Leak detection in gas distribution pipelines using acoustic impact monitoring
Leak detection is vital in oil and gas pipelines, as it can cause financial loss and impact the environment, prove fatal to human life and also affect the effective functioning of domestic household. Acoustic emission test is a non intrusive technique for leak detection. Leakage in pipes creates vibrations which are transmitted along the pipe walls. These waves can be detected by using acoustic sensors or accelerometers installed on the pipe wall for the purpose of analyses. In this work, a simulation study is carried where the leak location is defined by an Incident Pressure Field and this source propagates waves in the frequency range of about 20 200Hz. The results are verified by experimental work by introducing synthetic leak and disturbance signals. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was used as the mathematical tool to evaluate the dominant peak in the frequency spectrum during an event of leak or disturbance. The experimental results obtained are in accordance with the simulated results. The accuracy of determining an event occurrence can be improved with error less than 5%
IECON 2016 42nd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society