Secure at the Perimeter
- By Ralph Jensen
- Feb 01, 2010
Ensuring security along thousands of miles of natural gas pipeline
requires the best technology. This calls for IP video surveillance and
thermal imaging cameras with instant access to streaming images.
While working on an article for our companion magazine,
Security Products, I interviewed several people about pipeline
security. At first, it seemed rather simple -- set up a few cameras
and watch the pipeline.
I should have known better. First of all, while growing up, my
father owned a pipeline transportation system in our little town
in Wyoming. Even then, there were miles and miles of pipeline;
95 percent of it was underground. We never thought about security
or an attack on the natural gas pipeline. Our biggest worry
was that a drunk driver would careen into an exposed line and
cause a fire.
Times are different, and pipelines are now a target of terrorism.
Today, only the best and most advanced technologies are
necessary to protect pumping or transfer stations.
The principle is the same today as it was years ago. My father’s
pumping stations were out in the middle of nowhere;
the transfer stations were located closer to town but still in the
desert. Most pipeline is still buried in the wide open spaces. The
pumping stations and transfer stations are closer to a nucleus
of citizens but still out on the range.
The same basically applies for protecting pipelines filled with
crude oil, refined product and lubricants. Today, when a tanker
ship filled with crude wants to offload its cargo off the coast
of Louisiana, it does so miles off the coastline at the Louisiana
Offshore Oil Port. Thirteen percent of the nation’s foreign oil is
received at this deepwater port in the Gulf of Mexico. More foreign
crude is offloaded in the Port of Houston after these massive
tankers work their way through the Houston Ship Channel.
Security never takes a break at either of these locations. Thermal
and IP video surveillance cameras are always on duty watching
the progress of the day’s work and scouting for potential
intruders. Because the work takes place 24/7, thermal cameras
are the perfect solution for nighttime surveillance. The goal is to
provide safety and guard against any environmental concerns;
however, these days, illicit activity is on top of the list.
Bill Klink, vice president of security and surveillance at FLIR
Systems Inc., said thermal cameras are used extensively in the
petrochemical industry. One of the reasons is the ability to detect
objects miles away, especially during nighttime hours.
Thermal images can be captured at night and through challenging
weather conditions, and IP video surveillance can stream
real-time images back to a matrix of high-definition screens
where security officers are able to stay on top of potential threats.
Analytics also figures into the mix and plays a big role at remote
locations. A trip wire is set up, and objects that trigger an alarm
can be viewed instantly. Because of the clear view, security officers
can easily tell if the intruder is a moose in the foothills of
Wyoming or a terrorist speeding along in a boat.
The Transportation Security Administration has a defined
and measured risk-based approach to protect all risks equally.
They also have established priorities and allocated security
resources accordingly.
In the case of the pipeline industry, the over-arching objective
is to protect crucial energy supply to commercial, industrial and
domestic users. The natural gas and hazardous liquids pipeline
system infrastructure is a largely, widely dispersed and a privately
owned system.
The solution is not simple by any reach, but the technology
available from the security industry will have the greatest impact
on energy supplies as well as national security.
IP video surveillance, laced with thermal imaging cameras, provides
the boost to the pipeline transmission industry that is needed
to stop illicit activity and monitor attempts of theft and vandalism.
The IP network provides a lasting, successful solution.
This article originally appeared in the February 2010 issue of Network-Centric Security.
About the Author
Ralph C. Jensen is editor-in-chief of Security Products magazine.