OptaSense to provide pipeline monitoring services for Mexican gas pipeline

FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom -- OptaSense, a QinetiQ company, has announced that its fiber-optic Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) system has been chosen to provide improved pipeline monitoring, including leak detection, on a gas pipeline in Mexico.

The contract, agreed at the beginning of 2015, is worth $4 million and has just started the implementation stage.

OptaSense will be used for advanced leak detection using its patent pending, “4-mode” leak detection technology. OptaSense will also provide enhanced security monitoring to detect third party intrusion events, as well as ground movement monitoring.

The integrated solution works across these multiple functions via a single fiber-optic cable that effectively “listens” to the pipeline in order to provide detailed data about its current status. Any changes to the condition of the pipe are fed back through an interrogator unit, allowing users to identify and address issues early and maintain the highest level of pipeline availability and product throughput.

The company says that the contract marks a further step forward in international expansion into the Americas, following on from projects in Brazil, Colombia, the U.S. and Canada.

“This pipeline provides a vital natural gas supply to feed growing demand in central Mexico and we’re delighted that our DAS system will play a crucial role in keeping it safe while helping maintain the flow of gas," Magnus McEwen-King, executive director, OptaSense, said.