Development and Evaluation of a MQ-5 Sensor-Based Condition Monitoring System for In-Situ Pipeline Leak Detection

Abstract

The condition monitoring system for an in-situ pipeline is an innovative concept that uses MQ-5 sensors to detect fuel leaks in pipelines and relay concentration data to a receiver station. The essence of the monitoring process is to ensure the safety and security of engineering properties and lives. The project addresses the crucial requirement for rapid detection of fuel leaks to avoid environmental problems, economic losses, and safety risks connected with pipeline circulation. The goal is to create a leak detection monitoring system. The project required the design and execution of four transmitter stations, each responsible for detecting fuel leaks at various places along a small-scale pipeline and transmitting concentration data to a central receiver station. The system's response time, a critical performance parameter for this project, was measured by timing how long it took for an alert to arrive at the receiving station after the transmitter detected a leak. This time was measured at three distances between the transmitter and receiver stations: 1m, 2m, and 3m. Multiple measurements were taken at each distance, and the average response time was computed. The results showed that as the distance between the stations increased, so did the reaction time. The average response time at 1m was 3.37 seconds, whereas, at 2m and 3m, it was 3.856 seconds and 4.198 seconds, respectively. A t-test inference was performed to check that there was a distinct difference between the response times for each distance, and a significant difference was detected. The built system effectively demonstrated its ability to detect fuel leaks, and the observed response times offered useful information about the system's performance at various distances. This technology demonstrates the potential to improve pipeline transportation safety and efficiency by enabling early identification of fuel leaks.