TraceTek system will quickly detect a fuel leak and alert operators to its location

CASE STUDY: Oslo Airport, Norway

THE RISK
Should an underground pipe in a hydrant fuel system develop a leak there are considerable environmental, safety and repair:cost implications. As these pipes are usually buried beneath heavily reinforced concrete the longer a leak goes undetected the greater this risk and remedial cost. Rather than relying on just periodic hydrostatic pressure checks, Oslo Airport sought a continuous monitoring system that would detect a leak quickly, create an alert and also locate the source accurately to avoid extensive, expensive and disruptive search excavations before remedial action can be taken.

THE SOLUTION
Tyco Thermal Controls solution is cable-based TraceTek systems with continuous leak detection, location and alarm capabilities. For buried fuel lines the system employs TT5000 sensing cable which contains a hydrocarbon scavenging material and is designed for installation in PVC conduit within the backfill when the fuel pipes are laid down. Here it provides continuous monitoring and will react to any trace of fuel. Should a hydrocarbon leak occur, the liquid fuel is drawn into the conduit by capillary action and is detected by the cable, triggering an alert via the TraceTek monitoring system which will pinpoint the location of the leak to within +/- 1metre.

THE APPLICATION
Fuel system designers at Oslo Airport, take safety and environmental risks very seriously and have a taken a ‘belt and braces’ approach. They have employed double containment pipes and commissioned engineers from TechNordic, a TraceTek distributor, to install TT5000 sensor cable within a 42 mm slotted PVC conduit buried in the soil alongside the fuel lines. Here the sensor cable and associated monitoring instruments remain ready to alert the airport operator should an underground fuel line ever leak.