Application of the differentiation process into the correlation-based leak detection in urban pipeline networks

This paper is concerned with the implementation of the differentiation process for TDE, with particular focus on the problem of determining a leak in pipelines by means of pipe pressure measurements. Rather than the pre-whitening operation, the proposed cross-correlation via the differentiation process, termed here DIF, changes the characteristics of the pipe system so that the pipe effectively acts as a band-pass filter. This method has the potential to eliminate some ambiguity caused by the interference at low frequencies and to allow more high frequency information to pass. Given an appropriate differentiation order, a more pronounced and reliable peak is obtained in the cross-correlation result. The use of differentiation process may provide a viable cross-correlation method suited to water leak detection. Its performance in relation to leak detection is further compared to the basic cross-correlation and pre-whitening methods for TDE in detecting a leak from actual PVC water pipes. Experimental results are presented to show an additional property of the DIF compensating for the resonance effects that may exist in cross-spectral density measurements, and hence better performance for TDE.