Line 06 · Magnetic Flux Leakage Detector
Illegal tapping detection machine
An MFL machine aimed at a specific crime scene: the unauthorised offtake. It hunts the contour defects and weld anomalies that illegal tappings leave in a live pipeline wall.
Illegal tapping — stealing product through a clandestine connection welded onto a live line — damages pipelines twice: at the tap itself, and in the integrity records that no longer match the pipe. This machine applies magnetic flux leakage technology to find the evidence. The published description is candid about the method's physics: MFL is recognised in the industry for strong environmental adaptability and high boundary quantification accuracy for contour defects, but the detector faces known challenges — magnetic field distribution characteristics, sensor layout density, and distortion of metal magnetic permeability in the heat-affected zone can raise miss rates at magnetic-field-parallel cracks, pinholes and circumferential welds. Those published limits stand for this machine as well — the product description states them for the method without claiming this model removes them — so ask which of your target defect types the configuration detects reliably, where its miss-rate limits remain, and how detection is validated in the field before you rely on a survey.
The specification matches the core tool fleet: pressure range 0–10 MPa; working temperature -10 to 80 degrees C; bend passage at an elbow curvature radius of 1.5D or greater; deformation ability through straight pipe sections of 15% OD or less; continuous working time of more than 60 hours; and detection referencing of +/-0.1 m to the nearest circumferential weld and +/-5 degrees circumferentially — the referencing a security team works from when it plans a dig.
Operators usually pair a tapping-detection run with a baseline integrity survey; the inline inspection tools page covers the general fleet, and the pipeline inspection guide explains how detection programmes are structured.
Why tapping detection is its own configuration
- Target defect class — contour defects and unauthorised welds, quantified at their boundaries.
- Known blind spots, stated openly — parallel cracks, pinholes and circumferential-weld anomalies carry higher miss rates in the published description; the description claims no fix for them, so confirm detection capability and limits for your target defects.
- Dig-ready output — +/-0.1 m weld-referenced positioning for excavation and security response.
Specifications
| Item | Specification on record |
|---|---|
| Pressure range | 0–10 MPa |
| Working temperature range | -10 to 80 degrees C |
| Bending ability | Elbow curvature radius >= 1.5D |
| Deformation ability | Through straight pipe section <= 15% OD |
| Working hours | Continuous working time of more than 60 hours |
| Detection threshold | Feature distance to nearest circumferential weld +/-0.1 m; circumferential direction +/-5 degrees |
What to confirm for your project
- Treat run data as evidence: agree chain-of-custody and reporting format before the run if prosecutions may follow.
- Combine with a baseline survey if your integrity records are stale — a tap found against a current baseline is a much stronger case.
- Ask about minimum order requirements and lead time for your proposed configuration; ask about survey delivery together with the inspection service.
Buyer questions
What does an illegal tap look like to the tool?
A contour defect with weld metal and a heat-affected zone. The published method description claims high boundary quantification accuracy for contour defects — and states higher miss rates at parallel cracks, pinholes and circumferential welds, so confirm how those limits apply to the tap signatures you expect.
How precisely can a tap be located?
Features are positioned within +/-0.1 m of the nearest circumferential weld and +/-5 degrees circumferentially; confirm the miss-rate limits for your target defect types and how a reported position is verified on site before excavation.
Can it run on a live product line?
The envelope is 0–10 MPa and -10 to 80 degrees C with 60+ hours of continuous working time — the same live-line envelope as the core MFL fleet.
Related systems
MFL Inline Inspection Service
Survey delivery as a service, reporting included.
View the system →None
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