Permasense Limited developed a new long-range corrosion monitoring system which allows retrieval of data from monitoring locations up to 40km (25 miles) from the gateway location. Building on the proven technology of the Permasense short-range system, the long-range system has been developed to allow for easy deployment on pipeline and feeder lines upstream and midstream. Again, the system offers an efficient and safe way to monitor the integrity of pipework enabling better informed decision making and improving operator flexibility.

The Permasense long-range system uses the same ultrasonic wall thickness measurement sensors as in the short-range system, but sensors are cabled to a range extender which incorporates a long-range antenna. This enables the extender to communicate directly with a gateway up to 40km (25 miles) away. Thus data can be retrieved even from remote monitoring locations, enabling systems to be configured to meet the needs of various upstream facilities.

The gateway relays the frequent measurements made by the sensors to the customer’s server, which hosts the Permasense Data Manager software, giving near real-time visibility of pipe integrity. The data can also be readily exported from the database to any customer application.

The permanently installed solutions that Permasense provides can operate in extreme temperature environments and inaccessible locations, and offer an efficient and safe way for corrosion monitoring. Continuous measurement presents a step change in the levels of corrosion rates that can be determined and the accuracy of that determination.

Conceived from the outset to be cost-effective for large scale deployment, the sensors are now deployed in both upstream and downstream facilities worldwide including unmanned offshore platforms. To date 12 super-major and privately held oil operators have adopted the system.