Pipeline Inspection Used On A New Infrastructure To Locate Leak
Introduction
Pipers® are equipped with an acoustic leak detection sensor. While moving through a pipeline, Pipers® continuously record the relatively quiet flow noise, creating a baseline for the measured sound intensity. When a pipeline is leaking, the jet of liquid passing through the crack or hole generates a characteristic hissing or rushing sound that significantly deviates from the baseline noise in a localized region around the leak. Conversely, if there is no change (or only long-term gradual change) in the average sound intensity along the length of the pipeline, no leaks were detected.
Project description
When a new transport drinking water pipeline failed its initial pressure test, a Hungarian water utility operator company approached Aquacust, a local water-loss analysis company, to locate the problem.
“Our customer had already detected many above ground leaks, but we needed Pipers® to report on what was happening underground,” says László Varga, general manager of Aquacust. His team ran Pipers® through 15.4 kilometers of pipeline, then transferred the data to INGU for analysis.
INGU reported three leaks in a portion of the pipeline buried 1.5 meters underground. Once the pipeline was unearthed, Aquacust confirmed INGU had accurately located one leak within one meter, and the other two leaks within four meters each.
The project was a success. The client was happy. And when Aquacust was subsequently hired to inspect a 20-kilometer long pipeline providing drinking water for 10 villages, they chose INGU’s Pipers® for the job. “INGU has a very good, experienced team processing the data,” Varga says. “This is the best fit for us.”
Pipeline specifications
Pipeline Length | 15.4 km |
Pipeline Diameter | 250 mm |
Pipeline Material | HDPE |
Content | Drinking water |
Location | Hungary |
