Leak Detection - System Specification - Issue 8

Proprietary
OptaSense Leak Detection Specification

Valid for version OS6 onwards
Date: Dec 2021
Issue: Issue 8
OptaSense Ref: OptaSense/ENG/590
© OptaSense Ltd 2021 OptaSense Leak Detection Specification

Proprietary OptaSense/ENG/590 – Issue 8
Amendment Record
Issue Change Reason for Change Date
Request
1 N/A Initial Issue 23/01/2017

2 Formatting Correction of Printing Error in Section 2.1 15/01/2018
3 Formatting and Update of Philosophy, Update to latest doc 26/11/2018
Test template, update of test approach
4 Software Update of leak specs to 5.9 standard 20/08/2019
5 Governance GDPR aligned 08/11/2019
6 Content Inclusion of Gas Leak performance graph 08/06/2020
7 Content Addition of alternate units for leak spec 20/01/2021
8 Content Update to OS6 standard and addition of typical 02/12/2021
exposed pipeline performance
Contact:
support@optasense.com
The document contains information proprietary to OptaSense and whose unauthorised disclosure
would cause damage to the interests of OptaSense. Requests for permission for wider use or dissemination
should be made to your OptaSense account manger
Specification is liable to change without warning – please contact OptaSense for latest version.
Reference: OptaSense/ENG/590
Copyright © OptaSense Ltd 2021, Cody Technology Park, Ively Road, Farnborough GU14 0LX
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© OptaSense Ltd 2021 1 OptaSense Leak Detection Specification
Contents
1 System Overview ................................................................................................................ 3
1.1 Introduction................................................................................................................................................. 3
1.2 Core Technology .......................................................................................................................................... 3
2 System Architecture ........................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Hardware Architecture ................................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Software Architecture ................................................................................................................................. 5
2.3 System Interfaces ........................................................................................................................................ 6
3 OptaSense 4-Mode™ and LeakFusion™ ............................................................................... 7
3.1 The benefits of 4-Mode™ ............................................................................................................................ 8
4 4-Mode™ Leak Performance ............................................................................................... 9
4.1 4-Mode™ Validation Efforts ........................................................................................................................ 9
4.2 4-Mode™ Performance Specification .......................................................................................................... 9
4.3 Schedule of leak detections....................................................................................................................... 10
4.4 Typical Performance .................................................................................................................................. 11
4.5 Understanding Response Time.................................................................................................................. 11
5 Comparison to Conventional Approaches .......................................................................... 14
5.1 Classification of Leak Detection Systems .................................................................................................. 14
5.2 OptaSense 4-Mode™ performance metrics .............................................................................................. 14
5.3 Computational Leak Detection performance benchmark ......................................................................... 14
5.4 Graphical Performance Comparison ......................................................................................................... 15
6 Project Development and Deployment.............................................................................. 16
6.1 4-Mode™ Optimization ............................................................................................................................. 16
6.1.3 Alert Approach / Alert Fusion .................................................................................................................... 16
6.2 OptaSense 4-Mode™ Delivery Workflow .................................................................................................. 18
6.3 Range of Performance ............................................................................................................................... 21
7 Commissioning and Tuning ............................................................................................... 22
Appendix A. Associated Information .................................................................................... 23
A.1 List of Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................ 23
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1 System Overview
OptaSense OS6 uses Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing technology to provide real-time monitoring information
along long linear assets, such as pipelines. The technology utilises a single, dark fiber optic strand within a
cable buried in a suitable location adjacent to the asset being monitored.
The purpose of this document is to provide a capability specification for the OptaSense leak detection product,
based on the core OS6 system architecture. This is a very widely deployed product around the world, that has
been through years of validation and evaluation projects, with several product upgrades. This document
builds on the OS6 Architecture & Component Specification (document reference: OptaSense/ENG/1013) which
provides a more detailed specification of the core technology on which the applications are based.
In addition, this document refers to the OptaSense Cable Deployment Guide for Pipelines (document
reference: OptaSense/OLA/330) which provides the specifications for the deployment of the fiber optic cable
required for pipeline monitoring applications using the OptaSense system.
The interrogation system utilises coherent optical time domain reflectometry (C-OTDR) – measuring the
inherent Rayleigh back scatter resulting from the transit of a pulse of transmitted light down an optical fiber –
to reconstruct the acoustic signals present at many thousands of discrete locations along the sensing cable.
The back scattered light signal is modulated by the local strain, temperature and acoustic conditions thus
allowing the acoustic signals to be reconstituted from the observed back scatter light signal.
The system is impervious to linear variation along the length of the sensor (strong signals near the sensor do
not prevent distant quiet signals further along the sensor from being received), impervious to external
jamming or interference from electromagnetic radiation and is intrinsically safe, involving no active electronics
or electrical signal.
Multiple interrogators can be installed along a single fiber optic cable at suitable junction points and be
networked together, creating the ability to monitor extremely long linear assets from one (or more) control
locations. Internet access provides a global means of monitoring an acoustic signal from a precise location
anywhere, any time.
A highly sophisticated automatic processing regime analyses thousands of acoustic signals in parallel and in
real time, providing an automated means of detecting, classifying and localising specific activities or events.
The system then alerts the operator to the presence of a specific incident taking place at any monitored point
along their asset. Live acoustic feedback allows the identified activity to be listened to in real time.
Any OptaSense installation is a combination of software, hardware and a customer-provided fiber.
Consequently, the system performance on any given installation will depend on features that are unique to
that environment, such as fiber offset from the asset, attenuation of the laser signal along its length, and
acoustic coupling between the fiber and source of activity.
The performance estimates provided within this document apply to fiber deployment conditions that meet the
specifications defined in the OptaSense Cable Deployment Guide for Pipelines (document reference:
OptaSense/OLA/330).
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2 System Architecture
An OptaSense® deployment comprises four core elements:
• Sensor cable Single Mode fiber optic cable, per OptaSense recommendations on cable
selection and installation
• Interrogator Unit OptaSense rack mountable units to monitor the connected fiber using
Distributed Acoustic Sensing techniques
• Processing Unit High reliability performance computing, to process the raw data with
OptaSense proprietary algorithm detectors
• Operator Workstation Provides user interface display, audio output and interfaces to external
systems
Figure 1: Outline of the key elements of an OptaSense® system
The OptaSense® leak detection application is based on the OS6 core system architecture, which is documented
in detail in the separate OS6 Architecture & Component Specification.
The OptaSense leak detection application is based on the typical OS5 distributed network system hardware
architecture. The major system hardware components are detailed below:
• Interrogator Unit
➢ The Interrogator Unit (IU) provides the sensor interrogation and analysis, delivering the
acoustic data to the processing server.
• Processing Unit
➢ The Processing Unit (XPU, DXPU) is a powerful 1U rack mounted server running a bespoke
version of Linux that processes the data outputted from the IUs.
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• Control Unit
➢ The Control Unit (CU) comprises several different pieces of equipment including a powerful
desktop all-in-one pc, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and headphones. The control unit
is used to display the OptaSense® GUI whilst also running the latest OptaSense® software.
• Ancillary:
➢ GES – Gigabit Ethernet Switch (provides network connectivity between equipment)
➢ ECPS – Ethernet Controlled Power supply (provides remote power control)
➢ VBIS – Vertical Blow IU Shelf (used to cool the interrogator unit)
➢ Termination unit (used to suppress end reflection)
An example OptaSense system compromising two IUs is shown below.
The above shows an example equipment location configured for Leak detection on a pipeline with additional
block valve station perimeter security. In this example, rack equipment is located within one of the perimeters
of a block valve station. A single IU may monitor up to 60 km1 of pipeline and the perimeters of associated
block valves. The control unit(s) can be either co-located with the rack equipment or elsewhere on the client
network.
Extended distances can be monitored by networking multiple OptaSense Interrogator Units together using the
distributed network architecture described in Section 2 of the OS6 Architecture & Component Specification
document.
The OptaSense leak detection system includes the full OS6 Core Desktop Suite of software and all the
associated features.
The main features of OS6 which are relevant to the TPI application are as follows:
• Map display Provides satellite imagery of asset coverage of DAS installation, with the
location of fiber sensor and other key environmental features.
• Waterfall display Visualisation of acoustic data received from the fiber sensor, enabling
detailed user investigation of events.
• Data recording Automatic and manual acoustic data recording capability, enabling further
investigation of historical incidents.
• Monitoring Algorithms A suite of algorithms enables automated detection of leak events using
OptaSense 4-Mode™ leak detection.
1 OLA2.1+ and QuantX only. OLA2.1 performs to 50km.
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The OptaSense® software currently has the capability to output data via the following interfaces:
• Camera Control Sub Systems,
• Mobile Communications,
• SMS Module,
• Email Communications,
• Dry Contact Relays,
• HTTP
• MODBUS
• OPC-UA
For more information on system interfaces, please see Section 4 of the OS5 Architecture & Component
Specification document.
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3 OptaSense 4-Mode™ and LeakFusion™

