Neptune Oceanographics - The sensible approach

It is important to conduct leak inspections periodically, as maintaining pipeline integrity is vital to avoid serious failures that can result in suspended production, damage to the environment and costly repairs. Neptune Oceanographics offers an array of detection services capable of identifying even the tiniest leaks in equipment.

The company was founded in 1999 to provide specialised techniques and services that enable easy, efficient and reliable detection of leaks in submarine pipelines.

Neptune is continually expanding its research and development programme in order to devise new detection methods and technology that will benefit the oil, gas and subsea sectors.

Over the years, it has pioneered numerous approaches to leak-detection. Its submersible fluorometric sensors have been fine-tuned to remove reliance on visual observation, eliminating most of the problems associated with black lights. This focus on innovation continues to this day.

All four senses

The four senses of pipeline leak detection are sight, sound, smell and touch. Any combination of the following techniques can pinpoint a problem:

• Sight - fluorescent: Neptune's fluorescent detection techniques use tracer dyes, or the natural fluorescence of crude oil, to spot leaking fluids at low concentrations. Its submersible fluorometers are extremely sensitive and can register detection dyes at concentrations that are so low as to be invisible to the naked eye or underwater cameras.
• Sound - ultrasonic: ultrasonics 'listen' for the audible waves generated by leaking fluids, differentiating between background noise and the sound of fluid passing through a pressurised orifice.
• Smell - methane: methane leakage is not identifiable using fluorescence. Neptune's SNIFFIT detection system, however, can 'smell' leaks and display the data in real time. SNIFFIT can also detect all gaseous hydrocarbons in water.
• Touch - thermal: flowline water is normally warmer than the seawater that surrounds it. This enables Neptune's sensors to detect leaks by 'feeling' for temperature variances.

Hydrocarbon leakage requires different detection methods for oil, gas and multiphase. Neptune's long-range UV fluorometer can detect crude oil pipeline leaks, lubricating oils, hydrocarbon-based control fluids and so on in a gas environment, while SNIFFIT is able to locate hydrocarbon leaks in water. The detection systems may be used together in multiphase applications.

Neptune can help

Neptune's specialised subsea leak-detection service has won it a range of high-profile clients, including Total, BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, Statoil, nkt cables, Subsea7, IKM, Saipem, Halliburton, Oceaneering, PetroCanada, Husky Energy, Technip, Deepocean, Fugro, Bibby, EMAS, Ocean Installer, Baker Hughes, C-Innovation, Weatherford, Canyon Offshore, Reliance and many others.

"Neptune's system was able to detect small leaks from our SCMs, and easily detected a step change when the selector valves within the SCM were operated," commented Shell in a testimony. "It backed up suspicions and certainly proved a reliable method of leak detection. Considering the short time it had to mobilise, the ROV interface and familiarisation was faultless."