Apparatus for detecting and locating leakage in underwater structures

Patent · Tue Aug 14 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6498188

Wann, L D

This paper discusses a system for monitoring integrity of underwater structures. It comprises at least one enclosure member sealingly secured over at least one selected area of the underwater structure, each enclosure member maintaining a dry void; a coaxial cable having a central conductor and centric shield, and having an input above water and extending down through the at least one enclosure member in water-tight passage. The cable terminating in characteristic resistance and water-tight enclosure; at least one probe having a segment of insulative rod material and a pair of generally equi-spaced wires wound helically on the segment in one direction and reverse wound in overlap to terminate in an open end, and connected between the cable central conductor and shield and being disposed in each at least one dry void. The probe being wound to function as a parallel inductance and capacitance circuit that is resonant at a preselected frequency; means generating a pulse having the preselected frequency as the fundamental frequency applied as the input to the coaxial cable; and means detecting any reflected pulse on the coaxial cable.

• Assignee: Conoco Inc., Ponca City, OK (USA)
• Patent Number(s): A; US 4949076
• Application Number: PPN: US s 7-258298
• OSTI ID: 6498188
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
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47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
DESIGN
LEAK DETECTORS
LEAK TESTING
NATURAL GAS WELLS
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
OIL WELLS
TESTING
UNDERWATER FACILITIES
WELLS