Abstract
India has a vast network of pipelines carrying crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas. To accelerate the pace of transformation in the energy sector, there is a need to indigenously develop and deploy sustainable technologies for oil and gas pipelines. The industry spends a significant amount of effort and money in dealing with unwanted debris and wax deposits in pipelines. Early detection of such deposits or blockages is important and useful for optimizing maintenance activities and for remedial actions to avoid catastrophic failures.
Bharat Flow Analytics is a startup that is developing innovative Industry 4.0 products and services that promote safe and reliable operations, energy efficiency, and reducing operating costs of transporting hydrocarbons through pipelines. iPTran, the solution for determining internal diameter changes in a pipeline due to debris and wax deposition resulting in partial or complete blockages, has been indigenously developed and currently undergoing field trials with pipeline operators.
iPTran uses a combination of pipeline hydraulics models, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensors for data collection, analysis, and prognosis. It gives an advantage in accuracy and effort over traditional models and data acquisition systems. iPTran is a non-intrusive technology that can analyse hundreds of kilometres of pipeline sections quickly and provide near real-time status to the operator. A trial of iPTran was conducted on Indian Oil’s 148 km 28-inch diameter section (Viramgam to Koyali) with promising results.
This technology helps to determine the efficiency of transportation which directly impacts pumping costs. It also helps to reduce the risk of stuck pigs during inline inspection and can be utilized to improve the efficiency of the pigging program.
