Safe Transients for Pipe Survey in a Real Transmission Main by Means of a Portable Device: The Case Study of the Trento (I) Supply System

In this paper the possibility of using transient tests, generated by the Portable Pressure Wave Maker (PPWM) device, as a powerful tool for singularity detection, is checked in a real transmission main. During tests, small pressure waves - with an entity smaller than 1 m of water column - are injected by means of the PPWM, just upstream of the end reservoir. The results of the field test are discussed in terms of the time needed to prepare the experiments, their repeatability, and effectiveness of the injected pressure waves.