Experimental verification of the frequency response method for pipeline leak detection

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental validation of the frequency response method for pipeline leak detection. The presence of a leak within the pipe imposes a periodic pattern on the resonant peaks of the frequency response diagram. This pattern can be used as an indicator of leaks without requiring the 'no-leak' benchmark for comparison. In addition to the experimental verification of the technique, important issues, such as the procedure for frequency response extraction and methods for dealing with frequency dependent friction are considered in this paper. In this study, transient signals are generated by a side-discharge solenoid valve. Non-linearity errors associated with large valve movements can be prevented by a change in the input parameter to the system. The optimum measuring and generating position for two different system boundary configurations - a symmetric and an antisymmetric system - are discussed in the paper and the analytical expression for the leak induced pattern in these two cases is derived.