“Hear” and Now: Acoustic Telemetry Under the Sea

Pipelines are such a natural part of our daily life that you may not think much about what goes into their successful operation. Carrying everything from water to oil to natural gas, so many of our daily activities are directly or indirectly made possible thanks to well-constructed and reliable pipelines. The stresses on these systems are many: friction and pressure from the flow of liquid, pressure buildup from valve operation, vibration, and, perhaps most crucial, temperature. As this article from Offshore magazine illustrates, underwater natural gas pipelines are especially susceptible to the dangers of cold ambient temperatures: if they fall too much, crystals can form, slowing the flow of gas. If it goes unnoticed or unaddressed, that inconvenience turns into a burst pipe. In other words, a disaster.

Telemetry innovation plays a major role in preventing such situations. Through acoustic telemetry, the water temperature can be monitored, and maintenance personnel can be alerted when dangerous levels occur. Although we at Devar deal mostly in wired, electronic monitoring, we applaud the ingenuity of the acoustic model: it’s especially well-suited to deep-sea applications thanks to the lack of cables and wiring. As monitoring and alarm specialists, we’re here to answer any questions you might have about your own telemetry needs: be sure to visit our website for more information.