[Casper, WY] – [October 18, 2024] – Flowstate has been selected to receive funding from the intelligent Pipeline Integrity Program (iPIPE). As part of the iPIPE 3.0 funding round, Flowstate will partner with TOKU Systems to develop improved leak detection and localization technologies specifically for gathering systems. Together, they will work with one of the iPIPE consortium’s member organizations to develop and test their solution on an active gathering system.
“Gathering systems pose a number of challenges for leak detection,” said Braden Fitz-Gerald, CTO of Flowstate. “Their operational complexity, combined with data limitations and geographical remoteness, has left them with limited coverage—posing risks for operators, neighbors, and the beautiful lands they weave through. Over the past few years, we’ve been developing solutions for these systems using machine learning, but limited data availability on most gathering lines has been a significant hurdle. Teaming up with TOKU provides a key piece of the puzzle, and we’re excited to see how our partnership can significantly improve leak detection capabilities in this area.”
TOKU QuickSense Pressure devices include high-performance IIoT pressure sensors that can take accurate, temperature-compensated pressure measurements every second. TOKU devices are uniquely designed to be installed quickly by field staff and operate in locations where power and connectivity are typically constrained—conditions common to gathering systems.
In the Flowstate-TOKU joint project, TOKU devices will be deployed across a gathering system and feed data into the Flowstate leak detection software. The TOKU devices will be enhanced in this project for high-precision time-synchronization and continuous operation at more than one measurement per second. Alongside this, Flowstate will build upon the pattern recognition and machine learning of its software to use the highly precise pressure measurements from TOKU to enhance the sensitivity and reliability of leak detection while significantly improving localization capabilities.
“One of the most valuable aspects of the iPIPE program is direct access to member organizations,” added Fitz-Gerald. “We appreciate the opportunity to learn from their expertise and work closely on the development and validation of our solution.”
iPIPE is a research consortium made up of pipeline operators, the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC), and the North Dakota Oil and Gas Research Program (OGRP). The iPIPE 3.0 membership includes seven companies from the U.S. and Canada, operating both gathering and transmission pipelines for oil, gas, and produced water. The program’s objective is to advance emerging technologies for the prevention and detection of pipeline leaks. The 2024-2025 funding round focused on proposals capable of delivering “a step change in leak detection and leak prevention.”
“Improving leak detection for gathering systems is of great interest in North Dakota, and we’re excited to support innovation in this area with Flowstate and TOKU,” said Darren Schmidt, Assistant Director for Energy, Oil & Gas at the EERC.
About Flowstate
Flowstate began as a partnership with True Companies’ Bridger and Belle Fourche Pipelines to improve leak detection across their operations in the Rocky Mountain West. By leveraging machine learning and data science, they tackled key challenges in implementing effective, efficient, and affordable monitoring solutions. Flowstate spun off as an independent company in 2019, continuing its mission to advance pipeline safety and leak detection technologies.
About TOKU Systems
TOKU Systems was founded by Dr. Toku Ito, who has been developing advanced IIoT solutions for the oil and gas industry since 1995. TOKU Systems believes production operations can do more with better visibility into the performance of their operational systems. TOKU Systems is passionate about leveraging IIoT and advanced sensing technology to bring fresh visibility into oil and gas production operations while breaking the cost and complexity barriers that have historically stood in the way of achieving this.
This press release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from expectations.