Schneider Electric, the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, and Prisma Photonics, a provider of next-generation fiber sensing for smart infrastructure, today announced a partnership to help oil and gas pipeline owners and operators prevent accidental and malicious activity by providing real-time intelligence and precise monitoring of oil and gas infrastructure. As a result, customers can drive efficiency and sustainability through energy and resource loss avoidance.
With this commercial agreement, Schneider Electric, recognized as the world’s most sustainable corporation by the Corporate Knights Global 100 Index in January 2021, is strengthening its technology, solutions and expertise to help its customers expand the reliability and sustainability of their pipeline operations.
More reliable monitoring ensures secure pipeline infrastructure
Oil and gas pipelines are critical assets, and pipeline integrity and leak detection solutions are part of an operator's toolbox for safe and environmentally conscious pipeline operations. Driven by regulatory demand, environmental awareness and public safety needs, most operators employ at least one leak detection system, if not multiple technologies. Prisma Photonics’ PrismaFlowTM, a comprehensive pipeline monitoring solution comprising both hardware and software, dramatically reduces positive and negative false alarm rates compared to other fiber-sensing solutions with its Hyper-ScanTM technology offering 100x greater sensitivity.
The system's machine learning unit offers significant improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), allowing for accurate event classification. By leveraging pre-existing fiber-optic cables as “sensors”, PrismaFlow eliminates the need to invest in new, dedicated fibers and the installation and maintenance of thousands of dedicated sensors along the pipeline.
The PrismaFlowtechnology essentially makes for faster oil and gas pipeline management and prevents accidental, criminal or malicious activity, thus ensuring a secure pipeline infrastructure. Prisma Photonics is presenting a paper on “Integrated Leak Detection Solution” at ADIPEC 2021, which highlights using RTTM and fiber-based technologies that provide comprehensive coverage for leak detection.
“Prisma Photonics’ pipeline monitoring technology fits in well with our overall promise of delivering enhanced reliability and safety to our midstream oil and gas customers,” says Astrid Poupart-Lafarge, Schneider Electric’s Oil, Gas & Petrochemical segment president.
Efficient pipeline management positively impact the environment
“With methane emissions at top of climate change agendas, this partnership will help our customers achieve their emission goals easier and faster,” says Matthew Carrara, Schneider Electric Vice President, Process Analyzers and Instrumentation. “PrismaFlow can have a direct impact on decreasing methane emissions caused by leaks in pipelines.”
PrismaFlow can detect and flag events such as leaks, mechanical and manual digging, theft, vandalism, third-party interference, inline pigging devices, pedestrian activity, vehicle movement, and drone activity. Operators receive real-time event locations to take immediate action without worrying about noise or false alarms.
By detecting leaks early, oil and gas companies can mitigate problems before they harm people or the environment. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), downstream emissions can be reduced by 75% with existing technology that includes pipeline infrastructure.
“It is a true honor to partner with Schneider Electric and take part in one of the greatest challenges of this generation and generations to come,” says Dr. Eran Inbar, Prisma Photonics’ CEO. “Allowing operators to take responsibility over an immense scale of critical infrastructure can make a true impact on the environment.”
“We are looking forward to long and profound relationships between the two companies and teams,” says Eyal Assa, Prisma Photonics’ Chief Business Officer. “PrismaFlow is a complementing solution to Schneider Electric’s suite of tools for pipelines operators worldwide.”
