Leak detection in water distribution networks: an introductory overview

Abstract

Leaks in resource transmission pipelines is a growing concern for the water transmission industry. This creates a need to prevent the threat of leaks and minimize their damages through extensive research in leak detection technology. This research work provides a thorough investigation into the history of leak detection in pipelines by surveying the web of knowledge database and visualizing the outputs using visualization software VOSviewer and CiteNetExplorer. The analysis of the web of knowledge output presents a set of the ten most used keywords in the field of leak detection in pipelines that are further described and analyzed. Additionally, in-depth analysis of a randomly selected sample of papers was conducted to draw a sense of the progress in the industry over the past four decades. This article also defines a novel approach to define the leak detection phases, i.e., the identify-localize-pinpoint approach. Furthermore, two classes of leak detection systems are identified, static leak detection systems and dynamic leak detection systems. The two systems are defined as well as their differentiative capabilities. Finally, this article provides a summary of popular leak detection technologies to provide a broad sense of understanding for the leak detection field of research.

Framework for the implementation of an Internet of Things (IoT)-based water distribution and management system

“…El-Zahab and Zayed ( 2019 ) reviewed the literature and stated that to outline leak detection stages, a unique approach, i.e., the identify-localize-pinpoint approach, was required. They concluded by identifying two types of leakage detection techniques: static leakage detection technique, dynamic leakage detection technique, and an overview of general leakage detection mechanisms.…”

A Distributed Computing Solution Based on Distributed Kalman Filter for Leak Detection in WSN-Based Water Pipeline Monitoring

“…The detection and localization of water pipeline leakages are important to water utility companies because of the need to conserve raw/treated water and save associated costs [ 19 ]. A lot of research efforts have been dedicated to the development of a vast variety of techniques for leak detection and localization to minimize water losses caused by leaks [ 30 ]. Based on their technical approach, Adedeji et al [ 20 ], Baroudi et al [ 36 ], Adegboye et al [ 59 ], and Torres et al [ 29 ] in their survey papers on pipeline monitoring categorized leak detection techniques in water pipelines as either external or internal.…”

“…The software-based and hardware-based methods of Ismail et al [ 25 ] and active and passive systems of Chan et al [ 60 ] are likened to the internal and external methods of [ 20 , 29 , 36 , 54 ], respectively, as shown in Figure 1 . In another study, El-Zahab et al [ 30 ] classified leak detection systems into two major classes, i.e., static leak detection systems and dynamic leak detection systems. Static leak detection systems rely on sensors capable of sensing leak signals, coupled with a communication technology while dynamic leak detection systems require the mobilization of a leak inspection team that delivers the devices to the suspected leak site to perform an inspection and confirm or clear the suspicion [ 30 ].…”

“…In another study, El-Zahab et al [ 30 ] classified leak detection systems into two major classes, i.e., static leak detection systems and dynamic leak detection systems. Static leak detection systems rely on sensors capable of sensing leak signals, coupled with a communication technology while dynamic leak detection systems require the mobilization of a leak inspection team that delivers the devices to the suspected leak site to perform an inspection and confirm or clear the suspicion [ 30 ]. Most software-based (internal or active) and hardware-based (external or passive) leak detection techniques are static, as shown in Figure 1 .…”

“…The scarcity of water thus requires that water losses due to leaks be minimized by accurately detecting and localizing leakages in real time, each time they occur. This has led to enormous research over the years in the field [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ], providing a wide range of methods for detecting and locating leaks in water pipelines.…”