In 2014 OptaSense released the world’s first fiber optic
based multiple measurand leak detector, utilizing a
detector that takes in four key leak related signals that
can be delivered by a single fiber optic cable being used
in a Rayleigh backscatter / Coherent OTDR (Optical
Time Domain Reflectometry) mode. The overall aim of
4-Mode™ leak is to improve sensitivity and reaction
time (as compared to conventional systems) by orders
of magnitude, whilst implementing an unprecedented
± 10m (33ft) accuracy on alert location. Our
LeakFusion™ approach, which brings together
4-mode™ leak, ensures that the leak output is
optimised to the pipeline conditions and environment
and increases sensitivity, reliability and robustness.
Leak Detection Mode Description Alert Details
NPP (Negative Pressure The sudden pressure change caused by the Immediately formed on the main
Pulse) product inside the pipe suddenly being allowed leak event and propagates at rapid
to flow out of the pipe causes an acoustic pulse speed in both directions within the
to propagate significant distance in both pipe – the signal is coupled to pipe
directions within the pipe. Continued turbulent and received by the continuous
flow out of the orifice generates a continued fiber outside. This is normally our
second order effect. most sensitive detection mode.
OFN (Orifice Noise) The outflow of product from an orifice will Immediately on a leak event. Small
create an acoustic signature that can be leaks produce only a very small
measured, typically at high frequency acoustic component and require
the cable to be near the pipeline.
Environmental Strain This can take two forms: 1) The release of For large leaks or ground heave
(Ground Heave) product will create a small strain on the fiber circumstances the alert triggers
affecting the backscatter signature. 2) A larger immediately on the leak event.
release of product (particularly prevalent in gas
For small leaks the alert will not
leaks) will cause a larger ground heave which
take place until the product reaches
will modulate the backscatter on a wider
the fiber. This time will depend on
segment of cable.
cable offset and orientation.
In small liquid leaks the signal will be realised in
parallel with the DTGS component.
DTGS (Distributed As the leak product (gas / liquid) interacts with The alert requires the product (or
Temperature Gradient the cable, minute (fractions of a degree) temperature effect) to reach the
Sensing) temperature changes modulate the backscatter fiber and is generally experienced
signal and can be interpreted. A gas will tend to after some delay. This time will
drop the temperature, liquids can either raise or depend on cable offset, ground
lower the temperature. The system does not conditions and orientation.
measure absolute temperature but alerts on
changes in temperature.
4-Mode™ refers to the construction of our Leak Detector – it uses inputs from multiple different modes – it is
in effect a computational system or form of software modelling, with data derived from a fiber optic sensing
medium.
LeakFusion™ refers to the aggregation, and computation of an event detection from the individual modes. The
specifics of LeakFusion™, the settings for individual modes (and the presence of modes) are all decided on
specifically for each project.
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4-Mode™ is our leak product – it exploits LeakFusion™ to deliver a low nuisance alarm rate (NAR), high
confidence result.
4-Mode™ leak together with LeakFusion™ delivers the following benefits:

