OptaSense, a QinetiQ company, will be partnering with Avencom, a leading technology supplier to Kazakhstan Oil and Gas companies, to provide its Distributed Acoustic Sensing services. The partnership was signed during the UK Government’s trade mission. The trade mission, which was led by the Prime Minister, included several leading British oil and gas businesses.

Over the last four years, OptaSense has worked with Avencom to implement pipeline security monitoring systems on over 1000 km of pipeline in Kazakhstan. The new partnership will bring OptaSense’s new Four-Mode leak detection system to potential customers in the region.

Magnus McEwen-King, OptaSense’s MD said, “We are pleased to be able to extend and formalise our on-going relationship with Avencom. Our unique technology helps companies reduce operating costs and minimise environmental issues. Avencom have been able to develop and train highly skilled technical operators who can install, operate and maintain our fibre sensing technology.”

OptaSense deploys Distributed Acoustic Sensing that converts standard fibre optic cable into thousands of virtual microphones along its length, enabling operators to effectively ‘listen’ for third-party intrusion (pipelines) and detect and prevent leaks in pipelines before they occur. The new Four-Mode leak detection software allows negative pressure-wave monitoring for rupture events, acoustic signature recognition of high-pressure leaks, fast distributed temperature gradient sensing (DTGS), and ground heave strain monitoring from a single platform, providing a comprehensive leak detection system.