SAN JOSE, Calif.-Aeris.net, a Web-to-wireless telemetry network operator, and American Innovations, a supplier of remote monitoring systems, have teamed up to offer what they say is a surer way to prevent explosions and leaks in the more than 2 million miles of pipelines traversing the country to deliver natural gas, oil and chemicals.
In announcing their collaboration, the companies cited federal government statistics that pipeline accidents from 1989 through 1998 killed 200 people, injured 1,000 and cost $700 million in property damage.
“Companies can be notified of their pipeline conditions well before a critical event develops. This helps them make informed decisions about their pipelines … and ultimately helps protect our remote wilderness regions and the local communities where these hazardous materials may pass,” said Wade Vesey, vice president of marketing for Aeris.net, San Jose, Calif.
Today, low-flying airplane surveillance and on-site, on-the-ground inspections typically are used to monitor sections of pipelines most likely to corrode and leak and therefore explode, the companies said. These vulnerable points occur most frequently around distribution junctures, as is the case where injection pumps connect with the pipeline.
The proprietary Aeris.net MicroBurst technology employs the control channel infrastructure of the cellular network as a transmission medium to achieve a low cost of service and ubiquitous coverage. Aeris.net has contracts to deploy MicroBurst in cellular service areas covering 98 percent of the United States and all of Canada and Mexico.
American Innovations, Austin, Texas, said it introduced last year its Bullhorn pipeline monitoring system, which now is deployed in many areas of the country for major pipeline companies.
“For example, we’re using Bullhorn in the swamps of Louisiana to help protect one of the most delicate and diverse ecological systems in the country,” said Lee Blankenstein, director of sales and marketing.
“The wireless telemetry solutions powered by Aeris and American offer a completely safe and invisible way to monitor pipelines, even in the most remote and sensitive habitats.”
