Research on the localization of pipe burst based on transient flow in a water supply network

Abstract

Methods for determining pipe burst (PB) locations based on supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADAs) have been widely studied. Existing location methods either only detect PB areas or are only applied to relatively simple pipe networks. Thus, it is necessary to develop a PB localization method that can both accurately locate the PB and be used for complex pipe networks. Accordingly, in this study, a complex experimental pipe network with a high-frequency SCADA was built, and PB events were constructed under different conditions. After they were analyzed, the water pressure and flow anomalous features of the PBs were summarized. According to the propagation laws and damping theories of transient flow (TF), a PB localization method, that is, the TF simulation (TFS) method, was first proposed and developed after a TF model of the experimental pipe network was established. Using this method, two PB events were recognized, the burst pipes were identified, and the PBs were accurately located. Compared with the negative pressure wave method, the TFS method exhibits a higher location accuracy and a wider applicability to pipe networks. Through error analyses, it is shown that the TFS method has small errors. To reduce cost, the sampling frequency was decreased to 50 Hz, that is, the minimum required sampling frequency for this study, and under this condition, PB localization was successfully realized. An additional three PB localizations illustrate that they have acceptable errors and that the TFS method has good repeatability.