Magnetic Field Sensor Network for Pipeline Monitoring Systems

Abstract

The oil pipeline industry has seen a rise in criminal activities recently. More than $133b is estimated to be lost globally as a result of the activities of cartels, organized crime members and small-time vandals to oil pipelines. To steal petroleum products from a pipeline, criminals must first drill into the pipeline, (cold or hot tapping) and subsequently weld a new weld piece or screw in an orifice to the pipeline, through which the petroleum product is diverted from the pipeline to another storage. These have crippled the ecosystem, human lives lost and a wide range of poverty in the economy which has motivated this paper to find a lasting solution to the problem at hand. This work employed a magnetic field sensor detector for early detection and petroleum monitoring which is caused by vandals and corrosion that leads to spillage, it will significantly improve productivity, safe lives, improve agricultural products and the ecosystem. The sensor network detects acts of vandalism or corrosion and triggers real-time alert message to the operators for actions to be taken, to prevent wide spread of the substance by specifying the spot location of the incidence where the corrosion or spillage took place.