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Leak Size, Detectability and Test Conditions in Pressurized Pipe Systems

How Leak Size and System Conditions Affect the Effectiveness of Leak Detection Techniques

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Abstract

The relationships between leak geometry and detectability are explored with a distinction between steady- and unsteady-state based techniques. Various criteria to evaluate the size and detectability of a leak are first discussed. These criteria can be useful for the benchmarking and the comparison of different techniques. Since the test conditions play a crucial rule in leak detectability, the proposed criteria take this effect into account. Furthermore, they show that while in steady-state conditions increases in system pressure enhance leak detectability, in transient state, by contrast, higher pressures tend to decrease detectability. This effect is also confirmed by experimental tests carried out at the Water Engineering Laboratory of the University of Perugia.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been supported by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), under the Projects of Relevant National Interest “Advanced analysis tools for the management of water losses in urban aqueducts”, “Tools and procedures for an advanced and sustainable management of water distribution systems”, and Fondazione Cassa Risparmio Perugia under the project “Hydraulic characterization of innovative pipe materials” (no. 2013.0050.021).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile ed Ambientale, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125, Perugia, Italy

    Marco Ferrante, Bruno Brunone & Silvia Meniconi

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Bryan W. Karney

  3. Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection, National Research Council CNR, Via Madonna Alta, 126-06128, Perugia, Italy

    Christian Massari

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  1. Marco Ferrante
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  2. Bruno Brunone
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  3. Silvia Meniconi
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  4. Bryan W. Karney
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  5. Christian Massari
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Correspondence to Marco Ferrante.

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Ferrante, M., Brunone, B., Meniconi, S. et al. Leak Size, Detectability and Test Conditions in Pressurized Pipe Systems. Water Resour Manage 28, 4583–4598 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0752-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0752-6

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