Leak locator
First Claim
1. A self-contained leak location device comprising a housing capable of travelling in a pipeline, the housing accommodating a hydrophone, a timer and a memory, wherein the hydrophone and the timer are capable of generating an output and the memory is capable of recording the hydrophone output with reference to the timer output, said device shaped and sized to travel in the flow of fluid through the pipeline and including a transmitter/receiver to allow the transmission and reception of signals to and from at least one location externally of the pipeline which allows the location of the device with respect to the pipeline to be determined, and wherein said device has substantially neutral buoyancy in the fluid passing through the pipeline so as to be positioned within the fluid out of contact with the pipeline and be swept along the pipeline by the fluid downstream to a retrieval point.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of determining the presence and location of leaks in a pipeline (2) comprising inserting a leak location device capable of detecting and recording the occurrence of noise into the flow of fluid (1) within the pipeline (2); allowing the leak location device to travel through the pipeline (2) with the fluid flow; causing the leak location device to detect and record noise in the fluid; and causing the leak location device to record the time at which noise is detected. Generally the leak location device is retrieved from the pipeline (2) downstream to its insertion point.
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Citations
26 Claims
- 1. A self-contained leak location device comprising a housing capable of travelling in a pipeline, the housing accommodating a hydrophone, a timer and a memory, wherein the hydrophone and the timer are capable of generating an output and the memory is capable of recording the hydrophone output with reference to the timer output, said device shaped and sized to travel in the flow of fluid through the pipeline and including a transmitter/receiver to allow the transmission and reception of signals to and from at least one location externally of the pipeline which allows the location of the device with respect to the pipeline to be determined, and wherein said device has substantially neutral buoyancy in the fluid passing through the pipeline so as to be positioned within the fluid out of contact with the pipeline and be swept along the pipeline by the fluid downstream to a retrieval point.
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14. A method of determining the presence and location of leaks in a pipeline comprising:
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i) inserting a self-contained leak location device capable of detecting and recording the occurrence of noise into the flow of fluid within the pipeline; ii) allowing the leak location device to travel through the pipeline with the fluid flow; iii) causing the leak location device to detect and record noise in the fluid and pipeline; and iv) causing the leak location device to record the time at which noise is detected and wherein the device is provided to have substantially neutral buoyancy in the fluid passing along the pipeline so as to lie within the fluid out of contact with the pipeline and be swept along the pipeline by the fluid downstream to a retrieval point. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification