Leak detection systems in oil and gas fields

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The article is devoted to a review of methodological approaches to the localization and detection of liquid and gas leaks when using pipelines in oil and gas fields. The relevance of the issue is explained by the fact that a significant number of incidents that negatively affect the activities of oil and gas companies occur in connection with the leakage of resources in oil and gas fields. The purpose of the study is to present the state of the art of modern acoustic and infrared methods used to detect liquid and gas leaks in oil and gas fields. The author used various classifications to analyze the characteristics of the methods, allowing them to be divided into active and passive; acoustic, optical, electrical, and chemical systems methods; permanently installed and mobile liquid and gas leak detection systems. Among the considered methods for detecting liquid and gas leaks in oil and gas fields, acoustic and infrared methods are the most effective; they can be quite easily integrated into an existing liquid and gas leak detection system. Infrared and acoustic methods can also be used on pipelines, with the latter being used more often than infrared methods due to the fact that they cover very long pipelines using pinpoint liquid and gas leak detectors in oil and gas fields. More advanced concepts for leak detection systems in oil and gas fields involve a combination of several methods, for example, the study reflected the specificity of combining a magnetic and ultrasonic sensor for detecting liquid and gas leaks in oil and gas fields. Although innovative concepts continue to be developed, some oil and gas enterprises still employ methods based on manual human labor which includes examining and sampling the contents of pipelines. In conclusion, it was noted that at the present stage the practical application of several methods simultaneously in the system for detecting liquid and gas leaks in oil and gas fields is required, since each of them individually has significant disadvantages for oil and gas enterprises, which can be offset by an appropriate combination of existing methods.