An integrated detection and location model for leakages in liquid pipelines

Many liquids, such as water and oil, are transported by pipelines, where leakages can occur, causing energy wastage, environmental pollution, and risk to human health. This paper describes an integrated model implementing leak detection and location that can be used for background leakages, even micro-leakages in liquid pipelines. The model includes a dynamic monitoring module (DMM) and static testing module (STM). The DMM can detect larger leakages of background ones using the amplitude propagation and attenuation model of pressure waves. The STM, based on the pressure loss model, can detect micro-leakages, which is an effective compensation for the DMM. To verify the proposed model, experiments on the laboratory scale and in the field were carried out, and field applications were implemented. The results show that the integrated model can detect nearly all leakages. For the DMM, the smallest detected ratio of leakage orifice to pipe diameter (RLOPD) in the field is 1/41.4, with location errors on the order of 1%. For STM, the smallest detected leakage rate is just 0.0044%/h in the field. Thus, the model detects and locates leakages for liquid pipelines.