Pipeline Leak Localization Techniques

Abstract

Pipeline networks have been a frequently used and safe way of transporting fluids (such as crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, water etc.) for many years. Some of the reasons which made the pipeline networks so popular are the relatively short period of time that they need to be constructed and the low cost of their construction and operation. However, a serious issue which causes problems in the normal operation of pipeline networks is the occurrence of leaks. Therefore, a large number of leak detection and localization methods have been developed over the years. In this paper a method is proposed for this purpose, which involves the use of acoustic sensors and a Data Acquisition (DAQ) system (in combination with a proper signal processing software) in order to identify the location of leaks in pipelines. The method is based on the estimation of the time delay between the signals obtained by two adjacent sensors on a pipeline. The Cross - Correlation (CC) technique is employed along with a proper filtering of the acoustic signals (before correlating them) in order to achieve more accurate results for the position of the leak.