Beagle Systems inspects 1,850 kilometres of high-pressure gas pipelines from the air
The EU Methane Regulation requires gas network operators to regularly inspect their entire network for leaks. This places particularly high demands on the sensitivity of the detection systems used in order to detect even the smallest emissions of this climate-damaging greenhouse gas. Ground-based methods are time-consuming and costly, which is why energy suppliers such as Schleswig-Holstein Netz are looking for alternatives. One possibility is methane gas detection by drone.
When linear infrastructure such as power lines or high-pressure gas pipelines need to be inspected, UAS-based methods offer a wide range of added value. One example is methane gas detection using drones, which Beagle Systems is carrying out on behalf of the gas network operator Schleswig-Holstein Netz in various districts and regions of the federal state between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
Targeted measures
Around 850 kilometres of 70-bar high-pressure pipelines and more than 1,000 kilometres of 16-bar high-pressure pipelines are being inspected for possible leaks with the help of Beagle drones. ‘Aerial inspections make it easy to check areas that are difficult to reach from the ground. Thanks to their fully electric operation, the drones are low-noise and low-emission,’ says Florian Schäfe, project manager for network monitoring at SH Netz, explaining the advantages of the technology. If the laser sensor detects a possible leak, the location is revisited by employees and the measurement is checked on the ground. If the suspicion is confirmed, targeted repair measures can be initiated immediately.
The Beagle T1 laser sensor was developed on behalf of the Hamburg-based company Beagle Systems specifically for the requirements of UAS-based applications and enables high-precision detection of methane leaks on the surface from a height of around 40 metres. The sensor works on the principle of tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). This method uses the measured absorption to determine the concentration of the gas or gas component being examined. The Beagle T1 can detect as few as five methane particles per million air particles. This is exactly what the LDAR (Leak Detection and Repair) Type II standard of the EU Methane Regulation requires.
This article was created in cooperation with Drones, the trade magazine with insights for the uncrewed future.
