Development and Analysis of a Distributed Leak Detection and Localisation System for Crude Oil Pipelines

Crude oil leakages and spills (OLS) are some of the problems attributed to pipeline failures in the oil and gas industry's midstream sector. Consequently, they are monitored via several leakage detection and localisation techniques (LDTs) comprising classical methods and, recently, Internet of Things (IoT)-based systems via wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Although the latter techniques are proven to be more efficient, they are susceptible to other types of failures such as high false alarms or single point of failure (SPOF) due to their centralised implementations. Therefore, in this work, we present a hybrid distributed leakage detection and localisation technique (HyDiLLEch), which combines multiple classical LDTs. The technique is implemented in two versions, a single-hop and a double-hop version. The evaluation of the results is based on the resilience to SPOFs, the accuracy of detection and localisation, and communication efficiency. The results obtained from the placement strategy and the distributed spatial data correlation include increased sensitivity to leakage detection and localisation and the elimination of the SPOF related to the centralised LDTs by increasing the number of node-detecting and localising (NDL) leakages to four and six in the single-hop and double-hop versions, respectively. In addition, the accuracy of leakages is improved from 0 to 32 m in nodes that were physically close to the leakage points while keeping the communication overhead minimal.

Bacterial assemblages of urban microbiomes mobilized by runoff waters match land use typologies and harbor core species involved in pollutant degradation and opportunistic human infections

Cities are patchworks of urban catchments divided into functional units according to their commercial, residential and industrial activities, and socio-urbanistic patterns. The hypothesis of city surface microbiomes being structured by socio-urbanistic variables leading to an emergence of synurbic taxa was tested. According to the r/K microbial ecology theory, a gradient of well-adapted synurbic K-strategists and of opportunistic -r-strategists should occur over city surfaces. K-strategists would be core components while r-ones would be transiently detected. To resolve these patterns, sub-catchments (n = 21) of an area of high commercial and industrial activities were investigated over three time periods covering one year. The sub-catchments' land use patterns and associated human behaviors were converted into socio-urbanistic variables and groupings. Bacterial cells mobilized by runoffs per sub-catchment were recovered, and analyzed by classical approaches, microbial source tracking DNA assays and DNA meta-barcoding approaches. Relationships between these datasets, the runoff physico-chemical properties, and descriptors of the socio-urbanistic groupings were investigated. 16S rRNA meta-barcoding analyses showed evidence of the occurrence of K- and r-like strategists. Twenty-eight core genera were identified, and correlation networks revealed large bacterial modules organized around actinobacterial taxa involved in hydrocarbon degradation processes. Other bacterial networks were related to the occurrences of hygienic wastes, and involved bacteria originating from fecal contaminations. Several r-strategists like Sulfurospirillum were recorded and found associated to point source pollutions. The tpm-metabarcoding approach deciphered these r / K strategists at the species level among more than ten genera. Nine core K-like Pseudomomas species were identified. The P. aeruginosa human opportunistic pathogen and P. syringae phytopathogens were part of these K-strategists. Other tpm-harboring bacterial pathogens showed r-like opportunistic distribution patterns. Correlation network analyses indicated a strong incidence of hygienic wastes and hydrocarbon-pollutions on tpm-harboring bacteria. These analyses demonstrated the occurrence of core synurbic bacterial K-strategists over city surfaces.

Combination of Lagrangian Discrete Phase Model and sediment physico-chemical characteristics for the prediction of the distribution of trace metal contamination in a stormwater detention basin

Elevated trace metal concentrations in sediments pose a major problem for the management of stormwater detention basins. These basins provide a nature-based solution to remove particulate pollutants through settling, but the resuspension of these contaminated deposits may impact the quality of both surface and groundwater. A better understanding of trace metal distribution will help to improve basin design and sediment management. This study aims to predict the distribution of trace metal contamination in a stormwater detention basin through (i) investigation of the correlation between metal content in sediments and their settling velocity, and (ii) the coupling of such correlation with a Lagrangian Discrete Phase Model (LDPM). The correlation between Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb contents and the settling velocity is firstly investigated, based on the sediments collected from 6 sites (inlet and 5 traps at the bottom of a detention basin situated in Chassieu, France) during 5 campaigns in 2017. Results show that Fe is strongly correlated to settling velocity and can be considered as a good indicator of trace metal contents. The derived correlation is then combined with a LDPM for the prediction of trace metal distribution, producing results consistent with in situ measurements. The proposed methodology can be applied for other stormwater basins (dry or wet). As described in this article, the interactions between hydrodynamics and sediment physico-chemical characteristics is crucial for the design and management of stormwater detention basins, allowing managers to target the highest contaminated sediments.

Spatial and temporal dynamics of sediment ecotoxicity in urban stormwater retention basins: Methodological approach and application to a pilot site close to Lyon in France

To characterize the spatio-temporal variation of sediment ecotoxicity in a retention/detention basin, a monitoring program using the Heterocypris incongruens bioassay was carried out for 72 months (5 years) on a field basin close to Lyon in France. Results showed that the variation of ecotoxicity is relatively small from one location of the basin to another, apart from sediment sampling collected in an open-air chamber located in basin supposed to collect gross pollutants and hydrocarbons. Regarding the temporal variation of ecotoxicity, the bioassays also showed a slight variation between 6 and 72 months. On the contrary, they highlighted the high ecotoxicity of the "fresh" sediments collected during rain events using sediment traps. Additional investigations are needed to understand the period of inflexion of ecotoxicity, occurring between 24 h and 6 months. These results can be used by practitioners of urban facilities and networks to improve maintenance strategies of retention/detention basins.

