A study of accelerometer signal decay in small pipelines

Abstract

Accelerometers are a powerful tool when it comes to leak detection, especially in small pipelines. The increase in accelerometer research related to leak pinpointing and detection has identified that vibration signals dissipate in an inconstant fashion based on the type and size of a pressurized water pipeline. This article presents a sensor system-specific approach to measure the loss in vibration signal from the source over the length of a given pipeline. The experimental work in this article spans one-inch and two-inch PVC pipelines as well as two-inch ductile iron pipelines. Experiments were carried out under controlled conditions to gather data. The collected signal data are analyzed and applied to a signal decay assessment model. Signal decay was significantly higher in ductile iron pipelines than in PVC pipelines. Additionally, two-inch pipelines possessed a higher decay per meter rating than one-inch pipelines, which indicates that diameter size affects signal decay as well. Finally, the results of the signal decay are then used in an example to propose a sensor distribution method based on the given medium where the sensor and the pipeline are placed. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]