Ohio scholar and researcher, Vijay Asari, is developing an automated monitoring system for the state’s pipelines to ensure safe operation. Over two million miles of pipes buried beneath the ground throughout the country stand to benefit from Asari’s work.
“Since none of the areas through which pipelines run are to be used for other construction activities, it needs to be monitored whether the right-of-way of the pipeline is encroached upon at any point of time,” explains Asari. “Rapid advances made in the area of camera and sensor technology have enabled the use of video acquisition systems to monitor the right-of-way of pipelines.”
Despite advancements, there is still work to be done.
Asari’s main objective includes a enhancing pipeline images to help workers better monitor them and differentiate them from other objects on the scene. This will help prevent future leaks that can devastate the surrounding habitat.
“Pipeline leaks may cause severe damage in terms of destruction of plants, agriculture and water resources near the locations where oil leaks occur,” says Asari. “Losses worth several million dollars are incurred by pipeline companies when pipeline leaks or damages occur due to the intrusion of heavy equipment and machinery on the pipeline right-of-way.”
Research is taking place in the
University of Dayton’s Vision Lab to develop new algorithms for real-time applications in the areas of signal processing, image processing, computer vision, pattern recognition, machine learning, artificial neural networks and bio-mimetic object-vision and recognition. For Dayton, means the possibility of new jobs. Asari says the Vision Lab is garnering the attention of large companies that are interested in the project in order to establish relationships. “This will lead to the possibility of building a system development cluster to build deployable systems suitable for commercial applications,” says Asari. “This would in turn bring the possibility of generating several jobs in the region.”
Several phases are included in the project, which Asari estimates will take five years. “Simultaneously, we are also planning to develop oil leak detection, pipeline damage detection, and natural resources damage detection techniques for the protection of our natural resources and provide security and safety to our people and facilities.”
Source: Vijay Asari
Writer: Joe Baur