Development of Gas Leakage Monitoring and Localization System in Pipelines using LabVIEW

摘要

Pipelines are one of the most reliable means of transport of water, crude oil, natural gas and other petroleum products. However, internal and external corrosion at construction joints, cracking, locations with imperfections, accidents or sabotage can lead to pipeline leakage causing explosions, health problems, fatalities, pollution and huge economic losses. In order to detect and locate such leaks within short period of time, leakage detection plays a key role in the pipeline management system. For the development of this system, the gas sensor (MQ6) is used for detection of gas (here, LPG) and for measuring humidity and temperature, the sensor (DHT11) is used. The sensor will detect the concentration of the gas and sent to the Arduino UNO as voltage output. The LabVIEW GUI will monitor the values and take suitable action based on whether the concentration is in normal, precaution or critical range. Also, the dynamic parameters such as pressure and flow at the upstream and downstream of the pipe are acquired. Transient simulation model is developed using LabVIEW and equations are formulated by observing the changes in the continuity equation and law of conservation of momentum. This system helps in determining the leak location and the leak flow rate.