Third party damage poses the greatest threat to the safe operation of transmission pipelines. Whatever form it takes – from excavation and impact during construction to farming activity – in nearly every case physical impact can lead to either an immediate or a delayed failure which poses a threat to both pipeline safety and the environment. GE’s ThreatScan impact detection system provides pipeline operators with the means to reliably determine when and where their pipeline has been struck.

ThreatScan, is an acoustic based monitoring system that overcomes the traditional challenges faced by pipeline operators, providing effective early warning of third party damage above a certain level. It will be available to customers in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Reliable Detection

Pipeline operators need to detect strikes to their pipeline in order to investigate and determine appropriate responses. Rapid detection above a certain level is possible through a series of proprietary, ATEX-certified hydrophones, which attach easily to pipeline facilities without the need for tapping. Knowledge of all pipeline strikes is essential to reducing threatening activity and pipeline failures.

Continuous Monitoring

Unlike other techniques, ThreatScan is always listening, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So if anything happens to the pipeline ThreatScan knows about it. GE’s remote monitoring center provides around the clock monitoring; should a strike occur, we will quickly and accurately assesses its severity, eliminating false alarms and identifying immediate threats with verified notifications sent to the pipeline operator within 30 minutes.

Accurate Localization

Reporting where an impact occurs is one of ThreatScan’s important features. Operators can quickly deploy crews to investigate damage at the specific location, stop on-going activity, respond to failures and develop repair plans.

Prevent Future Failures

Pipeline operators are consistently looking for operational efficiencies that will allow them to reduce costs without reducing safety. ThreatScan enables operators not only to respond rapidly to immediate threats to their pipeline, but to undertake repairs to damage that, if left untreated, could lead to future failures with potentially greater financial, safety and environmental consequences.

Highly Effective

Alternative methods, such as surveying used for third party activity and damage, generally need to be carried out too frequently or are too costly to retrofit to provide a truly effective means of safeguarding a pipeline from third party impact. By combining both full time monitoring of the entire pipeline length and tuning to the specific pipeline environment ThreatScan minimizes the likelihood of false calls.

Risk Mitigation

Knowing that your pipeline has been hit by a third party is important – but knowing how to identify the threat and determine what action to take to prevent it happening again is a key component of ensuring ongoing safety. ThreatScan’s monthly activity report enables ongoing incident trending and risk assessment to establish mitigation strategies to limit the likelihood of re-occurrence and put a stop to repeat offenders.

For more information, please contact:

Jeffrey Johnson 
jeffreyw.johnson@ge.com

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