Hifi Engineering Announces 100% Accuracy In Pipeline Leak Detection Performance Testing

CALGARY, AB--(Marketwired - February 15, 2017) - Hifi Engineering Inc. ("Hifi"), a developer and supplier of leading edge fiber optic sensing technologies used to monitor gas and fluid flow in pipelines and oil and gas wells, today announced results of its High-fidelity dynamic (acoustics, temperature, strain) sensing HDS™ technology as part of their testing with C-CORE, a Canadian research and development (R&D) corporation. The program was funded by LOOKNorth, a national Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research hosted by C-CORE.

The C-CORE results proved the Hifi HDS system successfully detected all leaks generated during this testing program, with no false positives in real time. Operating pressures ranged from 195psi down to 3psi, for both liquids and gas, in both offshore and land applications.

"We are very pleased with the performance of our HDS technology", said John Hull, Hifi's Founder and Chief Technology Officer. "To achieve 100% performance with no false positives proves our technology is world class, and ready to assist the industry in achieving 100% pipeline safety. These results reaffirm the performance also demonstrated through Hifi's many field pilots and commercial installations."

Hifi's HDS high definition technology monitors every centimeter of a pipeline, 24 hours per day, and can detect flows less than a liter within seconds. It includes proprietary, fiber optic cables optimized for sensing, as well as optical hardware and software for permanent deployment and continuous monitoring. The patented software algorithms are designed to correlate acoustic, temperature and vibration / strain data in real-time to discern operating conditions such as excessive strain, thermal events, and security intrusions, which if left unaddressed, could evolve into a leak in the pipeline. The HDS system can also detect extremely low flow and pinhole sized leaks, with the ability to alarm and notify the pipeline operator in seconds, through a control room software powered by GE Predix™.

As previously announced, Hifi has been working with Enbridge's Pipeline Control Systems and Leak Detection team to evaluate Hifi's HDS technology, along with other joint industry partners Kinder Morgan Canada and TransCanada Pipelines, through C-FER Technologies' External Leak Detection System Evaluation Program in Edmonton.

The positive performance of Hifi's HDS system comes on the successful completion of the previously announced project investment between Hifi and Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), on behalf of the Government of Canada. The project from SDTC's SD Tech Fund, was $2.0M as part of a $6.0M development initiative of Hifi's next generation HDS technology for preventative pipeline leak detection.

"SDTC is proud to see the investment into this innovative pipeline leak detection technology result in this successful demonstration. The HDS technology has the potential to reduce the incidence of leaks, and increase the confidence of the public in our pipeline system in Canada. We are encouraged by this, and remain optimistic in the success of this project with Hifi Technologies", said Leah Lawrence, president and CEO, Sustainable Development Technology Canada.

"HiFi Engineering's technology is proof of the importance of investing in energy innovation", said Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. "Our Government is proud to support Canadian companies that are focused on developing clean technologies. These companies will create new products and services that are more energy efficient, emit lower carbon emissions and promote healthier communities. Clean technology producers will also create entirely new jobs and business opportunities for Canadians. That's how innovation makes a better Canada."

About Hifi
Hifi is a privately held Canadian company, with minority ownership from Enbridge and Cenovus, specializing in the research, development, supply and commercial operation of next generation fiber optic sensing technologies primarily used to monitor gas and fluid flow in oil and gas wells, and preventative leak detection for pipelines. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Hifi currently has a number of commercialized products, including its HDS™ MiCro tool offering for downhole flow applications, and HDS™ MaCro system for permanent monitoring of pipelines and reservoirs. For more information, visit www.hifieng.com.

About C-CORE
C-CORE is an ISO 9001-registered R&D organization established in 1975 and headquartered in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). With unparalleled harsh-environment expertise and world-leading technical capability in Remote Sensing, Ice Engineering and Geotechnical Engineering, C-CORE provides research-based advisory services and technology solutions to help clients mitigate operational risk in harsh environments and to address security, sustainability and safety issues related to their regulatory and operating needs worldwide.

About LOOKNorth
LOOKNorth is a Canadian national Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research hosted by C-CORE. LOOKNorth fosters remote sensing innovation and promotes the use of remote sensing technologies in environmental monitoring as a way to assist decision-making and reduce uncertainties, risk and cost in challenging environments. LOOKNorth helps connect remote sensing innovators with end users facing a monitoring challenge.

About SDTC
Sustainable Development Technology Canada is an arm's-length foundation created by the Government of Canada to promote sustainable development and support projects that develop and demonstrate new technologies to address issues related to climate change, air quality, and clean water and soil. Sustainable Development Technology Canada invests in Canadian companies that, through their innovative technologies, contribute positively to Canada by creating quality jobs, driving economic growth and protecting the environment. For more information, visit www.sdtc.ca.