Information sharing between power line operators and pipeline corrosion engineers is a critical
component to accurately assess and design mitigation for any possible interference effects on pipelines.
However, this information is often challenging to obtain and does not show the complete picture of the
dynamic nature of power flows on transmission lines.
An innovative new monitoring technology is now being utilized by pipeline owners and operators to
monitor real-time power flows on transmission lines and determine the phase arrangement when
intersecting pipelines are located in shared right-of-ways. The monitoring systems utilize non-contact,
ground-based, electromagnetic field sensors coupled with geometric data to analyze and quantify the AC
power flows without needing the involvement of the electric utility companies. Data collected is remotely
communicated to cloud servers where advanced computations are performed and the data is made
available for remote viewing or system integration via an API.
The information collected from the monitoring systems can be utilized in the analysis of AC interference
studies for mitigation system design, for real-time continuous monitoring to detect changes in power flows
as electric utilities modify their systems and additional sources of generation come online or others are
retired, for integration into pipeline integrity management software solutions for further analysis, or for
active control of mitigation systems.