Damage Detection of Operating Transmission Mains with Measured Boundary Conditions

Transmission mains are a pivotal component in water distribution systems. As such, regular testing of these mains, for the purpose of identifying regions of damage and deterioration, is an important aspect of responsible infrastructure management. Much research has been done on the use of hydraulic transient methods to aid in the assessment of pipelines. These methods typically require the isolation of the pipeline from the system to create the ideal conditions under which testing can be performed. In many cases, it is not practical to isolate the transmission mains and take them off line for testing. However, testing in an operating environment can serve to confuse existing transient assessment methods, as these methods require known boundary conditions, such as valves or reservoirs. This paper proposes a method that does not require knowledge of a pipelines boundary conditions, but uses a special arrangement of pressure sensors to facilitate the assessment of desired sections of the pipeline. The approach is based on the use of a frequency-domain model to analyze the pressure measurements and identify regions of damage and deterioration within the pipeline.