System and method for supervising, managing, and monitoring the structural integrity of a fluid-transportation pipeline network, for locating the leaking point, and for evaluating the extent of the failure

A system for supervising, managing, and monitoring the structural integrity of a network of metal pipelines for transporting a fluid, for detecting attempts of third-party intrusion, for locating the leaking point, and for evaluating any faults or failures, comprising:

• a plurality of detection units positioned on a pipeline for at least one of oil and gas at a distance apart by a given value and fixedly applied to the pipeline;
• a central data-processing unit connected by of at least one communication line to said plurality of detection units for receiving, therefrom, detection data;
• and
• means for alarming and automatically notifying activable following upon a detection,
• wherein the detention data comprises the time corresponding to at least one of each measurement and each detection,
• wherein said units comprise a container fixedly applied to the pipeline,
• wherein said units comprise a plurality of sensors housed within the container capable of detecting and measuring, with respect to predetermined reference thresholds, at least one of the following physical quantities:
• a linear acceleration, an angular acceleration, a magnetic field, a variation in temperature, a variation in pressure, and an ultrasound wave,
• wherein said units comprise a communication module for facilitating communication between units and with the central unit,
• wherein said units comprise a peripheral processing unit associated with said sensors and with said communication module,
• wherein said units communicate with one another according to a network architecture,
• wherein said processing unit processes, in real time, the detection data received from the detection units by taking into account the time corresponding to each detected data in order to detect any anomalous behaviour of the pipeline,
• wherein said units are arranged for detecting at least one of a variation in speed and a variation in orientation, through the measurements of the linear acceleration and the angular acceleration to which the units are subjected, for monitoring the three-dimensional and time-referenced attitude of the pipeline,
• wherein a supervision and management sub-system is associated with said central processing unit, which enables monitoring of the entire pipeline controlled through dynamic graphic representations, and
• wherein a sub-system for detecting any non-authorized attempts of at least one of an attack and an impact capable of at least one of breaking and damaging the pipeline is associated to the plurality of detection units and supplies the information detected to the supervision and management sub-system.

A method for supervising, managing, and monitoring the structural integrity of a network of metal pipelines for transporting a fluid, for locating a leaking point, and for evaluating at least one of faults and failures, implemented by a system, comprising:

• providing the system, the system comprising:
• a plurality of detection units fixedly applied on a pipeline for at least one of oil and gas at a given distance apart from one another;
• and
• a central data-processing unit connected by way of communication lines to said detection units for receiving therefrom the detection data;
• wherein said units comprise sensors capable of measuring, with respect to reference thresholds, at least one of the following physical quantities:
• a linear acceleration, an angular acceleration, a magnetic field, a temperature variation, a barometric pressure variation, and an ultrasound wave, said quantities being detected outside a section of passage of the fluid conveyed, said units further comprising a communication module;
• acquiring detection data, comprising the corresponding time of detection, in conditions of normal operation for acquiring a knowledge of the state of normal operation;
• processing data detected, including the time thereof, to determine the mean values of at least one of the measurements and quantities through dimensional thresholdings for each individual measurement in order to acquire experiential data and to define the behaviour models of the pipeline;
• applying to the detection data filters based upon the experiential data in the case of detection of measurements that fall outside the reference thresholds or are altered with respect thereto, evaluating the intensity of the measurement or measurements detected, and calculating/defining an associated fault, carrying out a behavioural analysis of the pipeline;
• and
• recognizing any anomalous behaviour of the pipeline and recognizing the fault and locating the point of detection of the event or leak that has generated the fault.