• Sensitivity, accuracy and reliability: Using multi-modal detections on a fiber external to the pipe,
OptaSense can detect smaller leaks faster with higher locational accuracy compared to conventional
systems. This enables a faster response time, with smaller overall leak volumes - thereby reducing the
costs of leaks both short term and long term.
• This capability is combined with OptaSense’s damage prevention and condition monitoring products,
on the same fiber and hardware, so leaks caused by third party intrusion can be prevented. This
avoids the cost of preventable third-party leaks altogether. At the same time, dynamic pipeline
conditions such as slack lines and in-line maintenance operations can be monitored or controlled.
• Highly flexible leak detection set-up: OptaSense leak detection settings can be configured according
to both the demands of the pipe and the environment, which will likely change along the Right of Way
(ROW). This includes varying ground conditions, fiber types, fiber geometries, pipeline products,
pipeline types and uniquely, pipeline phasing – all through tuning and fusion optimisation.
• Highly flexible Control set-up: OptaSense understand that Operators have different requirements,
Control systems and system management protocols. We work closely with clients to deliver our rich
monitoring data in ways that are suited to and actionable by a specific Operator, fitting within their
wider control architecture. This includes a number of SCADA and other DCS interfaces which can be
tailored to a particular client’s needs. Once again this ensures the correct response in the shortest
time possible.
• The OptaSense leak detection approach uses a single mode fiber optic cable as the sensing medium,
and this in itself can provide a number of benefits to an Operator, namely: lower annual costs for
more reliable and higher data rate (e.g. 10G) communications.
• 4-Mode™ leak can be deployed equally effectively across liquid, gas or (uniquely) multiphase lines –
and in subsea, buried, or above ground installations
• The system exploits all the benefits of fiber sensing including exceptional location accuracy as well as
maintaining the ability to exploit in parallel our wider suite of Leak Prevention and Pipeline Integrity
Monitoring products
• Designed to be supportive of API Recommended Practices and advice notes. See separate OptaSense
documentation on how the system is mapped with API.
• OptaSense is an external system (outside the pipe) and so does not interfere with the integrity of the
pipe or flow operations.
• As with our third-party intrusion product, the sensor requires no external power – only at equipment
locations and causes no interference. This offers high reliability and availability.
• The system can be integrated with our third-party interference, pigging, slack line and valve
monitoring packages without need for additional hardware or fibers.
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4 4-Mode™ Leak Performance

