24 confirmed leaks in the Koh Samui (Thailand) primary water pipeline

Introduction

Pipers® are equipped with an acoustic leak detection sensor. While moving through a pipeline, Pipers® continuously record the relatively quiet flow noise, creating a baseline for the measured sound intensity. When a pipeline is leaking, the jet of liquid passing through the crack or hole generates a characteristic hissing or rushing sound that significantly deviates from the baseline noise in a localized region around the leak. Conversely, if there is no change (or only long-term gradual change) in the average sound intensity along the length of the pipeline, no leaks were detected.

Project description

The Baan Nasai Water Pipeline in the Surat Thani Province is the main source of potable water for Koh Samui, an island that hosts over 2 million visitors per year. The Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) has faced problems with leakage in this pipeline for many years and conventional methods of leak detection have failed to solve their problems.

DTS Construction, a family-owned business in Bangkok, deployed Pipers® to inspect the 50 kilometer HDPE pipeline. The survey took 18 hours in total without any disruption to the water flow to Koh Samui.

The leak detection analysis was requested for a 6 km steel section of the pipeline which previously had many leaks. The results from the analysis showed 27 leak signatures in total: 20 with high confidence, 3 with medium confidence and 4 with low confidence. From the subsequent field survey, a total of 24 leaks were found with an accuracy of 5 m or better, while the remaining 3 points have not been opened yet due to challenging site conditions. Below photos show examples of the leak locations.

Pipeline specifications

Pipeline Length
50 km
Pipeline Diameter
700 mm
Pipeline Material
HDPE
Content
Potable water
Location
Thailand

Further reading

DTS Construction made a detailed description of this case study in Thai and English: Case study PWA
Other Water & Wastewater

Hungary: New infrastructure, familiar problem

Thailand: The Underwater Leak

John Hanten

Operating Partner at Energy Innovation Capital
John is a former Venture Executive from Chevron Technology Ventures. He was responsible for identifying and executing venture capital investments in companies that have technology beneficial to Chevron, and assisting in the introduction and deployment of the technology. John has over 35 years of O&G industry experience. He is currently a Rice Alliance Advisory Board member, and is active in HTC Energy events. John has a BS in Earth Sciences from the University of Minnesota Duluth, a MS in Geophysics from Purdue University (Phi Kappa Phi) and an MBA from St. Mary’s College.

Steven Cooper

Venture Principal at Chevron Technology Ventures

Steven is a Venture Principal with Chevron Technology Ventures on the Core Venture Fund investment team. Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) was launched in 1999 to identify and integrate externally developed technologies and new business solutions with the potential to enhance the way Chevron produces and delivers affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy now and into the future. Its Core Venture Fund invests in technologies that have the potential to add efficiencies to Chevron’s core business in the areas of operational enhancement, digitalization, and lower-carbon operations.

Steven has 12 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, 10 with Chevron. He has held various assignments in both upstream and downstream, beginning his career in Liquefied Natural Gas Technology Development before transferring to the El Segundo Refinery as a Process Engineer supporting naphtha and gas oil hydrotreaters and then working as a Process Automation Engineer specializing in Safety Systems. Prior to becoming a Venture Principal, Steven first joined Chevron Technology Ventures in 2019 as a Decision Analysis Advisor, supporting projects across the technology portfolio and ensuring high decision quality around development and deployment of externally developed technologies. Prior to joining Chevron, he worked for Baker Hughes Incorporated and ExxonMobil Chemical Company.

Steven holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Science in Data Science, both from Rice University in Houston, TX.

Amy Shank

Vice President Safety & Operational Discipline at Williams
Amy is the Vice President of the Safety & Operational Discipline organization for the Williams Company. Her current responsibilities span multiple facets of regulatory compliance, employee & process safety, emergency preparedness & response, maintenance management & GIS system support, asset integrity, incident investigation, and risk. Amy has been with Williams for 25 years and has a total of 34 years of experience in the energy industry overseeing compliance programs, developing and building large scale pipeline and facilities projects, and leading teams of technical experts. Amy has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from Oklahoma City University.

Steve Bolze

Former CEO, GE Power and Water

Steve Bolze recently launched Standish Spring Investments to support founders scaling early and growth stage organizations that support the energy transition.

Prior to launching Standish Spring Investments, Steve was a senior managing director and head of infrastructure portfolio operations and asset management for Blackstone’s dedicated infrastructure business. He was one of the founding partners of Blackstone’s infrastructure investment fund, valued at more than $25 billion currently, and partnered with portfolio company CEOs to drive key value creation initiatives.

Before joining Blackstone, Steve had a nearly 25-year career at General Electric, during which time he successfully led several of the company’s largest businesses. In his last role as President and CEO of GE Power and Water, he oversaw the company’s $28 billion power generation and renewables business, operating in over 140 countries with 52,000 employees; at the time its technology helped provide more than one-quarter of the world’s electricity.

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Former General Manager M&A, Chevron
Mark joins INGU’s board of directors after 35 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry. Menke is the former General Manager, Mergers and Acquisitions at Chevron, a position he held for 13 years. During that time, he was also on the advisory board of Chevron Technology Ventures—a role that afforded him unique insights into innovative start-up and growth companies in the energy sector. Mark also served as Global Business Manager for Chevron’s $1B global fuel and lubricant additives division and held the position of Director of Chevron’s International Business Development efforts for 6 years. He currently serves on Rice University’s Engineering Advisory Board and is an independent director with WildFire Energy LLC. Mark brings global oil and gas expertise to INGU’s growing international presence across the industry.

George Coyle

Managing Partner,
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George is co-founder and managing partner of Energy Innovation Capital, a capital provider to energy innovators. George is an experienced venture capital investor, having co-founded three corporate venture capital groups: Chevron Technology Ventures, ConocoPhillips Technology Ventures Investments and Energy Technology Ventures. He previously worked in Exploration & Production leadership roles at Chevron and is an active member of AAPG, SEG, and SPE. George holds an MBA from Tulane University, a M.S. in Geology from the University of Kansas and a B.S. in Earth Sciences from the University of New Orleans.

Michael Riedijk

Cleantech investor and serial entrepreneur
Experienced CEO and serial entrepreneur with 2 successful tech exits, green/clean tech investor with a history of working on internet, cleantech, agriculture, and marine technology. Strong business development professional with a Master’s Degree in Industrial Design Engineering from Delft University of Technology. Michael’s companies have been awarded the ‘Obama Champion of Change’ Award at The White House in 2011, the ‘Red Herring Top 100 North America 2012’, the ‘Deloitte Technology Fast 500’ for several years in a row, INC 5000 and Growth 500.

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CEO and Director, INGU
Innovator and Entrepreneur with a 20+ year career in science and technology with a passion for new and unprecedented ideas. Started working on advanced sensing technologies during his PhD in Nuclear Physics and is currently applying his sensing and data analytics expertise to the oil & gas sector. Brings a superlative career history in leveraging strategic business and institutional partnerships to drive cutting edge research and deliver tangible results to the global marketplace. Offers a comprehensive scientific background reinforced with formidable talent in analyzing, evaluating, and overcoming complex technological, operational, financial, and legal obstacles. Possesses a solid network of business partnerships in the Netherlands and Canada, with an award-winning track record in leading international business development in the European and Canadian markets for advanced sensor application solutions.