Vibroacoustic Measurements for Detecting Water Leaks in Buried Small-Diameter Plastic Pipes

Leak detection is an essential topic within the policies of water loss management in drinking-water supply networks. This paper reports the results of an experimental campaign performed for assessing the sensitivity to water leaks of measurements of different vibroacoustic phenomena. The study represents the first stage of researchaimed at developing a device for automatic leak detection in service pipes of water distribution networks. Leaks were artificially induced on a plastic pipe (length of 28 m and diameter of 32 mm) of a buried experimental facility. Vibroacoustic phenomena related to the leaking flow were monitored using a hydrophone and two accelerometers. A satisfactory leak-detection performance was achieved by processing the signals from both kinds of transducers.