LOCATION OF A LEAK IN A PIPE

• US 20140000348A1
• Filed: 06/27/2013
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Inventors: CALVANESE STRINATI, Emilio
• Granted Patent: US 9,097,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/40.5R
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/107 using acoustic means
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/117 Detecting leaks, e.g. from tubing, by pressure testing
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/00 Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/005 using pigs or moles G01M3/246, G01M3/2823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/04 by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/18 for pipes, cables or tubes; for pipe joints or seals; for valves; for welds; for containers, e.g. radiators
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/24 using infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/2815 using pressure measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/2823 using pigs or moles traveling in the pipe
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/40 by using electric means, e.g. by observing electric discharges
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/90 using synthetic aperture techniques , e.g. synthetic aperture radar [SAR] techniques

Abstract

A method and a device including the steps of: locally detecting an event in a pipe; generating at least one signal, coded according to the detected event; and detecting a frequency signature of said signal in images generated by a synthetic aperture radar.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of

locally detecting an event in a pipe;

generating at least one signal, coded according to the detected event; and

detecting a frequency signature of said signal in images generated by a synthetic aperture radar.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said event is detected by swimming sensors or detectors placed along the pipe, preferably at regular intervals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said event is a leak.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal coding is a function of one or several parameters, among which the presence of a leak, the size of the leak, the presence of a contaminant, a malfunction of the detector, an identifier of the detector.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the coded signal is variable along time and successively takes values corresponding to said parameters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in the case where an event is detected in a first passage of the radar, the latter is configured to increase its resolution in the region of the event for a subsequent passage.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein in the case where an event is detected at the passage of a first radar, said location is refined during at least one passage of a second radar of different resolution.

8. A system comprising:

at least one detector of an event in a pipe;

at least one device capable of generating at least one signal coded according to the detected event; and

at least one synthetic aperture radar to detect a frequency signature of said signal.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising at least one computer system for processing data provided by the radar.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the detector is connected to the device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the pipe is buried.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the device is positioned according to the range of the radar.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising at least one detector of the presence of a contaminant or foreign body in the pipe.