Priority substances in accumulated sediments in a stormwater detention basin from an industrial area

One of the most adopted solutions in developed countries to manage stormwater is detention/retention basins which generate large quantities of sediments that have to be removed regularly. In order to manage them properly, accurate data are needed about their physical and chemical characteristics, particularly on micropollutant concentrations and their associated risk. This work consisted in a two-year sampling of dry sediments from a detention-settling basin. Priority substances, including pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), alkylphenols and bisphenol A (BPA), were monitored. Different sites in the basin bottom were sampled in order to investigate spatial distribution of the contamination. Results show that the increase of the sediment thickness in the basin was heterogeneous with a maximum of 15 cm after two years. Pesticides and PBDE were, if detected, mainly found in low concentrations from 2 ng/g to 286 ng/g. Conversely, alkylphenols and bisphenol A were always quantified at concentrations varying from 6 ng/g to 3400 ng/g. These high levels suggest that these sediments should be managed with precautions. Spatial heterogeneity of alkylphenol ethoxylates and BPA concentrations was observed, with higher contamination of alkylphenol ethoxylates in anaerobic zones and BPA levels correlated with total organic carbon and in a lesser extent to fine particles.

DSM-flux: A new technology for reliable Combined Sewer Overflow discharge monitoring with low uncertainties

In the past ten years, governments from the European Union have been encouraged to collect volume and quality data for all the effluent overflows from separated stormwater and combined sewer systems that result in a significant environmental impact on receiving water bodies. Methods to monitor and control these flows require improvements, particularly for complex Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) structures. The DSM-flux (Device for Stormwater and combined sewer flows Monitoring and the control of pollutant fluxes) is a new pre-designed and pre-calibrated channel that provides appropriate hydraulic conditions suitable for measurement of overflow rates and volumes by means of one water level gauge. In this paper, a stage-discharge relation for the DSM-flux is obtained experimentally and validated for multiple inflow hydraulic configurations. Uncertainties in CSO discharges and volumes are estimated within the Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) framework. Whatever the upstream hydraulic conditions are, relative uncertainties are lower than 15% and 2% for the investigated discharges and volumes, respectively.

Urban domestic wastewater: how to reduce individual injection?

The present paper aims to identify ways to reduce pollution injected by residents in the urban wastewater network system. Two approaches are considered. The first one uses flow and pollutant calculation to test whether a polluter can easily be identified in a neighborhood. The second approach uses a survey to examine what incentive would be most effective to influence residents' behavior. Hydrodynamic simulation results show that concentration profiles at the network outlet corresponding to all possible polluters are similar and thus do not point out specific resident source of pollution. Household-level survey results show that most socio-economic and public-good-related characteristics do not play a significant role in explaining choices to discard in the home wastewater network. Apart from the nature of the waste itself, by far the belief that the respondent has about neighbors' and relatives' discarding behavior is the main driver of the choice.

Computational fluid dynamics modelling of flow and particulate contaminants sedimentation in an urban stormwater detention and settling basin

Sedimentation is a common but complex phenomenon in the urban drainage system. The settling mechanisms involved in detention basins are still not well understood. The lack of knowledge on sediment transport and settling processes in actual detention basins is still an obstacle to the optimization of the design and the management of the stormwater detention basins. In order to well understand the sedimentation processes, in this paper, a new boundary condition as an attempt to represent the sedimentation processes based on particle tracking approach is presented. The proposed boundary condition is based on the assumption that the flow turbulent kinetic energy near the bottom plays an important role on the sedimentation processes. The simulated results show that the proposed boundary condition appears as a potential capability to identify the preferential sediment zones and to predict the trapping efficiency of the basin during storm events.

Spatial variability of sediment ecotoxicity in a large storm water detention basin

Detention basins are valuable facilities for urban storm water management, from both the standpoint of flood control and the trapping of pollutants. Studies performed on storm water have shown that suspended solids often constitute the main vector of pollutants (heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), etc.). In order to characterise the ecotoxicity of urban sediments from storm water detention basins, the sediments accumulated over a 6-year period were sampled at five different points through the surface of a large detention basin localised in the east of Lyon, France. A specific ecotoxicological test battery was implemented on the solid phase (raw sediment) and the liquid phase (interstitial water of sediments). The results of the study validated the method formulated for the ecotoxicological characterization of urban sediments. They show that the ecotoxicological effect of the sediments over the basin is heterogeneous and greater in areas often flooded. They also show the relationship between, on one hand, the physical and chemical characteristics of the sediments and, on the other hand, their ecotoxicity. Lastly, they contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of the pollution close to the bottom of detention basins, which can be useful for improving their design. The results of this research raise particularly the issue of using oil separators on the surface of detention basins.