Water utilities across the world are now demanding zero leakage allowances in their new pipeline project specifications to help expedite the commissioning process and protect their long-term assets.

Pipeline commissioning services from Aqua Environmental enables water utilities and pipeline engineers to achieve zero leakage in new water transmission pipelines and sewer force mains. Achieving a leak-free pipeline has a direct effect on pipeline sustainability, operational efficiency and conservation of a valuable natural resource.

Pass Your Hydrostatic Pressure Test

Today’s standard hydrostatic pressure test attempts to verify both the pressure capacity and the joint tightness of a pipeline. Sahara® leak detection technology pinpoints leaks to within inches allowing operators to eliminate leaks that may fall within current hydrostatic pressure test allowances.

Leak free pipelines have always been a goal in the construction of new water mains. Since the early 1900s, the water industry has attempted to standardise test procedures in order to minimize leakage on new pipelines. These standards provide test allowances to account for factors such as liner saturation, air entrapment, thermal expansion, pipe swelling, restrained joint take-up, pipe and soil movement. Unfortunately, the factors considered when developing these test allowances, often referred to as apparent leakage, tend to mask true pipeline defects in the form of leakage.

When proper pipeline test preparations are followed to evacuate air, saturate internal liners, stabilize temperatures and fully engage restrained joints, these factors are minimized. As a result, these test allowances inadvertently become “allowable leakage” and is often mistakenly referred to as such during testing.

Unintended leakage, as a result of test allowances, can be substantial. For example, on a two mile 1500mm diameter pipeline operating at 1200kPa, leakage can amount to as much as 140,000 litres per month (or 1.7ML per year) and still pass a standard hydrostatic leakage test. These leaks may be evenly distributed as small leaks over the entire pipeline or a few very large leaks in isolated locations.

Sahara Hydrostatic Leak Detection

Until recently, the water industry has relied solely on hydrostatic pressure testing as its only means of leakage testing, albeit indirectly and inaccurately. However, due to Sahara leak detection technology, new pipelines can now be accurately surveyed to assure a leak-free pipeline. Sahara pipeline commissioning service is a convenient, economical, and minimally intrusive method of locating leaks as small as 15 milliliters per minute at internal pressures of 600kPa or greater.

Sahara uses an ultra-sensitive tethered acoustic sensor to detect leaks in pipelines (1500mm and greater) in conjunction with a standard hydrostatic pressure test. The sensor is inserted into the pipeline through a 50mm tap (minimum) and passes through the pipe with the aid of high tensile strength pull-tape.

We customarily works with pipeline design engineers to recommend optimal access points. The location of all leaks detected are marked at ground level above the pipeline, in real-time, and a GPS coordinate is recorded.

Read more on Sahara here or contact us for more information.

18-Apr 12: Aqua Environmental will host a metallic pipe condition assessment workshop during the week of Ozwater'12. The goal of this workshop is to provide pipeline owners and managers with an understanding Read More >