BACKGROUND

We are used to thinking that a network that contains or transports liquid or gas will preserve its content, and that whatever enters the network leaves it without a loss. In reality, however, leakage is very common, as a result of a foreseen or unforeseen problem or fault in the network.

A leak from a network transporting liquid or gas may result in multiple types of damage, such as:The cost of the lost liquid/gas.Damage to the environment as a result of the leak.Danger in the cases where the leak is a dangerous substance.

Often a leak occurs when the leak site is not accessible, or when people are not on site. Sometimes the leak is at the network's entrance as a result of pressure differences between the transporting network being checked and the feed into such network.

Most leaks start as drips. But if a small problem is not resolved early on, sooner or later the small problem grows. The growing problem can lead to

(1) Economic damage that becomes greater with time; and/or

(2) Physical damage to people or animals.

Early detection of a drip or other small leak is vital to prevent physical damage to person and property. Leakage should be detected even at a relatively early stage, and even if people are not on site.

Various solutions exist in the prior art for detecting leaks. Large leaks in particular are usually detected by one or more of:Acoustic changes between the flow during a leak, and a normal or stable flow.Physical stain. There are detectors that detect the content of the system outside of the system, even in small quantities.Flood. There are detectors that detect the accumulation of liquids outside of the system, such as, for example, a puddle of water or even minor dampness.Pressure. Leaks often cause a change in the pressure of the flow of liquid or case.A change in the entrance of liquid or gas into a transporting network,A change in the volume of liquid/gas over time.

None of these prior art solutions are entirely successful. They all have problems, such as:Problems detecting relatively small leaks in the transport system, say on the order of about 1% of flow or less. For example, acoustic or electromechanical detectors are good for detecting major leaks, but not small flow changes.Problems detecting the direction of flow at any one time, although changes in flow direction are often indicative of a leak or other problem in the transport system.Problems detecting a minor standard deviation in flow. The flow and volume of liquid or gas in a transport system is not fixed, so changes do occur, and prior art detectors have difficulty detecting small problems in real-time. It is almost impossible to find the difference between a leak and a change in the flow due to normal operation.Problems of statistics tools in measuring the rate of flow or throughput over a long period (day, month) and finding differences in flow or throughput. Statistics tools take a long time to detect small changes, and are in addition inaccurate as to such changes.

There are some measurement systems in the prior art that work by directly measuring small changes in flow. That is, two or more sensors will be placed at different points in a transporting network, and measurements are made between sensors. Thus, if the flow changes from one point to another, leak may be inferred. Although these measurement systems may work if the sensors are sufficiently sensitive, the systems are relatively complicated and expensive, since they require multiple points of measurement to determine a single leak.

What is required is a simpler system that requires less hardware, and relies more upon intimate knowledge of the transporting network and statistical analysis to infer leakage or other problems of flow within the transporting network.

SUMMARY

Described herein are systems, devices, and methods for detecting leaks of liquids or gases in a system that transports such liquids or gases.

Presented are systems, devices, and methods for detecting a very small leak in a system or enclosure containing gas or liquid, even as early as from a dripping stage in various embodiments. Presented also are systems, devices, and methods for detecting the direction of the flow of gas or liquid in a pipe or other transporting network.

Many types of leaks and direction flows may be detected. Some non-limiting examples for liquids include water, oil, and gasoline. Some non-limiting examples for gases includes cooking gas, natural gas, oxygen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.

Among the many potential benefits of various embodiments are reduction of lost resources, identification of the nature or location of a problem, and early warning of a hazardous condition.

One embodiment is a system for measuring and controlling leakage in a transporting network containing a liquid or a gas. The transporting network is a series of pipes or other guides for directing a flow of liquid or gas, or a storage network for liquid or gas. The measuring system includes a flow detector for measuring the rate of flow of liquid or gas. In some embodiments, the detector may also measure the direction of flow within the transporting network, which may change over time. The measuring system includes also a controller for receiving data from the flow detector, and processing the data into information to determine if there is a leak in the transporting network. If there is a leak, the controller can determine through processing the rate of leakage in terms of flow over time. In some embodiments, action may be taken either automatically or by human intervention to stop a leak. In some embodiments, data from the flow detector is compared against a database of information that indicates typical or expected flow in the transporting network over time.

One embodiment is a method for detecting flow leakages in a transporting network. A measurement and control system is provisioned by a flow detector measuring rate of flow and direction of flow of liquid or gas in a transporting network. The detector makes multiple measurements at multiple times during a specified time range to provide data to determine a static state of the transporting network with no flow, and to determine multiple dynamic states of the transporting network with variable flow and variable direction in different time periods and according to different conditions. At some time after provisioning, the detector measures a first flow and first direction in the transporting network and a controller compares the flow and direction to the measures the static and dynamic states to determine if there is any real leakage at all in the transporting network. If there is determined to be any leakage, the measurement and control system continues with multiple measures of a second flow and a second direction, and then process the data to determine if the rate of leakage is beyond a specific minimum rate. If the rate of leakage is beyond the specific minimum rate, the measurement and control system continues with multiple measures of a third flow and a third direction to determine if the rate of leakage is beyond a certain maximum rate. If the rate of leakage determined in the third flow is not beyond the maximum rate, the rate of leakage to a communication unit, but if the rate of leakage in the third flow is beyond the specific maximum rate, in some embodiments the flow in the transport system is terminated.

One embodiment is a method for a measurement and control system to learn the rate of flow and direction of liquid or gas in a transporting network. In one embodiment, a valve is closed to stop the flow of liquid or gas into the transporting network. While the valve is closed, there is no input flow into the network. The measurement and control system then waits for a brief time for the transporting network to empty of the liquid or gas, typically up to a few seconds although the interval may be variable. The valve is then opened, liquid or gas rushes quickly into the transporting network, and a detector immediately measures the rate of flow and direction of flow of liquid or gas in the transporting network, such flow determined at a physical point of measurement. Data about flow is sent to a controller, which processes such data to determine when the transporting network is likely to be static without flow, and when the transporting network is likely to be dynamic with flow and direction. In dynamic states, expected rates of flow are also determine. In some embodiments, the valve is specifically an electrical valve which may be activated automatically or rather by a person. In other embodiments, the valve is a mechanical valve operated by a person.

In various embodiments, the measuring of rate of flow and direction flow are used to determine whether or not there is a leak, if so what is the current seriousness of the leak by volume over time, what is the change in the volume of the leak over time, and what is the direction of the flow of the gas or liquid at a particular point in time. In some embodiments, it is possible to identify the specific cause of a leak, or at least one likely cause of a leak. In some embodiments, a flow of air is introduced into to the transporting network to aid in the emptying of the transporting network.

