El Paso Installs GE Oil & Gas' Solar-Powered Threatscan Sensors On Houston Pipeline

Houston, TX - GE Oil & Gas' PII Pipeline Solutions has installed its solar-powered ThreatScan sensors along an 11-mile section of a natural gas pipeline operated by El Paso Corp. in southeastern Houston to enable 24-hour "real-time" remote monitoring of the pipeline.

El Paso, the largest gas pipeline operator in North America, is the first Texas transmission company, and the second U.S. firm, to install PII's advanced acoustical sensors to reduce the risk of third-party damage to certain pipelines, including accidents involving construction machinery.

"As the federal government and oil and gas industry seek new strategies to enhance the integrity of the nation's energy delivery infrastructure, PII's ThreatScan sensors are already beginning to play a vital role in those efforts," said John Bucci, general manager for PII Pipeline Solutions, GE Oil & Gas.

"Third-party damage is the most significant integrity threat to both liquid and gas networks globally," said Jesus Soto, vice president of operations services for El Paso. "Installing ThreatScan sensors on our Houston-area pipeline underscores our continued commitment to protecting the integrity of our assets."

In 2007, Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc. became the first U.S. operator to install ThreatScan sensors on a pipeline segment in northern Wichita in Kansas.

PII's ThreatScan sensors are installed at specific locations along a pipeline in order to detect vibrations that could potentially signal an actual impact or a possible encroachment along a pipeline's right-of-way. When a sensor detects vibrations, the data is immediately transmitted via satellite to GE Oil & Gas' ThreatScan call center in Houston, where the vibrations are quickly analyzed. The operator is then quickly notified to investigate whether there has been an actual impact that requires remediation or if there is a potential threat from a potential encroachment.

SOURCE: GE Oil & Gas