Citation: Alhomyani, H.; Fadel, M.;
Dimitriou, N.; Bakhsh, H.;
Aldabbagh, G.; Alkhuraiji, S.
Multi-Hop Routing Protocols for Oil
Pipeline Leak Detection Systems.
Electronics 2022, 11, 2078. https://
doi.org/10.3390/electronics11132078
Academic Editor: Christos J. Bouras
Received: 4 June 2022
Accepted: 28 June 2022
Published: 2 July 2022
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Article
Multi-Hop Routing Protocols for Oil Pipeline Leak
Detection Systems
Haneen Alhomyani
1,
*, Mai Fadel
1
, Nikos Dimitriou
2
, Helen Bakhsh
1
, Ghadah Aldabbagh
1,3
and Samar Alkhuraiji
1
1
Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Computing and Information Technology,
King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; mfadel@kau.edu.sa (M.F.);
hbakhsh@kau.edu.sa (H.B.); galdabbagh@kau.edu.sa (G.A.); salkhuraiji@kau.edu.sa (S.A.)
2
Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”,
15341 Athens, Greece; nikodim@iit.demokritos.gr
3
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
* Correspondence: halhomyani@stu.kau.edu.sa
Abstract:
In recent years, various applications have emerged requiring linear topologies of wireless
sensor networks (WSN). Such topologies are used in pipeline (water/oil/gas) monitoring systems.
The linear structure has a significant impact on network performance in terms of delay, throughput,
and power consumption. Regarding communication efficiency, routing protocols play a critical
role, considering the special requirements of linear topology and energy resources. Therefore,
the challenge is to design effective routing protocols that can address the diverse requirements of
the monitoring system. In this paper, we present various wireless communication technologies
and existing leak detection systems. We review different routing protocols focusing on multi-hop
hierarchical protocols, highlighting the limitations and design issues related to packet routing in linear
pipeline leak detection networks. Additionally, we present a LoRa multi-hop model for monitoring
aboveground oil pipelines. A set of model parameters are identified such as the distance between
sensors. In addition, the paper determines some calculations to estimate traffic congestion and energy
consumption. Several alternative model designs are investigated. The model is evaluated using
different multi-hop communication scenarios, and we compare the data rate and energy to provide
an energy-efficient and low-cost leak detection system.
Keywords: WSN; pipeline leak detection; routing; multi-hop; energy efficiency
1. Introduction
Pipelines are cost-effective; clean in transporting water, oil, or gas; and provide greater
supply rates and capacity. There are different pipelines in terms of topology, design, fluid
type, and operational condition. The pipe may carry water, gas, or oil. Some pipelines are
underground, and others are aboveground [
1
]. Considering the length of the pipelines and
the state of the terrain, many problems can occur, such as pipeline leakage and corrosion [
2
].
A leak in oil and gas pipelines causes extreme environmental pollution and economic losses.
Hence, the need for pipeline monitoring and leak detection systems is immense.
A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is suitable for monitoring the pipeline to provide
leakage detection and has many advantages. Wireless sensors can cover the area where
there are no wired connections, and sensors are low in cost and easy to deploy and main-
tain, which increases network reliability and security [
2
]. There are many challenges in
using WSNs in oil and gas pipelines, such as minimizing energy consumption, avoiding
congestion in large-scale networks, and dealing with the constraints imposed by the linear
topologies [
2
]. Sensors consume energy during their long duty cycle. A massive number of
sensors leads to huge energy consumption that affects network lifetime and reliability. The
Electronics 2022, 11, 2078. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11132078 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/electronics
