Pipeline Third-Party Intrusion & Leak Detection (DAS)

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) is a fiber optic sensing technology that uses phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (Φ-OTDR) to turn a standard optical fiber into a continuous array of acoustic and vibration sensors. A DAS interrogator launches laser pulses into the fiber and analyzes the Rayleigh backscattered light, so every meter of cable becomes a listening point — with no field power, no separate sensor units and no electronics along the route. The system detects, localizes and classifies vibration events such as excavation, drilling, vehicle movement, leakage flow and third-party intrusion in real time, giving operators a continuous early-warning layer over pipelines, power corridors, railways and conveyor assets.

• 160 km monitoring reach in dual-channel configuration (86 km per channel in single-channel application terms)
• ±2 m event localization accuracy along the full route
• 0.03 rad/√Hz phase detection sensitivity
• Sensing-communication fusion — one fiber core carries both data communication and acoustic sensing
• In-house AI event classification, field-verified with effective alarm rates above 95%

*Based on publicly available specifications of leading international DFOS vendors, as of Aug 2026.

DAS is a continuous, route-wide early-warning layer. It performs best on linear assets that already carry fiber and face third-party activity or leak risk along the right-of-way.

• Good fit: long-haul oil & gas pipelines, high-consequence gas sections, power cable corridors, railway intrusion and slope monitoring, perimeter security, mining and port conveyor lines.
• Good fit: assets with an existing co-located communication cable or a planned fiber route — sensing runs on a spare core without new in-ground hardware.
• Requires realistic expectations: DAS detects and classifies vibration and acoustic events; recognition performance depends on soil, burial depth and event signature, and is validated per project rather than claimed in advance.
• Not a fit: single-point indoor equipment rooms better served by local sensors, assets with no viable fiber route, and consumer or non-industrial applications.

A final operational note: DAS performance is verified per route, not assumed from the datasheet. Soil type, burial depth, road traffic and pipeline product flow all shape the acoustic signature set, which is why every project includes a calibration phase in which the AI models learn the site's own events before the effective alarm rate is accepted. Once commissioned, the system runs continuously; day-to-day operation is a matter of reviewing the classified event stream, and periodic re-validation after construction or corridor changes keeps recognition aligned with the route as it evolves.