SoCalGas installs fiber optic cables to natural gas pipelines

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), Los Angeles, has announced it has broken ground on a fiber optic cable installation designed to monitor the condition of the company’s high-pressure transmission pipelines in real time. The fiber optic technology is being installed along a new, seven-mile section of natural gas pipeline in Bakersfield, California, and will serve as an early warning system to detect unauthorized construction work that could damage the pipeline and changes in pressure in the line that could indicate a leak.

"SoCalGas is committed to modernizing our infrastructure to enhance safety for our customers and reduce our carbon footprint," Deanna Haines, director of gas engineering for SoCalGas, says. "This technology provides our engineers with a critical early warning system that can prevent damage to our lines and help us mitigate leaks more quickly."

"Having real time information on the status of high pressure pipelines is critical in the early detection of a potential problem," Brian Marshall, Kern County, California, fire chief, says. "Firefighters will be able to respond quickly to an emergency and work with SoCalGas to stop the problem from escalating."

The technology uses fiber optic cables that run along a pipeline and transmits data across long distances. The system operates on the principle that light signals vary when a fiber optic cable is exposed to vibration, stress or abnormal changes in temperature—all indicators of a possible natural gas leak or an impact to a natural gas line. The fiber optic system is designed to pinpoint within 20 feet where a potential problem may be developing.

When a threat is detected, information is sent along the fiber cable to a remote monitoring station where operators interpret signal changes to determine the source of potential intrusions, including heavy equipment operation, unexpected earth movement or other physical impacts like structural stress from broken water mains.

Access to continuous, real time measurements and area-specific data can give SoCalGas crews and first responders more time to plan, allocate resources and take effective actions to mitigate potential leaks and damage to pipelines, SoCalGas says.

The company plans to install fiber optic cable along all new and replacement pipeline segments 12 inches and greater in diameter and one-mile long.

Incorporating fiber optics into its transmission pipeline and distribution systems is part of SoCalGas' commitment to upgrading and modernizing its more than 101,000 miles of natural gas pipelines.