pipeline in order to determine if a liquid is present in the pipeline, so that the correct course of action can be decided upon before it becomes a serious issue. Our goal is to establish a clear “proof of concept” for a novel pressurised window, containment system and vision system which can confirm the presence of liquid, while not interfering with routine “pigging” maintenance in the pipeline. The safety, economic and social benefits are numerous and the system would be retro-fitted onto any existing pipelines in the global supply network. At a time of great change in the global energy industry in terms of changing sources of gas and security of energy supply, we believe that this innovative technology will provide the UK with a real competitive advantage in the global energy supply market and oil & gas multinationals have already shown interest in the concept.