Pipeline operators face a persistent challenge: leak detection systems that rely on flow-rate anomalies or manual inspection can take hours — or days — to identify a breach. By that point, environmental damage and economic losses are already significant. Distributed fiber optic sensing changes the equation entirely.
The Challenge
A water utility managing 340 km of high-pressure transmission mains needed a monitoring solution that could detect leaks within minutes, locate them to within a few meters, and distinguish genuine anomalies from routine operational noise — all without disrupting service or requiring personnel on-site.
The Solution
BiiSensing deployed the Eagle DAS system using fiber already installed in the cable sheaths of the pipeline. A single interrogator unit in the control room monitored the entire 340 km corridor in real time. The system’s machine learning classifier was trained on the acoustic signatures of known leak types, valve operations, and environmental interference — producing a low false-alarm rate from day one.
Results
- Three leak events detected within 4 minutes of onset during the 12-month pilot period
- Location accuracy within 2 meters, eliminating the need for extended excavation searches
- Zero false positives requiring emergency crew dispatch
- Estimated water loss reduced by 94% compared to the previous monitoring regime
Why Fiber Outperforms Point Sensors
Installing acoustic sensors at every vulnerable point along a 340 km pipeline would require hundreds of devices and thousands of connection points — each a potential failure. Fiber sensing achieves higher coverage density at a fraction of the capital and ongoing maintenance cost, while delivering continuous data rather than periodic readings.