Co.L.Mar Acoustic Subsea Leak Detection Equipment
Co.L.Mar delivers specialised acoustic subsea leak detection equipment and noise assessment services for underwater applications.
The company has been operating in the marine industry since 1982 and is experienced in acoustic engineering, and geophysical investigations. Co.L.Mar is certified ISO 9000 – 2008.
ALD® acoustic leak detection for subsea pipeline and installations
Co.L.Mar. has released an acoustic subsea leak detection system ALD® (acoustic leak detector) which is able to locate very small leaks on the sea line even in extremely hard environmental conditions. The system and the relative service have been developed for seven years and an international patent has been obtained.
It is currently one of the fastest, most accurate and reliable method for sea line leak inspection, especially when an emergency occurs. What makes the company a leader in this specialized field of operation is the experience and long track record. We have currently completed 74 offshore leak inspection projects worldwide detecting a 43 leaks on offshore installation some of them as small as 0.2lt/minute.
Underwater pipeline leak inspection
The ALD® underwater pipeline leak detection system features an underwater sensor that collects acoustic data as it scans the pipeline. The acoustic data is transferred online to an onboard receiver, then to a PC where is analysed, displayed and recorded by a proprietary software.
Compared with other leak detection techniques, ALD has the following advantages:
- Not affected by current, turbidity or pipeline burial
- No need to stop production
- High-sensitivity for small leak detection
- Reliability: as of May 2015, 100% rate of success
- Rapidity: fast mobilisation worldwide
- Zero environmental impact
- ROV, TOWED, DIVER, AUV inspection modes available
- We served SAIPEM, ExxonMobil, McDermott, SHELL, BP, PETRONAS, TOTAL, TECHNIP, BJ Services, FUGRO and HORIZON
Underwater leak detection and inspection techniques
During years of development, different underwater leak detection and inspection techniques have been defined:
- ROV inspection – the sensor is installed on the vehicle which follows the line at a speed of about 0.7kts
- TOWED FISH – the sensor, in a ‘fish’ configuration, is towed by a vessel along the pipeline track
- DIVER – the handheld sensor configuration is driven by a diver (suitable for flange inspections)
- AUV – a special version of ALD® can be easily fitted into any AUV payload
- VERTICAL DEPLOYMENT – the sensor is lowered from the boat in a line kept vertical by ballasts
ALD® as leak contingency plan during hydrotest
During hydrotest of subsea installation a leak contingency plan has to be put in place. This traditionally consists in injecting fluorescine or other kind of dye then proceeding with a visual inspection if required.
But in this case, very often the visual inspection fails because leaks on new installations are typically very small (FJ solder crack or leaking flange) and spotting any sign of dye became impossible. Not to mention if visibility is poor or some current or burial is present. As a consequence, we are often called out on a very urgent base after the failure of the hydrotest of the traditional visual inspection.
For this reason, many clients contract us to standby on-site during any hydrotest so that, with a small cost they can have the best leak detection service guaranteed in case of need.
Also dyes are pollutant and in many area of the world are interdicted, while ALD has zero environmental impact.
So we can provide a more effective and environmental-friendly leak contingency plan during pre-commissioning.
ALM acoustic leak monitoring of subsea installation
On the base of the experience gained in subsea leak inspection we have recently developed a system for permanent monitoring of the most critical areas of subsea installation: manifolds, wellhead, valves, etc.
The system is composed by one of more intelligent sensors to be installed subsea and of a surface station for settings and alarms generation. The subsea units are designed for 25-years life expectance with no maintenance and an operating depth of 2,500m.
Underwater noise measurement services
Co.L.Mar offers underwater noise assessment services that are backed up by our proprietary acoustic equipment and software. We design and build in-house our own acquisition equipment, and have the ability to customise and enhance existing technology for specialised operations.
We are experienced in assessing the acoustic impact of a wide range of man-made structures, including:
- Research vessels
- Submarines
- Platforms
- Barges
- Piling operations
- Racing boats
Our equipment can be rapidly deployed on small support vessels by our acoustic engineers. Once at the assessment site, we take water column temperature and salinity measurements. This data helps us to position the hydrophones at the correct depth for assessment.
