On using double power spectral density information for leak detection

This paper studies the possibility of detecting and locating a leak in a pipeline through the power spectral density (PSD) information of the acoustic signals received at some arbitrary, fixed points. For the ideal case of a lossless line, a theoretical formula and a derived pattern are deduced, for the double PSD of the received signals. Following these results an algorithm is proposed, based on matching the sequences of the acquired signals in the installation and the theoretical patterns. An experimental model and an equivalent Simscape^TM simulation model of a pipeline are used for the algorithm verification.