Case Studies of Leak Detection and Location in Water Pipe Systems by Inverse Transient Analysis
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 136, Issue 2
Abstract
The current paper aims at the assessment of the effectiveness of a popular transient-based technique—inverse transient analysis (ITA)—for leak detection in water pipe systems using physical data. Data were collected from two pipe systems made of polyethylene: a laboratory facility at Imperial College London and a quasi-field system at Thames Water Utilities. A hydraulic transient solver especially developed for viscoelastic pipes (typically made of polyethylene) and an optimization algorithm for the simultaneous creep calibration and leak location have been developed for the application of this technique. The evaluation of the presence, location, and size of leaks was carried out using collected data. ITA allowed for the identification of the approximate location of leaks as long as the physical characteristics of the pipeline are well known, the transient is generated by a fast change of flow conditions, the leak has a “reasonable size,” and the transient solver is accurate enough to describe the transient event.
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Acknowledgments
The writers acknowledge the financial support of this research work to the U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council under the EPSRC WITE Grant No. UNSPECIFIEDGR/M68213.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 136 • Issue 2 • March 2010
Pages: 248 - 257
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Sep 15, 2006
Accepted: Oct 5, 2009
Published online: Feb 12, 2010
Published in print: Mar 2010
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