This key section of the document presents our performance specification together with some representative
placement of this within the context of existing pipeline leak detection systems and customer experience. We
follow this with evidence from industry performance tests and commercial projects which provide an
evidential baseline for this performance.
Pipeline operator Leak Detection performance requirements
The requirements for any leak detection system can be characterized as follows:
• Sensitivity – how small a leak can the system detect
• Response time – inherently coupled to the sensitivity metric
• Location Accuracy - tolerance of leak position estimation
• Leak Size Accuracy – if available, define the size of the leak
• Reliability – Ability of the leak detection system to accurately make detections with an acceptable
NAR.
• Robustness – Ability of the leak detection system to continue to function during dynamic pipeline
conditions – i.e. change of conditions (e.g. slack lines, pigging) affect the sensitivity or reliability metric
• Versatility – often not considered as leak detection systems are often purchased in a single “flavor”
for a specific product – but how well can the technology be adapted to different product conditions –
e.g. liquid / gas / multi-phase.
• Cost - This should be considered as through life cost over 25 years for example – not just capital cost.
Installation cost, maintenance burden, equipment availability and secondary supporting system
requirements all need to be considered.
OptaSense have participated in numerous industry leak tests and conducted many of our own at our own
facilities. All of these tests share in common a gross simplification of the nature of a leak to suit the needs of
laboratory or small scale testing and whilst the results have been instrumental in assisting the development of
leak detection techniques this simplification by definition fails to accurately replicate the acoustic and
vibrational nature of a leak and in particular has been unable to produce any verification data for the
assessment of the performance of the critical NPP mode.
Recognizing this shortfall, OptaSense committed in late 2017 and early 2019 to verifying leak detection at full
scale – first for above ground leak detection at the SINTEF large scale loop and later for below ground leaks at
the CTDUT test facility in Brazil. Both of these are full scale pipelines and both of these tests feature leaks on
the main bore - by the use of burst discs and remotely actuated valves to deliver the closest and most accurate
representation of a leak possible.
White papers from both of these test series are available to present a detailed review of the results and
performance of OptaSense 4-Mode leak.
The following specification and continued improvement of our detection software is now not only influenced
by the valuable data recorded on site but moreover verified for detection performance - a world first.
OptaSense publishes the following specifications for performance. These are based on extensive testing and
development, both from in house experiments, client-funded tests and self-funded tests at external
laboratories. These are under continual review and as more operational data is collected these may be
adjusted.
It is typical that clients contact OptaSense to gain performance estimates for a specific pipeline scenario, based
on a pipeline’s unique characteristics, providing pipeline pressure ranges, flow, volume, cable offset, pipe
diameter, product type etc. Please contact OptaSense for further details of leak detection performance specific
to your project.
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4.2.1 Mode and Fusion behavior

It is worth recalling that the different modes will respond in a different way to the presence of a leak
dependent also on the leaked product – this is taken into consideration in the LeakFusion™ integrator, which is
NOT looking for a contribution for each mode, but rather looks to build confidence in the leak alarm.
With this in mind, the performance of the detector is NOT FIXED – in different soil, cable or geometry
conditions the same leak may take a different time to develop into an alarm – what is more important is what
performance is delivered on average.
Additionally it is the fused output that creates the alarm that should be considered for performance - the
following notes illustrate how each of the individual modes deliver a result and how detection time &
sensitivity limits are affected.
Negative Pressure Pulse

•Signal evident at leak onset and may be repeated depending on flow conditions
•Signal is dependent on density and pressure of product - oil is easier to detect, gas lines restricted to high
pressure transmission
•Detectable at the smallest leak levels accessible to our technology
•Detection time c. 1 min (to filter out other transient sources - eg. Pipeline Inspection Gauges / Scrapers)
•Not suitable for short pipelines as detection not possible within ~250m of ends of monitored section
Orifice Noise
•Signal starts as soon as leak starts. Rapid Detection. c. 1 min in a typical quiet background
•Audibility decreases rapidly with range from leak.
•All phases are detectable, below ground tends to perform better than above ground due to the creation of
more vibration
Ground Heave / Environmental Strain

•For small leaks this takes the form of a pressure of fluid on the cable and will be concurrent with DTGS signal
and will have same noise floor
•Small leaks may take some time to reach fiber and induce effect - see below - possibly tens of minutes.
•For large gas leaks this will be felt as a ground heave
•Large leaks will be felt from the onset of the leak and will register in c. 1-5 min
Distributed Temperature Gradient Sensing

•Signal will only start when leaking product temperature affect touches fiber
•This is VERY sensitive to fractions of a degree of change and can register in minutes, but the percolation time
for small leaks to reach fiber position may be large - see Section 4.5.1
•Response time will vary between minutes and tens of minutes dependent on whether fiber is close to leak
and in path of temperature change (this may not be radial)
•Suitable where product has more than 3°C temperature difference to pipe and leaking product has a route to
impact the fibre
From the above we can see that there is a flexible performance which will vary with product type, cable
location and size of leak.
OptaSense 4-Mode utilizes a twin track approach to detection:

• At onset, detection of the NPP as a stand-alone alert – this can be achieved confidently at much
smaller levels of leak than other modes and therefore may be the only leak signal experienced
• Following the leak, a confirmation of detections from one or more of the remaining 3 detectors
• Throughout a leak episode, all of the detection indicators can be tracked for progress and feedback
The expectation for operators therefore is to investigate an initial NPP alert – for the reason that there are
some (but not many) possible alternative sources – e.g. slack lines or pigging. Additionally, to monitor the
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feedback from the other detectors – where a leak is of sufficient magnitude we would expect after an NPP to
observe activity on the OFN, Strain, DTGS detectors though the activity may not be significant enough to
generate confirmatory alerts.
Buried Pipeline Response time Location

Performance Typical Sensitivity Accuracy
Typical Variances
Liquid Leak NPP 15 LPM (6 bbl/hr) 1 min /
Liquid Leak all 150 LPM (57 bbl/hr)

5 min 1 to 15 min
modes
±10m (33 ft)
Gas Leak NPP 2000 SLPM (71 scfm) 1 min /
Gas Leak all modes 5000 SLPM (177 scfm) 5 min 1 to 15 min
Exposed Pipeline Response time Location

