Oil and Gas Pipeline Monitoring Through Magneto-Coupled Wireless Sensor Network

Offshore pipelines are laid on the seabed to extract oil and gas. Deployment of wireless sensor network and micro-sensing within these pipelines promise wide range of applications, however wireless communication offers significant challenges through fluids. This paper presents a use of simple, low-power and cost effective Magneto-Coupled (MC) wireless communication that outperforms acoustic, optics and radio waves when it comes to water and underground. Magneto-Coupled systems are generally suited for short range applications (50 m) and to achieve long distance (2 km), this paper proposes a novel approach of installing relay coils between the transmit and receive points, over the available pipeline structure. Simulation and lab experiments are performed and results are presented to show how relay coils between the transmit and receive points help the reception.