Milestone Achievements for Sniffer Technology

15 Pages·2014·3.42 MB·English

by  Jake Sobin

SUBSEA LEAK DETECTION
SYMPOSIUM
November 18-19, 2014
Houston, TX, USA
Milestone Achievements
for Sniffer Technology
Michel Masson , Bjørn Ove Skjeie
Franatech
Active in the gas monitoring market since 1993 (under Franatech name from 2006)
More than 300 sensors and systems sold
35 scientific user publications
Franatechs sniffer core technologies
Basic Concept
Classical Detector Technologies
• Semi-conductors
• NDIR Absorptiometry
• Thermal conductivity
• Eletrochemical cells
Why gas sniffers
Statement from Det Norske Veritas
Recommended Practice DNV-RP-F302
”Selection And Use Of Subsea Leak Detection Systems”,
April 2010
“It is not anticipated that a single technology / principle
would be able to detect all of the possible leaks in all
possible environments…
Combining two or more types of sensors may provide more
confidence in the overall leakage detection system”.
Sniffers for
Detection, Localisation and Identification of dissolved gas
Sniffer‐based solutions are used successfully
in the Oil & Gas Industry world‐wide
for mobile and fixed aplications
• geotechnical and hazard surveys
• pipeline and platform integrity assessment
World Wide 3000 subsea trees 2013-2017
• leak detection and monitoring
Appr. 40.000 km pipelines contracted for 2013-2017
• baseline studies
Examples of Mobile Solutions using Franatech Sniffers
VideoRay, Inspection mini ROV,
Deployment on specific mission, or as resident
Kongsberg, HUGIN AUV
Large‐scale grid survey, sniffers as part of standard payload
Colmar ALD system designed to survey a very 
challenging area with air temperature down to ‐40°C 
and very shallow water
ENI / Tecnomare Clean Sea System,
based on SAAB AUV SeaEye Sabertooth, one payload 
package includes sniffers for detection and localization of 
hydrocarbon leakages
Solution for long-term monitoring,
Example of a monitoring network using Franatech sniffers
Contract for a major operator, partnership with NGI and Stinger
Platforms
Fields with distributed installations
Retrofit applications
Baseline studies
Solution for long-term monitoring,
Example of an array of Franatech sniffers
mounted directly on subsea installation
Contract for a major operator, field specific requirement to EPCI vendor(s)
Generally sniffers have high sensitivity, high selectivity,
allow large coverage with few sensors,
are suited for baseline studies as well as early leak detection, 
localization and follow‐up
They are however confronted with operational constraints:
for mobile deployment this is mostly the mobilization time
for fixed installation the requirement for long‐term maintenance free
From its extensive experience with gas sensing technologies, Franatech had identified
laser‐based sniffers as having the largest potential for managing these constraints.
Advantages of laser‐based sniffers
• Highest selectivity (no cross‐sensitivity, no false alarms)
• Largest range, linear output from background to LEL
• Plug & Play (easy to integrate, easy mob‐demob)
• Immediately operational
• Extreme long‐term stability, maintenance and calibration free