Scientific Research Journal (SCIRJ), Volume VIII, Issue VIII, August 2020 44 ISSN 2201-2796 www.scirj.org © 2020, Scientific Research Journal http://dx.doi.org/10.31364/SCIRJ/v8.i8.2020.P0820793 This publication is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY. INTELLIGENT PIPELINE MONITORING SYSTEM BASED on INTERNET of THINGS Tomiwa Pudens Ayeni # , Bosede Aina Ayogu * # RapidLink Technologies, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria Department of Computer Science, Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Nigeria Email Address 1 ayeni.tomiwa.pudens@gmail.com DOI: 10.31364/SCIRJ/v8.i8.2020.P0820793 http://dx.doi.org/10.31364/SCIRJ/v8.i8.2020.P0820793 Abstract -The constant pipeline vandalism in Nigeria by oil saboteurs has continued to cause the nation billions of dollars every year. This act is affecting the economy of the most populous black nation and if an urgent solution is not devised, it is capable of bringing the nation to its knees. Although the Nigerian government had in the past devised different strategies to stop the act, unfortunately, most of the strategies rolled out seem to be reactive and obsolete. Internet of Things (IoT) is the technology that can help the nation monitor its pipeline facilities efficiently. To this end, we consider how IoT could be used to monitor pipelines flops in advance. This paper reviews the strategies used by oil saboteurs to steal crude oil from the nation's oil and gas pipeline facilities, highlights the strategies currently used by the Nigerian government to monitor the nation pipeline facilities, the challenges associated with the strategies and how IoT could be used to detect, control and monitors oil pipelines in an efficient manner. Keywords- IoT, oil Pipeline, pipeline vandalism, oil saboteurs, crude oil, crude oil theft, sensors, data analysis 1. INTRODUCTION The continuous decline of crude oil prices in the world market has continued to be of great concern to oil-exporting countries, as a large number of them depend largely on it as their main source of revenue. Nigeria as a case in point, four decades past, about 90 percent of the nation’s total export proceeds comes from crude oil (Atlantic Council, 2017). The Federal Government of Nigeria projected about N3.73 trillion($9.2billion) as oil revenues out of total revenue of N8.1 trillion ($20.9billion) to fund her 2020 national budget (Business Day, 2017). In 2019, Crude oil sold for $64 on average per barrel against the market price of $115 per barrel in June 2014 (Voigt et al., 2015). This price decline meant budget deficits, low foreign exchange earnings, and huge economic loss for oil- exporting countries. This reality is what oil operating companies and oil-exporting countries have to deal with. Many oil and gas companies are adjusting to this reality by continuously cutting down their operational cost and constantly looking for ways to improve and elongate the value of their existing assets. To caution the effect of declined crude oil price on their nation’s revenue, oil -exporting countries are tremendously increasing their production rate to export as many barrels of oil as they possibly can daily. This increase in production rate means that oil-exporting countries will have to transport more oil from production fields to the refinery and to export terminals which will make their reliance on pipeline increases. Although there are other means used globally to transport oil and gas from oil fields to refineries and the consumer markets such as tankers and rail transportation. Transporting oil by pipelines has proven to be the most viable in terms of accessibility to remote locations, distance coverage, speed, cost, and efficiency (Anifowose et al., 2008), yet most difficult assets to secure. This is because pipelines are usually very long and can span through thousands of kilometers in length and could sometimes pass through difficult terrains such as Creeks, Swamps, and area with an irregular level of access. Due to the worth of their contents, these pipelines are constantly been attacked by oil saboteurs with the intent to steal oil. Although, oil and gas operating companies have deployed different strategies in the past to secure pipeline assets, unfortunately, these strategies have largely seemed to be unsuccessful. Between 2014 and 2017, about ten thousand one and fifty-eight (10,158) pipelines were vandalized In Nigeria (NADA, 2018). This meant a huge economic loss for oil and gas companies and the Nigerian government. According to the data obtained from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives, the country loses billions of dollars every year to oil theft and pipeline vandalism. Between 2009 and 2018, about $41.94 billion in revenue was lost to oil theft and pipeline vandalism. In the first half of 2019 alone, about $1.35 billion of revenue was also lost (Premium Times, 2019). This huge