Burst detection and location in water transmission pipelines

This paper presents results from testing of a burst detection and location technique on a water transmission pipeline. The primary targets of the method are medium and large bursts that are the result of a sudden rupture of a pipe wall or other physical element in the pipeline system. The technique is based on the continuous monitoring of the pressure in the pipeline combined with a hydraulic transient modeling. Analysis of a burst-induced pressure transient wave and its reflections from the pipeline boundaries is used to derive the location and size of the burst. The method has earlier demonstrated promising results on a laboratory pipeline and a dead-end branch of a real water distribution network. Results presented here show that the approach has a potential to be used for burst detection and location in long transmission pipelines. Bursts of different sizes, locations and opening times were successfully detected and located. Different operational regimes of the pipeline were considered. The technique could help to minimize the response time to the pipe failure and therefore reduce the losses associated with a burst and improve reliability of the pipeline operation.