Permanent Leak Detection on Pipes using a Fibre Optic Based Continuous Sensor Technology

摘要

The design of intelligent infrastructure that can be permanently installed to detect leaks in buried pipelines. This paper will describe the background theory and practical application of a fiber optic based technology that uses Brillouin acoustic scattering to detect subtle changes in temperature in the cable. The technique may also be used to detect changes in strain in the pipe. The fiber optic cable is either buried under the pipe (for fluid leak detection), or bonded to the surface of the pipe (for strain monitoring). When the fluid in the pipe leaks, it will alter the thermal environment of the cable under the pipe, and this change can be accurately detected and pinpointed. The use of Brillouin scattering as opposed to Raman scattering allows extremely long distances of pipe to be monitored in this fashion. This paper will outline the background Physics of the method, and provide results from a case study for leak detection of a brine pipeline.