Leak location

• US 6,267,000 B1
• Filed: 10/21/1999
• Issued: 07/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stest (Structural Testing Technologies) Limited
• Original Assignee: AW Creative Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Harper, Mark Francis Lucien, Thompson, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): LARKIN, DANIEL SEAN
• Application Number:
  US09/284,848
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 73/40, 73/405.R, 73/405.A, 73/491, 735/92
• US Class Current: 73/40.50R
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/24 using infrasonic, sonic, or ultrasonic vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/243 for pipes

Abstract

When an underground pipe carrying a fluid, such as a buried water-pipe, develops a leak the leak must first be located before it can be repaired. One common location method makes use of the fact that the leaking fluid often creates a noise, typically a hissing sound, which is transmitted through the ground, and although rapidly attenuated can be heard with suitable highly sensitive ground microphones and is therefore useful to field crews as a means of locating leaks. Unfortunately, the sound levels can be grossly distorted by underground heterogenities, and can easily be confused or even swamped by other sound sources above ground, and in general ground microphones used like this do not seem to be effective. The invention deals with the problems entailed in this technique by a method—and apparatus —which involves using semi-automated equipment to listen (either simultaneously or sequentially) to the leak sound source (1) from a multiplicity of different positions (as 3) spaced all around the sound source, and by then suitably combining and processing the received signals to provide the desired indication of the source'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. Ground-motion detection apparatus comprising a multiplicity of discrete ground-motion sensors each in use contactable with the ground, together with a body of a damping material to hold each sensor in ground contact and thereby avoid significant mounting resonance effects between the sensor and the ground.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multiplicity of sensors is disposed as a two-dimensional array.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the array is in the form of two orthogonally-disposed linear arrays of equispaced sensors.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensors are each of the accelerometer type, with a mass of up to 100 g and sensitive to frequencies up to 10 kilohertz.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the base of the accelerometer is conical, that is shaped to have a cone whose length is suited to the ground hardness.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensors are each of the accelerometer type, with a mass of up to 100 g and sensitive to frequencies up to 10 kilohertz.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the body of the damping material is a mat.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein, to raise the stiffness of the mat around each accelerometer, a series of concentric annuli of the mat material graded in increasing radii is assembled around the accelerometer.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the base of the accelerometer is conical, that is shaped to have a cone whose length is suited to the ground hardness.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the base of the accelerometer is conical, that is shaped to have a cone whose length is suited to the ground hardness.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the base of the accelerometer is conical, that is shaped to have a cone whose length is suited to the ground hardness.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensors are each of the accelerometer type, with a mass of up to 100 g and sensitive to frequencies up to 10 kilohertz.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the base of the accelerometer is conical, that is shaped to have a cone whose length is suited to the ground hardness.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body of the damping material is a mat.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein, to raise the stiffness of the mat around an accelerometer, a series of concentric annuli of the mat material graded in increasing radii is assembled around the accelerometer.

16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein, to add weight, a second mat is placed over a first one.

17. A method of determining the location of a leak in an underground pipe carrying a fluid, in which method the movement of the ground caused by the fluid as it leaks from the pipe is listened to using ground-motion detection apparatus, and by suitably combining and operating upon the signal information received at each sensor there is determined the actual location of the leak, said ground-motion detection apparatus comprising a multiplicity of discrete ground-motion sensors each in use contactable with the ground, together with a body of a damping material to hold each sensor in ground contact and thereby avoid significant mounting resonance effects between the sensor and the ground.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, applied to the location of a leak in an underground water pipe.

19. A method as claimed in claim 17, in which there is received and processed signal information relating to the motion of the ground both vertically and laterally.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, in which, where the multiplicity of sensors is in the form of an array that is linear, or has linear components, then the line, or one of the lines, of sensors is aligned with the underground pipe being checked.

21. A method as claimed in claim 19, in which the detection of ground motion is effected over an area of ground extending over the suspected location of the leak and of lateral dimensions that do not exceed thrice the depth of the pipe in which the leak has occurred.

22. A method as claimed in claim 19, in which the multiplicity of sensors has its component sensors scanned sequentially in pairs, with one sensor regarded as a reference.

23. A method as claimed in claim 17, in which where the multiplicity of sensors is in the form of an array that is linear, or has linear components, then the line, or one of the lines, of sensors is aligned with the underground pipe being checked.

24. A method as claimed in claim 17, in which the detection of ground motion is effected over an area of ground extending over the suspected location of the leak and of lateral dimensions that do not exceed thrice the depth of the pipe in which the leak has occurred.

25. A method as claimed in claim 17, in which the multiplicity of sensors has its component sensors scanned sequentially in pairs, with one sensor regarded as a reference.

26. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the multiplicity of sensors is disposed as a two-dimensional array.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the array is in the form of two orthogonally-disposed linear arrays of equispaced sensors.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27, in which one of the linear arrays of sensors is aligned with the underground pipe being checked.

29. A method as claimed in claim 26, in which the detection of ground motion is effected over an area of ground extending over the suspected location of the leak and of lateral dimensions that do not exceed thrice the depth of the pipe in which the leak has occurred.

30. A method as claimed in claim 26, in which the multiplicity of sensors has its component sensors scanned sequentially in pairs, with one sensor regarded as a reference.