Method of detecting a leakage of fluid

• US 4,543,817 A
• Filed: 03/31/1983
• Issued: 10/01/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Sakae
• Primary Examiner(s): Goldberg, Gerald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Application Number:
  US06/480,787
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 73/40.5 A, 73/40.5 R, 73/592, 73/861.18
• US Class Current: 73/40.50A
• CPC Class Codes: F17D 5/06 using electric or acoustic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/243 for pipes

Abstract

A method of detecting a leakage of fluid is disclosed, in which a leaking sound, which is produced when the pipe is broken and propagates through the pipe, is detected by a couple of acoustic sensors mounted to a pipe through which fluid flows at portions separated from each other with a proper distance, the amplitudes of a plurality of different frequency components extracted from the output signals of the acoustic sensors are obtained and then a leaking location of fluid in the pipe and a leaking amount of fluid are determined on the basis of these amplitudes.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a leakage of fluid comprising the steps of:

detecting a leaking sound of fluid by a plurality of acoustic sensors separately mounted to a pipe through which fluid flows;

obtaining amplitudes of a plurality of different frequency components extracted from the output signals from said acoustic sensors;

determining a leaking location of fluid of said pipe on the basis of said amplitudes;

determining an amount of leaking fluid on the basis of said amplitudes; and

determining an opening area of a broken part of said pipe on the basis of a differential pressure between a first pressure in said pipe and a second pressure outside said pipe, and the amount of the leaking fluid.

2. A method of detecting a leakage of fluid according to claim 1, wherein said pipe is disposed in a plant, and further comprising the step of stopping the operation of said plant when said amount of leaking fluid exceeds a set value.

3. A method of detecting a leakage of fluid according to claim 1, wherein said pipe is disposed in a nuclear reactor plant, and further comprising the step of scraming said nuclear reactor plant when said amount of leaking fluid exceeds a set value.

4. A method of detecting a leakage of fluid comprising the steps of:

detecting a leaking sound of fluid at a plurality of acoustic sensors separately mounted to a pipe through which liquid flows;

obtaining amplitudes of a plurality of different frequency components extracted from the output signals from the acoustic sensors;

determining an amount of leaking fluid on the basis of the amplitudes; and

determining an opening area of a broken part of the pipe on the basis of a differential pressure between a first pressure in the pipe and a second pressure outside the pipe, and the amount of the leaking fluid.

5. A method of detecting a leakage of fluid according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of measuring the first pressure in the pipe, measuring a second pressure outside the pipe, and forming the differential pressure between the first pressure and the second pressure.

6. A method of detecting a leakage of fluid according to claim 4, wherein the pipe is disposed in a plant, and further comprising the step of stopping the operation of the plant when the amount of leaking fluid exceeds a set value.

7. A method of detecting a leakage fluid according to claim 4, wherein the pipe is disposed in a nuclear reactor plant, and further comprising the step of scraming the nuclear reactor plant when the amount of leaking fluid exceeds the set value.

8. A method of detecting a leakage fluid according to claim 4, further comprising the step of determining a leaking location of fluid of the pipe on the basis of the amplitudes.