Performance Typical Sensitivity Accuracy
Typical Variances
Liquid Leak NPP 15 LPM (6 bbl/hr) 1 min /
Liquid Leak all 250 LPM (95 bbl/hr)

5 min 1 to 15 min
modes
±10m (33 ft)
Gas Leak NPP 2000 SLPM (71 scfm) 1 min /
Gas Leak all modes 5000 SLPM (177 scfm) 5 min 1 to 15 min
OptaSense 4-Mode has the ability to alert significantly quicker than conventional methods and for smaller leak
sizes, these factors come together in 4-Mode where different detectors play different roles. As the leak
detection is an external system, the performance of each mode tends NOT to be based on leak flow rates (as
per an internal system) but rather on the absolute volume of the fluid spilled. Nevertheless, the industry is
used to visualising leak performance in terms of % of flow rates, so in the following graphs we present a
comparison approach to illustrate how the given sensitivity may be realised.
2
“Typical” performance expected to be delivered in most deployment circumstances. Actual performance will be based on a range of
parameters and OptaSense should be contacted for a specific scenario. Detection at lower rates may be possible for favorable fiber and
pipe conditions.
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Detection Speed
100min
10min
1min
OFN
NPP Liquids
0.1min
Liquid Leak Rate
10 LPM (4 bbl/hr) 100 LPM (38bbl/hr) 1000 LPM (377 bbl/hr)
~Size Comparison
0.1% 1% 10% 100%
Detection Speed
100min
10min
1min
OFN
Gas
NPP
1000 SLPM (35 SCFM)
Gas Leak Rate
10,000 SLPM (353 SCFM) 100,000 SLPM (3531 SCFM)
~Size Comparison
0.1% 1% 10% 100%
Figure 2: The responsive of each of our 4-Modes compared to CPM (size comparison only valid for given pipeline) –
Liquids (top) and gas (bottom)
The above graph indicates the split nature of the leak: Our NPP alert is rapid and responds to the quickest
signal on the smallest leaks – we can do this with high confidence because the alert is uniquely created by the
contribution from tens or hundreds of channels responding at the appropriate time corresponding to the
speed of sound in the fluid – this ensures a low NAR.
There may be occasions however where a large leak occurs and we do not get a simultaneous NPP - e.g., an
older small leak getting larger. We therefore don’t want to FORCE a logical link between the two. To
accommodate different scenarios our LeakFuser™ is generally configured to provided Leak alerts in the
following manner:
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NPP OFN DTGS Strain
Leak NPP Alert at small rates 1

(Refer to Section 4.4)
Leak Alert at medium rates 1 x NPP + one confirming alert of any type
(Refer to Section 4.4)
One of each
Any mixture of 2 alerts on one detector and then one of the others
4.5.1 Delayed Alerting from Product Percolation

The overall time to alert will be a sum of two times:
1) Propagation time of the leak signal to the sensing cable and,
2) Response time of the cable to the leak stimulus.
For pure acoustic methods (e.g. Orifice noise, NPP) the propagation time is effectively immediate – because
the time taken for the sound signal to reach the fiber is effectively instantaneous.
For the DTGS mode (and in some cases for the environmental strain mode) ground propagation conditions
become more of an issue as these modes require product to reach the fiber.
Leak propagation may not be always be as expected – for a specific leak event, the leak path may actually be
more linear rather than radial as the leak travels outwards from the source and will exploit the weakest route
through the soil – leading to “fingering” and a prolonged period before this mode detects. In the example
shown in Figure 3 the leak event is initially observed around 40 m away from the true leak location as a result
of the product finding an alternative route through the soil.
Key points:
• Multiple Modes are needed to overcome delays in leak detection from techniques which rely on
sensor being in the path of the leak – hence 4-Mode™ and acoustic approaches
• Increasing cable standoff leads to exponential increases in detection time for this mode
• Effects may be further exacerbated by temperature equalization
Figure 3: In the leak shown above we see a strong signal for a period of time on C870 before migration to C910 (the
correct location) owing to wash out / forced throughput
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5 Comparison to Conventional Approaches
Current state of the art of Leak Detection systems are computational based systems that analyse the readings
of a number of different point sensors along the pipeline. Their sensitivity is typically based on the density of
point sensors, and they typically require consistent or homogenous pipeline operating conditions. They detect
the presence of a leak from a change in flow or pressure between different points (for example). By
comparing such measurements from flow data and timing, the systems are able to estimate the location of a
leak (e.g., X litres came in, X-Y came out).
There are a variety of computational approaches that may be taken:
• Line & volume balance
• Pressure / flow rate modelling
• Statistical modelling
• Real Time transient modelling
• Acoustic & negative pressure wave (discrete sensors – internal or external)
In addition, systems are generally labelled as either “internal” or “external” – i.e. are they measuring an
intrinsic condition of the state of the product flowing within the pipeline or are they an external sensor
attempting to pick up the presence of the leak.
Acoustic & negative pressure wave sensors straddle this definition – picking up a secondary effect of the leak
(the negative pressure pulse), sensed using an acoustic transducer connected to the pipe.
OptaSense 4 Mode is classified as an “external” system (where the fiber sits OUTSIDE the pipeline – either in
conduit or directly buried). The fundamentals of response are slightly different:
• Negative Pressure Pulses travelling inside the pipe felt as vibration OUTSIDE the pipe
• Orifice Noise at the leak point radiating in the surrounding soil / picked up as vibration
• A ground heave from around the leak causing a strain in a neighbouring fibre
• Leaked fluid (liquid or gas) contacting the fiber and causing a strain / temperature change or both
OptaSense are currently being tested down to single digit lpm rates and, with the fiber in the correct
orientation, will provide reliable detection down to a spontaneous leak of around 15 lpm (NPP first alert) –
which would be detectable by the system within in seconds. Although our performance is measured in leak
rate rather than proportion of main bore flow rate, for a typical condition of a 600,000 bpd pipeline this could
represent a leak of just 128 barrels per day which is a tiny fraction, when bearing in mind a CPM system will
only detect a 1% leak after averaging for tens of minutes.
Such systems are well respected and are widely used to automate or influence the decision making on the
shutdown of pipelines. There is a strong understanding of such systems amongst the pipeline community. The
most recent update in this technology has been the development of faster windowing for large leak data to
give a more rapid “rupture” alert.
Such systems can be characterised as follows:
• Noise floor of systems (typically 1% of flow rates for transmission pipes) is quite large in terms of leak
volume (see below)
• Time to alert / statistical averaging etc is long, particularly for low leak volumes (typically 60 to 90
minutes for minimum detectable leaks) leading to large spills before a result is registered
• Poor ability to estimate location (accuracy is measured in km or miles)
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• Good ability to provide leak size data (within long timeframes mentioned above), as sensors are
metering product data internal to the pipe
• Reliable (within their operating envelope)
• Good Industry understanding and trust
• Established workflows
• Widespread Integration with operational systems
Conventional CPM Leak Detection
Sensing floor about 1% of flow rate (hundreds of lpm)
Good for large leaks, but very slow at sensing floor (hours)
Poor with a practical number of sensors – measured in km
Good ability to discriminate
Well proven
Limited ability to handle transient conditions
Solutions are generally fixed to product – there is

