Co.L.Mar.: Subsea leak detection with passive acoustic technology

Abstract

We briefly review the capabilities of the Co.L.Mar acoustic detectors designed for oil and gas leakages from the offshore pipelines. In 1998–2015, Co.L. Mar had 76 project all over the world, including six companies in the Caspian Sea and three companies in the Black Sea. In total we have detected 43 subsea leaks, including one in Bulgaria in April 2004. Several key studies are presented. The discussion is focused on new versions of the acoustic leak detectors (ALD) which allow to work in the ice-covered conditions at very low temperatures; in very shallow regions; to detect inward leaks directed inside the pipeline due to high hydrostatic pressure and to perform a permanent monitoring of the subsea installations.