Pilot-Scale Testing of Natural Gas Pipeline Monitoring Based on Phase-OTDR and Enhanced Scatter Optical Fiber Cable

“In this paper, we present the results of lab and pilot‑scale testing of a continuously enhanced backscattering, or Rayleigh enhanced fiber cable that can improve distributed acoustic sensing performance. In addition, the Rayleigh‑enhanced fiber is embedded within a tight buffered cable configuration to withstand and be compatible for field applications. The sensing fiber cable exhibits a Rayleigh enhancement of 13 dB compared to standard silica single‑mode fiber while maintaining low attenuation of ≤ 0.4 dB/km. We built a phase‑sensitive optical time domain reflectometry system to interrogate the enhanced backscattering fiber cable both in lab and pilot‑scale tests. In the laboratory experiment, we analyzed the vibration performance of the enhanced backscattering fiber cable and compared it with the standard single‑mode telecom fiber. Afterward, we field validated for natural gas pipeline vibration monitoring using a 4‑inch diameter steel pipeline operating at a fixed pressure level of 1000 psi, and a flow rate of 5, 10, 15, and 20 ft/s. The feasibility of gas pipeline monitoring with the proposed enhanced backscattering fiber cable shows a substantial increase in vibration sensing performance. The pilot‑scale testing results demonstrated in this paper enable pipeline operators to perform accurate flow monitoring, leak detection, third‑party intrusion detection, and continuous pipeline ground movement.”

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