A novel vision system to detect liquid in gas pipelines – LineVu

Pipelines 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 great interest in the concept.