InnoTech Alberta
Kai Lee, Kira Wong and Kofi Freeman Adane
July 10, 2023
Executive Summary
The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has released an updated “draft” version of Directive 077 which will allow industry to transfer low-quality non-saline and saline waters using temporary surface pipelines (TSP). In Directive 077, AER has grouped water into 3 categories based on its environmental impact. Group 1 is water with negligible effect, Group 2 is water with easily and quickly reversible effect, and Group 3 is water with reversible effect not easily and quickly but low public safety risk. TSPs are typically installed aboveground for periods of 12 months or less and are operated at pressures of no more than 2,000 kPa. In this new directive, a key component will be an assurance that the integrity of these pipeline assets is maintained throughout the operation. Current direction requires surveillance or monitoring to be live supervised, with the use of active surveillance methods such as walking the line when pressurized. However, the integrity of these TSPs can also be confirmed using other methods including physical and aerial surveillance and inline pressure monitoring. The primary objective of this project is to review and evaluate available technologies and/or new or emerging technologies for detecting or monitoring for leaks in TSPs and their connections during water, mainly Groups 1 and 2 transfer operations.
The following are the main findings from this study:
• For hydraulic fracturing operations in North America, water is generally conveyed from the surrounding Groups 1 and 2 water sources to the operating site via pipelines or tank trucks. These pipelines can be TSPs.
• In Alberta, visual inspection and pressure monitoring are mainly used as leak detection systems (LDS). This satisfies Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) guidelines for operating TSPs in Alberta.
• Four existing LDS could be used for Groups 1 and 2 water TSP applications. They include acoustic sensors (stand-alone and smart ball type), pressure sensors, flowmeter sensors, and fiber optic sensing cables.
• A total of 12 new and emerging LDS technologies that could be used for Groups 1 and 2 water TSPs were identified. Out of the 12, 6 of the technologies have the potential to be used for water TSPs. These include the start shut-in method, use of acoustic sensors in conjunction with walking the line, dye injection method, collection tarps underneath pipeline, monitoring upstream pump head performance, and using a single flowmeter.
The following is the recommendation from this study:
• Laboratory and/or field validation of high potential new and emerging LDS technologies identified in this study is needed to determine their ability to monitor for leaks for water TSP applications in Alberta. Environmental factors and operational factors need to be considered during the evaluation.
2022-000128