The Suit Magazine

With the right technology, one small business can investigate underground problems without major excavation.

Patrick Keelan, a partner at PFT Technology, is in the business of catching small problems before they turn into major trouble.

When an underground pipe springs a leak, finding it can be a nightmare. Traditionally the fix was to dig up a section, freeze the pipe, and see if the total level of fluid transfer kept diminishing. If so, the engineers would move on to a new section and do it again—and again—sometimes having to cycle through the procedure several times before pinpointing the problem.

But PFT Technology is ten steps ahead of the game. They use a substance called perfluorocarbon tracer, or PFT. PFT is a non-toxic, colorless fluid that is not found in nature; it must be manufactured in the laboratory. Its chemical signature is so unique that it can easily be detected, even in extremely small quantities. PFTs have been used for purposes ranging from tracking air flow to marking money used in criminal enterprises, but Keelan’s company has applied it to the identification of leaks in fluid-bearing pipe systems.

To find a leak, PFT Technology will inject PFT into the system's main tank and then trace the pipe until a large concentration of PFT is detected in the atmosphere above a certain spot, which indicates the section of the pipe where the leak has occurred. Then an engineering team need only dig in a single location to repair the leak or replace the pipe.

Underground high-voltage lines are commonly insulated with oil-like dielectric fluid or nitrogen gas. This fluid envelope cools and protects the wiring. But when a leak occurs and this insulating fluid begins to seep out, it can cause environmental problems by entering the soil and dripping into the water table. Since PFT leak detection is so much faster than the alternative, it greatly reduces the amount of contamination that can be caused by oil seepage.

The PFT system has several other advantages. Because the tracer is non-toxic and doesn't react with other substances, utilities don't need to shut down the system while conducting leak detection tests. The detection system is so accurate that a leak's location can be narrowed down to an extremely small area, reducing replacement time to hours instead of weeks. In urban areas, this means that there is less need for road closures and other inconveniences to the city's inhabitants. And because PFT works even when the pipes are active, utility companies can test for leaks on a regular basis, allowing them to catch problems while they are still relatively small and give customers warning before shutting down for repairs.

PFT also eliminates the need for liquid nitrogen, normally used to freeze potentially leaking pipe. This saves money and also reduces risks for the engineering team.

PFT Technology was formed in 2005, chiefly providing leak location services to utility companies. “We're based in New York and London, but we do work all over the country,” Keelan said. “It's an environmental solution that also saves time and money—a clean tech solution that is also cost effective.”

The company recently expanded to do work in the United Kingdom, providing leak detection services for the oil industry. “They have a huge issue with underground oil leaks in the system and they were under a huge amount of pressure to find a solution,” Keelan said. And his solution has already proven itself many times over. “We've been able to reduce one customer's oil loss by 90 percent in four years.”

PFT Technology has worked for customers ranging from the Los Angeles Department of Power and Water to New Jersey’s Public Service Electric and Gas. In the UK, they've provided services for National Grid, Scottish and Southern Energy, Western Power, and ESB. Their first UK customer, National Grid, found and fixed 15 leaks in the first 12 months of using PFT Technology's services.

The company designed, developed and built their own PFT locator instruments. These instruments are so sensitive that they can detect PFT in the parts per quadrillion range, meaning one molecule per thousand-million-million. PFT Technology has even developed a remote sampling system for use in inaccessible areas.

Keelan, who has a business degree from Manhattan College, remembers running into some significant challenges when the company first began its overseas operation. “There were different terminologies in the industry,” he said. “And it's a little bit of a culture change there that becomes apparent when you expand.” But if their progress so far is any indication, those initial challenges have been surmounted. Since its founding in 2005, PFT Technology has expanded to ten employees and headquarters in two different nations.

Keelan is appreciative of the people he works with—even the best technology means nothing without the right employees to implement it. And his philosophy when it comes to selecting those employees? “Always hire people smarter than you.”

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