Leak Detection in Pipelines using the Damping of Fluid Transients

TLDR

Leaks in pipelines damp transient events, and because transient flow is nearly linear, the governing equations can be expressed via a Fourier series. The authors propose a method to locate and quantify leaks based on the damping of fluid transients. All Fourier components are uniformly damped by pipe friction, but a leak alters each component’s damping differently; the overall leak‑induced damping is split into magnitude (size) and ratio (location) components. The method accurately detects, locates, and quantifies a 0.1 % cross‑sectional area leak without detailed boundary‑condition modeling.

Abstract

Leaks in pipelines contribute to damping of transient events. That fact leads to a method of finding location and magnitude of leaks. Because the problem of transient flow in pipes is nearly linear, the solution of the governing equations can be expressed in terms of a Fourier series. All Fourier components are damped uniformly by steady pipe friction, but each component is damped differently in the presence of a leak. Thus, overall leak-induced damping can be divided into two parts. The magnitude of the damping indicates the size of a leak, whereas different damping ratios of the various Fourier components are used to find the location of a leak. This method does not require rigorous determination and modeling of boundary conditions and transient behavior in the pipeline. The technique is successful in detecting, locating, and quantifying a 0.1% size leak with respect to the cross-sectional area of a pipeline.