AFRL's Laser Technology Leads to Successful Airborne LIDAR Pipeline Inspection System

Applications

• Military and Commercial Significance:
• Presently, the US has over 2.3 million miles of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines, most of which date back to the 1950s and 1960s. Estimated natural gas loss through these pipes exceeds $1.5 billion per year, a figure that excludes the costs of environmental impacts and the loss of life and property.
• A Small Business Innovation Research contract funded the initial effort to construct a midwave active laser chemical remote system with potential application as a base remediation sensor. After AFRL demonstrated the system, another Department of Defense agency expanded available funding to increase the unit’s capacity to identify chemicals associated with weapons of mass destruction. During this period, the Department of Transportation recognized the system’s potential and provided funds to deploy the sensor on an airborne platform.
• ALPIS can overlay visual images onto the LIDAR data, which is placed on a Geographic Information System mapping grid. Using a standard mounting bracket, scientists can mount ALPIS to a helicopter’s exterior. The system transports easily between identical helicopter models and provides a rapid, accurate, and economical means of pipeline inspection. To receive more information about this or other activities in the Air Force Research Laboratory, contact TECH CONNECT, AFRL/XPTC, [phone removed] and you will be directed to the appropriate laboratory expert. (SN-S-05-19) DISTRIBUTION A - PUBLIC RELEASE
• LaSen (Laser Sensors), Inc. (Las Cruces, New Mexico), enhanced and extended AFRL’s Airborne Natural Gas Emission LIDAR capabilities to create a rugged, compact, lightweight Airborne LIDAR Pipeline Inspection System (ALPIS). A differential absorption lidar system, ALPIS remotely detects, measures, and maps atmospheric concentrations of hydrocarbons, such as methane and ethane (core components of natural gas), associated with natural gas line leaks. ALPIS can detect the presence of particular chemicals from a safe distance, a critical capability in numerous military and commercial applications.
• In 2004, LaSen demonstrated ALPIS’ capabilities during Department of Energy-sponsored tests of remote leak detection technologies. In these tests, ALPIS inspected a simulated pipeline that had varying degrees of leaks distributed along its route. Based on the test results, researchers determined that ALPIS successfully detected multiple leaks ranging from 100 to 5,000 standard cubic feet per hour with a low rate of false positives. In 2005, LaSen successfully executed a commercial pipeline inspection contract potentially worth over $6 million. Following this achievement, ALPIS received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration for air worthiness.