no effective internal multi-phase solution
OptaSense 4-Mode Leak
See Section 5.2
Seconds to minutes
±10m
Limited capability
LeakFusion™ controls NAR
System can be used to monitor dynamic conditions
Adaptable & copes with Multiphase
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6 Project Development and Deployment
One of the unique features of 4-Mode™ is the ability to optimise the performance of the leak detection
solution with product, pipeline configuration and environment. A feat that is not possible with point sensor
based computational techniques. Moreover, the performance can be modulated along a fiber run, so a single
deployment can cover multiple product lines with different settings in different zones.
The following sections illustrate how this optimisation process is delivered for an individual project.
6.1.1 Environmental thresholds

At its simplest level each detector looks for evidence of a specific signal exceeding a defined threshold. The
thresholds for each of the leak detection modes can be adapted along the pipeline by varied to accommodate
variations in background signal. Prior to OS6, this was accomplished with a series of zone-based thresholds
configured by the engineer during installation. With OS6 this approach is now implemented on a channel-by-
channel basis with the system automatically learning the natural SNR variation of each channel and setting the
thresholds to maximise sensitivity without excessive NAR. With this channel-by-channel approach, the system
trends towards a flat NAR across the monitored system while maximising the sensitivity at every location. The
automation of the leak threshold setting also saves considerable engineering time during the installation.
6.1.2 Pipeline Specific Consideration

Before an installation takes place, the pipeline specific details will be considered by OptaSense to identify the
best implementation of OptaSense 4-Mode™. The identification of the following (but not exhaustive) list will
allow OptaSense to tailor 4-Mode™ specific to the pipeline:
1. Product Type – Liquid/Gas/Mixed Phase
2. Product Temperature
3. Pressure & Flow Rates
4. Speed of sound in the product
5. Fiber offset & relative orientation
6. Fiber burial conditions (including both burial media and whether in conduit etc)
7. Average ambient temperatures and diurnal / annual profiles
6.1.3 Alert Approach / Alert Fusion

The intention of the 4-mode™ LeakFusion™ approach is two-fold:
• Integration of multiple complementary detectors to enhance system reliability, reduce NAR statistics
and allow (where conditions dictate) an increase in system sensitivity
• Tailoring of the weighting of each of the individual detectors to the local leak detection requirements
and conditions experienced, also resulting in higher sensitivity, reliability and accuracy
Thus, a land-based, buried, gas pipeline can have a different configuration from a land-based, above-ground,
liquid pipeline, and from a subsea, mixed-phase pipeline. The configuration of the system can be tailored to each
pipeline.
OptaSense works with the end-user to configure the system both at a macro level to suit the needs and
experience of the control room staff, and at a micro level to continuously adapt the installation to account for
different environmental profiles along the right of way / pipeline route.
Individual detectors can be utilised in isolation as well as a fully fused approach involving contributions from all
or some detectors dependent on their expected contribution from the project design.
Some examples of these weightings are provided below, which OptaSense will configure specific to a particular
project and Operator requirement:
Proprietary
• Buried Liquid Pipelines
• Buried Gas Pipelines
• Subsea Gas & Liquid Pipelines
Proprietary
• Mixed Phase Flow Lines
• Above Ground Pipeline
The following workflow identifies the high-level workflow of delivering 4-Mode™ and LeakFusion™ to a client.
1. Before the installation starts, OptaSense engineers discuss the fusion and detector approach along
the lines of Section 4 with the client.
2. System is installed and calibrated as per the standard OS6 suite of manuals.
3. With the advent of OS6, the system auto-tunes every channel individually as it learns about the
environment for each channel. The system will settle down to achieve the most sensitive thresholds
possible while targeting an acceptable NAR. After the settling period, OptaSense will revisit the
system to check that the learning process is on the right track.
6.2.1 Leak Toolkit, Alert Integration & API Standards

