Location of a leak in a pipe

• US 9,097,605 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Inventors: Calvanese Strinati, Emilio
• Primary Examiner(s): McCall, Eric S
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEGNA FUENTES, ANTHONY W
• Application Number:
  US13/929,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20140000348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 73 40- 498
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 with one or more swimming sensors or detectors;

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

receiving said at least one signal with a synthetic aperture radar; and

detecting a frequency signature of said signal in images generated in response to said at least one signal received by said synthetic aperture radar;

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

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of placing the one or more swimming sensors or detectors along the pipe 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 comprising a presence of a leak, a size of the leak, a 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. A method comprising the steps of:

locally detecting an event in a pipe with one or more swimming sensors or detectors;

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

receiving said at least one signal with a synthetic aperture radar; and

detecting a frequency signature of said signal in images generated in response to said at least one signal received by said synthetic aperture radar;

wherein in a case where an event is detected at a location with a passage of a first radar, said location is refined during at least one passage of a second radar of different resolution.

7. 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 a detected event; and

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

wherein the at least one device is positioned according to a range of the radar.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising at least one computer system for processing data provided by the radar.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the detector is connected to the device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the pipe is buried.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising at least one detector to detect the presence of a contaminant or foreign body in the pipe.