FFT Secure Pipe™ detects and locates intrusions
and Third Party Interference anywhere along thousands of kilometres
of buried pipeline, in real-time, before damage occurs.
FFT Secure Pipe: Pipeline Security
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Subject to FFT testing and approval, Secure Pipe™ can use existing fibre optic communications cable as the sensor, dramatically reducing the installation cost and time, yet still detect and locate an intrusion to within 150 metres on FFT approved installations, regardless of the pipeline length.
The advanced signal processing in FFT's pipeline security solutions prevent nuisance alarms, whilst maintaining maximum sensitivity to legitimate interference events. |



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APPLICATIONS |
- High risk oil, gas, chemical and water pipelines
- Underground power
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FEATURES |
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Provides valuable real-time early warning of TPI activities
- A single pipeline security system protects up to 40km (25 miles) of sensor cable length
- Locate intrusions to 150 metres on FFT approved installations
- Uniform distributed fibre optic sensor detects activities before the pipeline is damaged
- No electronics or power in the field
- Intrinsically safe |
CASE STUDIES
NYSEARCH (USA) – The Office of Pipeline Safety
(OPS) identified that the majority of pipeline incidents are caused
by “damage by outside force”. Property damages alone for
over 300,000 miles of transmission pipe in the U.S. can cost operators
millions of dollars annually. This being a high priority area, NYSEARCH
installed an FFT Secure Pipe™ system in 2003 along a high pressure
gas pipeline at a test site in New Jersey, USA.
Client Quote:
“The PSE&G test site in New Jersey has been in place for
over two years and has experienced many field tests using many types
of excavating equipment. During that time, FFT has been able to resolve
all site and system related problems, to the point, where the system
is providing reliable and accurate locate data (well within 150 meters).
We believe that the PSE&G site offers a wide range of diversity
including soft and rocky soils, trafficked roadways, residential/commercial
districts, unusually deep HDD sections and is probably one of the
most difficult and challenging sites that Secure Pipe will encounter.
To date, no nuisance alarms have been produced by nearby excavating
equipment. Yet the system sensitivity is such that many alarms recorded
are caused by pipeline survey and other vehicles driving over the
cable. NYSEARCH believes that this technology is critical to safe
guard our pipelines and to assure the integrity of our natural gas
pipelines”.
British Petroleum (Europe) – Had a requirement
for a third party intrusion detection system along sections of a 1,700km
crude oil pipeline that passed through a number of mineral spring
areas. Any sort of pipeline damage leading to a crude oil leak would
have a catastrophic effect on both the environment and the revenue
created from selling the pristine mineral water, so pipeline protection
was mandatory. FFT Secure Pipe™ has been installed on the most
critical sections first, with plans to roll the system out to additional
pipeline sections over the next few years. Being able to utilise the
existing fibre optic communications cable already installed alongside
the pipeline makes Secure Pipe an extremely cost effective solution
for long distance pipelines such as this.
Asian Natural Gas company – in a highly populated
country, they needed a way of monitoring main Natural Gas pipelines
against accidental damage by earthmoving and construction equipment
to eliminate potentially catastrophic accidents. They ran extensive
tests on the FFT Secure Pipe™ system, and concluded that the
system not only did everything FFT said it would do, but they were
getting location accuracies considerably better than the published
specifications! Secure Pipe is being progressively implemented across
the country.
European Natural Gas company #1 – Pipeline
monitoring 30km of main gas pipeline against intrusions and third
party interference. A single Secure Pipe system was installed in 2003,
meeting all of the customers’ expectations and requirements.
The system was delivered on time, commissioned on time, and they have
experienced no failures or problems since acceptance.
European Natural Gas company #2 – Due to a
number of recent incidences throughout Europe, the Government mandated
that any new high pressure main gas pipelines must have some sort
of detection or protection systems to prevent accidental damage or
Third Party Interference (TPI) causing a major explosion and the subsequent
loss of life and property damage. The options for their new pipeline
were to cover it with a cement slab or have an active solution such
as FFT Secure Pipe™. Even including the supply and installation
of the sensor cable, Secure Pipe was only a fraction of the cost of
any alternative options, yet provided pinpoint location accuracy over
the entire pipeline, in real time. 
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