LEAKAGE DETERMINATION SYSTEM AND LEAKAGE DETERMINATION METHOD

• US 20160282219A1
• Filed: 11/10/2014
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: KINOSHITA, Shohei, SHINODA, Shigeki, SASAKI, Yasuhiro, MIKAMI, Nobuhiro, TAKAHASHI, Masatake, TOMINAGA, Shin, TAKATA, Soichiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,036,684 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/00 Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/002 by using thermal means
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/24 using infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/243 for pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/26 by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/2815 using pressure measurements

Abstract

In a related fluid leakage detecting device, erroneous leakage determination may occur due to a change in a state of a fluid in piping.

A leakage determination system of the present invention includes a first detection means for detecting a prescribed physical quantity indicating a state of a fluid in piping, a second detection means for detecting vibration propagating through the piping, and a leakage determination means for performing leakage determination based on the physical quantity detected by the first detection means and the vibration detected by the second detection means.

Claims

1. A leakage determination system comprising:

a first detection unit that detects a prescribed physical quantity indicating a state of a fluid in piping;

a second detection unit that detects vibration propagating through the piping; and

a leakage determination unit that preforms leakage determination based on the physical quantity detected by the first detection unit and the vibration detected by the second detection unit.

2. The leakage determination system according to claim 1, wherein the leakage determination unit

compares a determination condition to be set based on the physical quantity detected by the first detection unit with a feature value of the vibration detected by the second detection unit, and determines that there is a leak when the feature value exceeds a threshold value in the determination condition.

3. The leakage determination system according to claim 2, wherein the determination condition comprises at least one of a frequency range and an amplitude of the vibration to be monitored by the second detection unit.

4. The leakage determination system according to claim 2, wherein the leakage determination unit sets the determination condition using an equation defining the feature value of the vibration.

5. The leakage determination system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a leakage determination condition providing unit that stores the physical quantity to be detected by the first detection unit and the feature value of the vibration in association with each other, wherein the leakage determination unit sets the determination condition using an association relationship provided by the leakage determination condition providing unit.

6. The leakage determination system according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of the second detection units is included, and

wherein the leakage determination unit performs the leakage determination based on a physical quantity detected by the first detection unit and vibrations detected by the plurality of second detection units.

7. The leakage determination system according to claim 6, wherein

the leakage determination unit determines a leak point from a correlation between positions of the plurality of second detection units and feature values of the vibrations detected by the plurality of second detection units.

8. The leakage determination system according to claim to 1, wherein the prescribed physical quantity is a pressure of the fluid in the piping.

9. A leakage determination method comprising:

measuring a physical quantity indicating a state of a fluid in piping;

detecting vibration propagating through the piping; and

performing leakage determination based on the physical quantity and the vibration.

10. The leakage determination method according to claim 9, further comprising:

comparing a determination condition to be set based on the physical quantity with a feature value of the vibration; and

determining that there is a leak when the feature value exceeds a threshold value in the determination condition.

11. A leakage determination system comprising:

a first detection means for detecting a prescribed physical quantity indicating a state of a fluid in piping;

a second detection means for detecting vibration propagating through the piping; and

a leakage determination means for performing leakage determination based on the physical quantity detected by the first detection means and the vibration detected by the second detection means.