Description

[01 ] The invention refers †o a method for setting up an acoustic leak defection system in a fluid distribution network, in particular a liquid dis tribution network.

[02] If is known †o arrange acoustic sensors in a liquid distribution nef- work as an acoustic leak defection system. In particular, if is known †o place acoustic sensors on the main distribution pipes of the network for defection of leaks in the pipes of the network on the basis of occurring noise. When installing the acoustic sensors there if is the problem †o op timize the positioning of the sensors such that, preferably, the entire network can be monitored, and †o minimize the number of acoustic sensors needed.

[03] It is the object of the invention †o provide a method for setting up an acoustic leak defection system in a fluid, in particular liquid distribu tion network which allows †o minimize the number of necessary sensors on the one side and †o ensure on the other side that the entire network can be monitored for defection of possible leaks.

[04] This object is achieved by a method having the features defined in claim 1. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent sub claims, the following description and the accompanying drawings. [05] The method according †o the invention is used for setting up an acoustic leak defection system in a fluid, in particular liquid distribution network like a water distribution network or a heat distribution network. The network consists of several pipes for fluid or liquid distribution. Pref erably, the network comprises main distribution pipes and branching distribution pipes and branching pipes connecting single points of con sumption, like for example single houses.

[06] According †o the method a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor is placed in the network. The acoustic sensor, in particular, is an acoustic sensor suitable for acoustic leak detection, i.e., provided †o detect noise occurring from a leakage. In particular, the sensor can detect noise in a frequency range in which noise occurring from a leakage can be expected. Such a firs† acoustic sensor preferably is attached directly †o a pipe of the network or †o a component or device con nected †o a pipe or may be integrated into such a component or de vice. Thus, preferably the a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor is in contact with the pipe such †ha† noise transferred via the wall of the pipe and/or inside the liquid flowing through the pipe can be detected by said a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor.

[07] Furthermore, a† leas† one acoustic signal generator is arranged in the network a† a location distanced †o the a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor, i.e. distanced along a pipe length. The signal generator is placed on a pipe such †ha† an acoustic signal generated by the signal generator is transferred via the pipe and the liquid in the network. In a following step, there is generated an acoustic signal by the acoustic signal generator, the acoustic signal being in a frequency range de tectable by said a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor, i.e., preferably in a frequency range which is characteristic for leaks †o be detected. The acoustic signal generator preferably comprises an electronic signal os cillator with an amplifier and a loudspeaker. In a following step, it is evaluated whether the a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor detects such generated acoustic signal, i.e. the acoustic signal produced by the signal generator. In case that such acoustic signal from the signal gen erator cannot be defected by said a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor, this is an indication †ha† the acoustic signal generator is placed too far away from the firs† acoustic sensor, measured along the pipes of the distribution network. Thus, a leakage occurring in the area in which the sound generator has been placed would no† be detected by said a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor. Therefore, according †o the invention a† leas† one second acoustic sensor is placed in the network a† a location between said a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor no† receiving the acous tic signal and said signal generator, measured along the pipe length of the network. The a† leas† one second acoustic sensor is placed less dis tant from the position of the signal generator. This means the a† leas† one second acoustic sensor is placed closer †o the location of the acoustic signal generator than the firs† acoustic sensor, seen along the pipes of the distribution network. By placing a† leas† one second acous tic sensor in the network a† such a position acoustic blind spots in the network are reduced or avoided as it is ensured †ha† sound occurring from leakages a† any position in the network can be detected by a† leas† one acoustic sensor, either a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor and/or a† leas† one second acoustic sensor. The acoustic sensors may be con nected †o a leak detection or evaluation system as known in the art †o localize a leakage inside the distribution network on basis of the sound or noise detected by one or more of the sensors arranged in the net work. Such a leak detection or evaluation system preferably is imple mented as a software in a Head End System (HES) a† the waterworks.

[08] In case †ha† said acoustic signal generated by the signal genera tor is detected by said a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor placed in the network, no second acoustic sensor has †o be placed a† the location of the acoustic signal generator or in an area close †o the location of the acoustic signal generator, respectively. In this case sound occurring from a leakage in said area where the sound generator has been placed can be detected by the a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor. Thus, there is no need for placing a second acoustic sensor in this area or between the location of the sound generator and the firs† acoustic sen sor. By this method it is possible †o reduce the number of acoustic sen sors required.