OptaSense envisages that the user base for 4-mode leak will encompass clients with a range of abilities from
those who require a minimal NAR and will use the system in a “STOP OPERATIONS” mode on receiving a leak
alarm, through to operators who deploy an SME in the control room and will operate in a more sensitive scenario
Proprietary
with an accepted NAR increase through the use of individual mode alerts being received in parallel with the main
fused alerts (signified as “events” and “alerts” – colour coded as “orange” and “red”).
The requirements of the various API documentation in these areas has led the product development; OptaSense
can provide a mapping of our approach to the API standards if required. Although the API recommended
procedures, standards & publications are aimed largely at mass balance / computational methods, they do
represent the existing expectation of the industry and OptaSense have taken care to map an approach that
provides a smooth transition.
OptaSense publishes a detailed API compliance matrix document and would be pleased to issue this on request.
We envisage the Leak toolkit utilities as being a key component of the implementation of 4-mode Leak with a
client, here diverging from the API standards by embedding the analysis functions in the leak detection system
rather than in the SCADA / DCS. The rationale behind this is that as 4-mode leak is not based on a statistical
analysis of point measurement sources, but rather is based on proprietary algorithms and distributed sensor
analysis, the analysis is directly intertwined with the operations.
We do envisage methods to integrate this output with other operational systems, but this is likely to be custom
to individual clients.
Our envisaged end to end analysis suite is illustrated below:
The following items are featured:

Integration
Conventional leak detection approaches will normally use a MODBUS type approach to trigger alarm statistics;
this is entirely appropriate for those statistical toolsets but as the overall algorithmic analysis is conducted
internally to the leak detection system, OptaSense recommends an IP based Rich messaging format to convey
Proprietary
the detail of alarm messages and recommends an HTTP based messaging protocol which is easily interfaced to
the majority of SCADA / DCS systems. Other interfaces are also available.
Life of an Alert 1 – Notification
An alert is initially presented to the user (via audible and visual notification) as a red alert on the Alert table on
screen. This can be notified or deleted by the user but will still continue to return provided that the alert
conditions are still satisfied. All historic alerts can still be interrogated or queried.
In addition, orange level alerts (events) or pre-alerts can also be delivered to the user (as decided is necessary
on a project basis).
Red and Orange Leak alerts correspond to fused output which meet the correct alert (or pre-alert) thresholds.
The output from individual modes is displayed on the map as a heat map and can also be viewed in the pre-alert
panel if required.
Life of an Alert 2 – Confidence
The system provides easy access to a variety of information and tools to allow further rapid investigation into
the cause of an alert.
Life of an Alert 3 – Verification / Data Trending
Navigating into an alert brings up a trending screen where the operator can view the time-based trend either on
a static snapshot or rolling / time compressing (one end fixed) basis. The aim of this will be to allow the operator
to view before / during / after an alert and make decisions.
An example of the trending information is shown in Figure 4.
In this example we clearly see the life of the alert progressing:
• The alert is initiated by the detection of an NPP event. This isn’t shown in the figure but coincides with
the red vertical line that indicates the start of the alert.
• Shortly afterwards, the OFN signal breaches the detection threshold and contributes to the leak alert.
The signal continues to rise throughout the life of the leak.
• A strain detection follows shortly after the start of the OFN (time taken for leaking product to
propagate) and rises to an approximately static level – illustrating the pressure of the liquid leak onto
the fiber – it stays fairly constant as the leak flow rate is fairly constant
• DTGS follows closely behind. Typically, this detection mode takes the longest as it is heavily dependent
on the time taken for temperature effects to affect the fiber.
The Leak detection system itself will be tuned to achieve the required level of NAR, which will be dependent on
both the requirements of the site, the customer and the nature of the product / pipe / fiber environment.
Life of an Alert 4 – Signal
Not generally used by operators, but certainly by our engineers and where desired by trained administrators /
SME’s. Several signal analysis tools are also available to aid the control room in deep diagnosis of leak conditions.
Figure 4: Leak trending snapshot showing the output of OFN/Strain/DTGS detection modes during a leak event. The
green crosses indicate the time at which each detection component breached its threshold and contributed to the overall
leak alert and the red line indicates when the leak alert began, which coincides with the detection of an NPP.
Proprietary
6.2.2 Additional products: in-line inspection support and dynamic conditions

