ERT effectively measured the dynamic void fraction variations – ERT as a robust and effective technique for both standard flow characterisation and proactive detection and monitoring of industrial pipeline leaks in two-phase and three-phase flows.
Building on the 2025 Offshore Leak-Detection Research
Continuing where they left off with their outstanding publication in 2025, where they discovered the ability of electrical resistance tomography (ERT) to detect upstream leaks in offshore oil pipelines, new research from the same team examines ERT’s ability to detect leaks in pipes conveying more complex non-Newtonian and three-phase systems containing oil, water, and air.
Two Consecutive Leaks in a 7.25-Metre Test Pipe
In their recently published 2026 paper the research team’s latest experiment was conducted using a pipe with a 50 millimetres diameter with a total length of 7.25 metres with two consecutive ‘leaks’ of 2.5 and 1.8 millimetres in size respectively. The study concluded that “ERT effectively measured the dynamic void fraction variations, and the results revealed that fluid rheology had a complex effect on phase distribution.” The paper further confirmed “ERT as a robust and effective technique for both standard flow characterisation and proactive detection and monitoring of industrial pipeline leaks in two-phase and three-phase flows.”
Extending ERT’s Repertoire to Three-Phase Flows and Non-Newtonian Liquids
This latest publication further ratifies ERT’s ability to detect pipe leaks in the oil and gas industry to help prevent environmental damage and lost production. This paper also builds on the authors’ prior research and extends ERT’s repertoire of leak detection media monitoring to include three-phase flows and non-Newtonian liquids.
Much Promise for the Oil and Gas Industry
These research findings hold much promise for the oil and gas industry. While they are lab-scale experiments at this stage, and used equipment provided by Industrial Tomography Systems (ITS), they are very easy to upscale to function as a cost-effective early warning technology at an industrial operational scale.
For more information about electrical resistance tomography (ERT), electrical capacitance tomography (ECT), and dual modality system applications for the oil and gas industry; please contact [email protected]
