Technical and economic investigation of the distributed acoustic sensing system in pipeline security

There is a need for studies to be carried out in this field for the integration of Distributed Acoustic Detection Systems (DAS) in pipeline transportation security, which is rapidly developing and becoming widespread in our country with a sustainable security understanding, and for the correct and economic development and expansion of other usage areas. Recent advances in fiber optic technology have brought the DAS to the forefront of current research. Considering the features of DAS, it is a reliable system in pipeline transportation. The scientific background and system elements on which the DAS is based were examined in this study. Examples of pipelines, especially natural gas pipelines are given across areas where this system can be integrated. It is aimed to contribute to this field with this study, which includes the principles and examples of the use of distributed acoustic sensing technology in pipeline safety and other areas. The technical and economic benefits of DAS integration in pipeline security are emphasized by evaluating Turkey's current situation and future in terms of pipelines. In the investment evaluation of a new project with DAS integration for 2379 km of natural gas and oil pipelines, which are mostly secured by traditional methods in our country, parameters such as Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return and Payback Period are considered. The economic analysis results reveal that DAS integration in pipeline security provides 25.3% savings in initial investment costs and 52.8% in operation and maintenance costs compared to traditional methods. The investment evaluation parameters made for the 10-year period of the project, whose initial investment cost is estimated, show that the applicability of the investment is very high.