Acoustic Pressure Simulation for Fluid Piping Leakages

Abstract

Pipelines laid over long distances in the onshore environment may be affected by excessive straining, corrosion, the collapse of soil and other third-party damages. Small chronic leaks may cause severe safety and environmental effects if left undetected for a long time. Any potential onshore leaked water source may not be detected for a long time and could lose a considerable water source volume under the ground. Thus, this study aims to determine the leakage pipeline based on the acoustic analysis. Three different models of leakage pipeline had modelled: single leakage with 110mm in pipe diameter, single leakage with 185mm in pipe diameter and two leakages with 110m in pipe diameter. The computational fluid dynamic method was used to simulate the acoustic effect on the leakage pipeline. The results showed that the differential pressure to the leakage pipeline has a significant impact on the sound pressure level and turbulence kinetic energy. Furthermore, the turbulence kinetic energy was proportional to the sound pressure level through the comparison made for each model. Thus, this study manages to enrich the knowledge on the acoustic as well as facilitate understanding the behaviour of leakage pipes for future leaks detection analysis.