Research conducted at Coppe wins a national award for technology designed to reduce losses from theft in pipelines

A master’s thesis completed in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Program (PEMM) at Coppe/UFRJ was recognized on August 12 as the best entry in the ABCM–PIPELINEBRAZIL 2025 Award. Authored by Lucas Braga Campos, currently a Ph.D. student at PEMM, the thesis developed a low-cost sensor capable of detecting and locating clandestine perforations in pipelines used to transport oil and gas, helping to reduce losses and increase the operational safety of Brazil’s pipeline infrastructure.

The award was presented during the 13th National Congress of Mechanical Engineering (CONEM 2026), organized by the Brazilian Association of Mechanical Engineering and Sciences (ABCM), from August 10 to 14.

Conducted at the Laboratory for Non-Destructive Testing, Corrosion, and Welding (LNDC), the research sought to address a challenge of great importance to the oil and gas industry: how to expand the inspection capacity of an extensive pipeline network and quickly identify clandestine tampering that causes product losses, infrastructure damage, and safety risks.

The study was part of the DETEPIG project, one of the winners of the 2024 ANP Award for Technological Innovation, coordinated by PEMM professors Cesar Giron Camerin and Gabriela Ribeiro Pereira, who served as Lucas’s advisors during his master’s program. The research led to the development of a low-cost eddy current sensor designed to detect punctures even when the pipelines are not in operation.

Technology has the potential to directly contribute to reducing losses in the Brazilian industry. The theft of oil and its derivatives not only causes financial losses for companies and the country but can also drive up costs throughout the production and distribution chain. Illegal tapping also compromises the integrity of pipelines and can lead to leaks, accidents, environmental damage, and risks to communities near the areas of operation.

Technology designed to address industry challenges

The solution developed by Lucas is based on an important characteristic of Brazil’s infrastructure: the extent of the pipeline network and the fact that most of the pipelines are buried. These conditions make the inspection and detection of illegal tapping a technological and operational challenge.

During his master’s program, the researcher developed and tested different sensor configurations until he arrived at a 30-millimeter-long coil, considered the most promising for this application. The technology makes it possible to identify small changes in the pipeline walls caused by illegal tapping.

The research has also progressed toward an application in an inspection tool. Weighing approximately 10 kilograms, the equipment developed under the DETEPIG project uses 32 sensors to scan the entire internal surface of the pipeline. This configuration reduces weight and size compared to commercially available tools, in addition to simplifying the inspection system.

Field tests conducted at the Pipeline and Terminal Technology Center (CTDUT) yielded positive results. The tool was able to identify clandestine taps as small as 6 millimeters in diameter and also detect corrosion in the pipelines.

For Lucas Campos, the ability to conduct more frequent inspections using a lower-cost, compact tool is one of the technology’s key advantages.

“This coil allows just 32 sensors to be used to inspect the entire inner surface of the pipelines. This enables simplification and a reduction in weight and size compared to tools currently available on the market,” says the researcher.

Access the full research paper: Desenvolvimento de sensor de correntes parasitas de baixo custo para detecção de derivações clandestinas em dutos (Development of a Low-Cost Eddy Current Sensor for Detecting Illegal Taps in Pipelines)