reporting
In addition to the key leak detection capability, a number of operational tools are also available to the operator
to assist with pipeline integrity / condition monitoring:
• Slack Line Monitoring
o OptaSense can be used to monitor the presence of slack lines in a very visual manner, exploring
the long-distance effects of slack line vibration. This can also be used to feedback into control
instrumentation to control line back pressure and modulate the slack line effects
• Slug Monitoring
o OptaSense can be used to track and observe the behaviour of slugs in a pipeline.
• PIG / Scraper Monitoring
o OptaSense can be used to track pigs within a pipeline and the rolling recorders provide means
of post-investigation analysis of the pig run if needed.
OptaSense present such activity as “dynamic conditions” to the operator which will prevent or confuse the leak
detection system.
The standard range of the OptaSense system is 50 km from a single IU (OLA2.1). This allows 100 km of fiber to
be monitored from each installation location with two boxes looking in opposite directions along the asset.
The recently released OLA2.1+ IU extends the monitoring range of the OLA2.1 with an optical SNR equivalence
being observed at 60 km. This extended range solution sacrifices a modicum of spatial resolution to achieve
this extended range performance. The output channel pitch is set at 15 m (compared to the 10 m output
channel pitch of the OLA2.1 at 50 km).
The leak performance indicated in this specification is considered valid up to the ranges specified for these
systems, subject to the specific installation conditions that may reduce the system performance.
Proprietary
7 Commissioning and Tuning

OptaSense understands that on-site performance validation of an installation is essential to the client and that
clearly a 1:1 verification via an actual leak is not possible.
In support of Commissioning and Tuning, OptaSense publishes a comprehensive guide to the validation of Leak
Detection systems and the various approaches to Leak Testing Methodologies.
The document is available from the following link and clients are advised to review and discuss with the
implementation engineer.
• Leak Detection Methodology
Proprietary
Appendix A. Associated Information
C-OTDR Coherent Optical Time Domain Reflectometry

CU Control Unit
DAS Distributed Acoustic Sensor
DPU Dual Processor Unit
DXPU Extended processing power DPU
ECPS Ethernet Controlled Power Switch
FFT Fast Fourier Transform
GES Gigabit Ethernet Switch
GUI Graphical User Interface
HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol
IP Internet Protocol
IU Interrogator Unit
NAR Nuisance Alarm Rate
OLA OptaSense® for Linear Assets
OPC Object linking and embedding for Process Control
OS Operating System
OS5 OptaSense® Core System Version 5.X
PU Processor Unit
RM Rack Mount
SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
TB Tera Byte
TPI Third Party Interference
VBIS Vertical Blow IU Shelf
XML Extensible Mark-up Language
XPU Extended processing power PU
Proprietary

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OptaSense Leak Detection Specification

Date: Dec 2021

OptaSense Ref: OptaSense/ENG/590

© OptaSense Ltd 2021 OptaSense Leak Detection Specification

1 N/A Initial Issue 23/01/2017

Figure 1: Outline of the key elements of an OptaSense® system

1 OLA2.1+ and QuantX only. OLA2.1 performs to 50km.

3 OptaSense 4-Mode™ and LeakFusion™

Leak Detection Mode Description Alert Details

4-Mode™ leak together with LeakFusion™ delivers the following benefits:

4 4-Mode™ Leak Performance

4.2.1 Mode and Fusion behavior

Negative Pressure Pulse

Ground Heave / Environmental Strain

Distributed Temperature Gradient Sensing

OptaSense 4-Mode utilizes a twin track approach to detection:

Buried Pipeline Response time Location

Liquid Leak NPP 15 LPM (6 bbl/hr) 1 min /

Liquid Leak all 150 LPM (57 bbl/hr)

Exposed Pipeline Response time Location

Liquid Leak NPP 15 LPM (6 bbl/hr) 1 min /

Liquid Leak all 250 LPM (95 bbl/hr)

NPP OFN DTGS Strain

Leak NPP Alert at small rates 1

4.5.1 Delayed Alerting from Product Percolation

5 Comparison to Conventional Approaches

Conventional CPM Leak Detection

Sensing floor about 1% of flow rate (hundreds of lpm)

Poor with a practical number of sensors – measured in km

Good ability to discriminate

Limited ability to handle transient conditions

Solutions are generally fixed to product – there is

OptaSense 4-Mode Leak

See Section 5.2

LeakFusion™ controls NAR

System can be used to monitor dynamic conditions

Adaptable & copes with Multiphase

6 Project Development and Deployment

6.1.1 Environmental thresholds

6.1.2 Pipeline Specific Consideration

6.1.3 Alert Approach / Alert Fusion

• Buried Liquid Pipelines

• Buried Gas Pipelines

• Subsea Gas & Liquid Pipelines

• Mixed Phase Flow Lines

• Above Ground Pipeline

6.2.1 Leak Toolkit, Alert Integration & API Standards

The following items are featured:

6.2.2 Additional products: in-line inspection support and dynamic conditions

7 Commissioning and Tuning

Appendix A. Associated Information

C-OTDR Coherent Optical Time Domain Reflectometry

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