The leak is the main oil pipeline running failure. Especially in recent years, the pipeline is to punch the Stolen well corrosion perforation resulting in the spill happened quite frequently, seriously interfere with the normal production, causing huge economic losses, only Shengli Oilfield annual economic losses of up to thousands of yuan. Therefore, the research and application of oil pipeline leak monitoring system oilfield problems to be solved. Advanced automatic monitoring of pipeline leaks, to detect leaks, and to take prompt measures, and thus greatly reduce Daoyou cases, reduce leakage losses, with significant economic and social benefits.

Pipeline leak automatic monitoring technology has been widely used in foreign countries, the United States and other developed countries, legislation requires pipeline leak monitoring system must take effective.

Pipeline leak detection methods are mainly three categories: biological methods, hardware methods and software methods.
Biological methods: This is a traditional method of leak detection, employer or walking exceptions View piping accessories trained animals (dogs) along the pipeline, smell the smell of pipeline release, listening to the sound of this approach directly accurate, real-time performance is poor, a lot of manpower.

Hardware method: visual detector, acoustic detector, gas detector, pressure detector, a visual inspection is measured using a temperature sensor the temperature change of the leak, such as a multi-sensor cable along the pipeline laying. The acoustic detector is when the leak occurs when the fluid outflow pipe will sound, acoustic wave propagation in accordance with the speed determined by the physical properties of the fluid in the pipe, the sound detector detects that such a wave leak is found. Houston Acoustics Systems, Inc. (ASI) is developed in accordance with this principle, acoustic leak detection system (wavealert) from multiple sensors, decoder, wireless transmitter, antenna protruding ground and control center contact, this approach by The limit of detection range must be a lot of acoustic sensors installed along the pipeline. The gas detector is required to use portable gas sampler walking along the pipeline, gas leak detection.

Software methods: It uses the flow, pressure, temperature and other data provided by the SCADA system, through changes in flow rate or pressure, a method of detecting a leak of a mass or volume balance, dynamic model, and pressure point analysis software. Foreign company attaches great importance to the safe operation of the pipeline, the pipeline leak monitoring technology is more mature, and a wide range of applications. Shell over a long period of research and development to produce a trademark name for the the the new ATMOS Pine pipeline leak detection system, ATMOS Pine is designed based on the principles of statistical analysis, using the optimized sequence analysis (the sequence measured probability ratio test method) pipeline changes in import and export traffic and pressure on the overall behavior to detect leaks, with both advanced pattern recognition capabilities. The system is able to detect the leakage of 1.6kg / s without the occurrence of false alarms.