Co.L.Mar Images
Products and Services
White Papers
Indoor Test Pool
Co.L.Mar's La Spezia site features with a cutting-edge, 8m-deep indoor testing pool equipped with a 4t crane and acoustic calibration facilities.
Applying Acoustic Leak Detection Systems as a Subsea Solution
Co.L.Mar has been a leading provider of subsea leak inspection services for almost two decades, using an innovative acoustic leak detection (ALD) system that is continuously being upgraded to incorporate the latest research and technologies.
ALD-AUV : Pipeline Integrity Inspections Completed in Southern Italy
In 2015, n°3 pipeline integrity inspection campaigns has been completed using the Saaberthooth AUV equipped with Colmar ALD sensor.
Acoustic Leak Detector
During last November, CO.L.MAR. has been present in two very important events.
ALD Leak Inspection from an AUV
In July, CO.L.MAR. took part to an important project, by carrying out inspections of subsea pipes in the Mediterranean Sea.
A Multi-KM3 Sized Neutrino Telescope
KM3NeT, a future European deep-sea research infrastructure, will host a neutrino telescope with a volume of several cubic kilometres at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea that will open a new window on the universe.
Related Projects
Press Release
Co.L.Mar is pleased to announce that its subsea acoustic leak detector (ALD®) system received formal certification from DNV GL in December 2017.
Read moreColmar delivers the first ALD-AUV version to a major oil company.
Read moreOne of our ALD® teams was recently called out in the Middle East for a leak inspection on new subsea installation, including a 16in line and a number of flanges protected by shorouds.
Read moreCO.L.MAR. exhibits at oceans15, in Genova, Italy, from Monday 18 to Thursday 21 May 2015.
Read moreAfter winning an international bid, acoustic subsea leak detection equipment provider Co.L.Mar has been awarded a two-year frame agreement contract with Saipem Spa for the provision of subsea leak inspection services.
Read moreCo.L.Mar, a provider of acoustic subsea leak detection equipment, has released a free white paper on Offshore Technology.
Read moreColmar Srl has recently signed an agency agreement with Dovaheights Energy.
Read moreRecently one of our ALD team was called out to the Middle East on an urgent base for a leak inspection on new subsea installation, including a 20in pipeline and a number of flanges and valves. The hydrotest revealed a flow loos of just 0.2l/min (about 0.05gal/min) when pressurised at 2200psi.
Read moreCo.L.Mar. and ExxonMobil confirmed its participation in the third Subsea and Artic Leak Detection Symposium (SALDS), which will be held in Houston, Texas, on November 8-9, 2011.
Read moreHaving ALD® equipment and personnel on site during a hydrotest allows for leak inspection to start immediately if needed. The request for preventive leak detection is growing rapidly. In the first months of 2011 we have completed two projects: Co.L.Mar. has been contracted by BJ Servic
Read moreThe ALD system in ROV and diver version is equipped with an additional channel which can now host a hydrocarbon detector: the Turner Design – Cyclope 7. The sensor detects crude oil with a minimum detection limit of 0.1ppm. It is now possible to run an acoustic and optical inspection of the pipel
Read moreALD® has been recently optimised for use with divers. This technique is suitable when inspecting flanges, valves or short segments of pipelines. Two solutions are available: ALD DIVER: the diver handles the sensor and drives it around the flange to be inspected, data are sent by a soft
Read moreCo.L.Mar has won a new project for ALD: a new success for us and excellent business for our customer. A new, 20km pipeline was found to be leaking during the final hydrotest. After adding dye, the ROV visual survey gave no result. ALD was then mobilised ALD which detected the leak during the ver
Read moreA new project for ALD: a new success for us and an excellent business for our customer. A 60km pipeline from shore to 60mt was leaking. ALD in the towed fish configuration was mobilised and once the inspection started, the leak was detected within 12 hours. The position of th
Read moreOn 9 October 2008 ALD was installed on a Seaeye Coguar ROV for inspecting a well head in the Adriatic Sea. The well head had already been inspected visually without results. In less then one hour ALD detected a leak signal and pinpointed the leak at the back of the control POD. The leak could the
Read moreFollowing a 3-year development period the new ALD digital version has been completed. The performance improvements exceed expectations: Data are immediately converted to digital format: noise on trasmission line (ROV) is minimised New software version introduces the “C
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