Leak detection in pipelines using an inverse resonance method

Abstract

Methods to locate and quantify leaks in pipelines have emerged from purely passive techniques to probing the pipe with a transient pressure fluctuation. The response to such a probe contains properties that can be used to describe leaks. The frequency response to an oscillatory input, especially under resonant conditions, is used for that purpose. A leak has an effect on the magnitude of the response. The method-used in the frequency domain-borrows from inverse transient analysis in that it fits the measured frequency response to that caused by leaks, thus determining both location and size of a leak.