Essential system response information for transient-based leak detection methods

Abstract

Many transient-based techniques have been developed for leak detection in piping fluid systems, and they are thought to use leak-induced damping and reflection effects to detect and locate the problem. This work investigates the relative importance of the damping and reflective effects from the leak to the leak detection methods with the importance of both effects tested using four representative methods, which vary significantly in their modes of operation and provide the coverage of the major developments in the transient leak detection field. It was found that all transient-based methods are unable to detect and locate the leak in the absence of the leak-reflected signal, whereas the leak is detected and located even in the absence of leak-induced damping. The results indicate that the information previously thought to be contained in the damping of slow transients was found to be low frequency reflections from the leak.