SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SUPERVISING, MANAGING AND MONITORING THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF A PIPELINE NETWORK FOR FLUID TRANSPORTATION, LOCATING THE LEAKING POINT AND EVALUATING THE EXTENT OF THE FAILURE

摘要

Provided are a system and a method for supervising, managing and monitoring the structural integrity of a network of metal pipelines for transporting a fluid, for detecting attempts of third-party intrusion, for locating the leaking point and for evaluating any faults or failures, comprising a plurality of detection units (1) fixedly applied on a pipeline (2) for oil or gas at a given distance apart from one another; and a central data-processing unit (4) connected by means of communication lines (5) to said detection units (1) for receiving from the latter detection data; the detection units (1) comprise sensors detecting linear and angular accelerations, magnetic field, temperature variations, variations of barometric pressure, ultrasound waves outside the section of passage of the fluid conveyed, wherein the following steps are carried out: acquiring detection data including detection time in conditions of normal operation for acquiring a knowledge of the state of normal operation; processing data detected including detection time to determine the mean values for each individual measurement in order to acquire experiential data and to define the behavioural models of the pipeline; applying to the detection data filters based upon the experiential data in the case of detection of measurements that fall outside the reference thresholds or are altered with respect thereto, evaluating the intensity of the measurement or measurements detected and calculating/defining an associated fault, carrying out a behavioural analysis of the pipeline; and recognizing any anomalous behaviour of the pipeline and recognizing the fault and locating the point of detection of the event or leak (3) that has generated the fau wherein the central data-processing unit (4) processes the data by carrying out comparative analyses to get the behavioural analysis of the pipeline on the basis of the information introduced previously and of the experience acquired, to create a self-learning system based upon the behavioural models acquired through operation.