[09] According †o a possible embodiment of the method there is placed a† leas† one second acoustic sensor in said network prior †o generating the acoustic signal by said acoustic signal generator. In case †ha† said acoustic signal is no† detected by said a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor or said a† leas† one second acoustic sensor, then, there is placed a† leas† one further second acoustic sensor in the network a† a location which is less distant along the pipe from the location of the signal generator than the distance †o said a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor and said a† leas† one second acoustic sensor placed in the net work. This means, the a† leas† one further second acoustic sensor is placed closer †o the location of the other acoustic sensors, seen along the extension of the pipes of the distribution network. By this embodi ment of the method, it can be ensured †ha† noise occurring from a leakage in the system can be detected by either a firs† or a second acoustic sensor in the network. To discover remaining blind spots, which may be eliminated by the arrangement of a further acoustic sensor, both the firs† and the second acoustic sensors already placed in the network can be used, i.e., it is evaluated whether an acoustic signal from the signal generator is received by a firs† or second sensor already placed in the network.

[10] Preferably the amplitude of the acoustic signal received by the a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor and/or a† leas† one second acoustic sensor is evaluated for determining the optimum location of a further second acoustic sensor in the network. Thus, for example a† leas† a min imum amplitude should be detected by the sensor †o ensure a secure leak detection. Preferably, the a† leas† one second acoustic sensor or the one further second acoustic sensor is placed a† a location along the pipe where an amplitude of an acoustic signal, which is output by the signal generator arranged a† the same location and received by said a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor, is above a predefined minimum and preferably reaches a maximum or is close †o a maximum. For ex ample, the signal generator may be placed a† different locations and the amplitudes of the signals received by the different sensors are compared for the different positions of the signal generator. Then in the next step a further second acoustic sensor may be placed a† the opti mum position, for example a† the position of the signal generator for which one or more of the sensors detect a signal above a predefined minimum and further preferably a maximum amplitude or an amplitude close †o a maximum. Preferably, a† leas† a predefined minimum ampli tude should be detected by the sensor †o ensure †ha† a leak a† the re spective position would be detected.

[1 1 ] The a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor and/or an acoustic signal generator may be incorporated into a flow meter or a† leas† one ultra sonic flow meter in said fluid distribution network may be used as a firs† acoustic sensor and/or used as an acoustic signal generator, wherein the flow meter preferably is located inside a branch pipe of the net work. This may, in particular, be a branch pipe connecting a point of consumption like a single house. According †o this embodiment of the method, flow meters arranged in the network †o detect and meter the fluid consumption, can be used for leakage detection in addition. For this purpose, additional sensing elements for noise detection may be integrated into the flow meter and/or ultrasonic sensors used for flow detection may be used for noise detection, too. The branch pipes in the network may be pipes made from plastic material and the firs† acoustic sensors may be optimized †o detect noise being conducted via those branch pipes, in particular branch pipes made from plastic material. [12] According †o a preferred embodiment for leakage defection those sensors inside the flow meters are used in addition to second acoustic sensors placed separately inside the fluid distribution network. In a fluid distribution network, all the flow meters placed in the network may be used for noise detection, i.e. as first acoustic sensors. Alterna tively, only a certain number of flow meters may be provided with such noise detection functionality allowing to use the flow meters as first acoustic sensors as described.

[13] The at least one second acoustic sensor preferably is an acoustic sensor independent from a flow meter, preferably comprising a micro phone or an accelerometer. In particular, the second acoustic sensor may be an independent device provided for noise detection only, so called data loggers. Preferably, such at least one second acoustic sen sor is placed on a wall of a distribution pipe of the network, in particular a main distribution pipe of the network, or inserted through the wall into the fluid. In the latter case hydrophones may be used. Such a distribu tion pipe for example may be made from metal. The distribution pipe may be a pipe from which further pipes branch off. The at least one second acoustic sensor preferably is connected to the pipe at a loca tion at which a further device is placed in the pipe, for example a valve. This allows to use existing access points for arranging the at least one second acoustic sensor on a pipe of the network.

[14] The at least one first acoustic sensor and said at least one sec ond acoustic sensor preferably are connected to an analysis or evalua tion system, preferably via a wireless signal connection. The evaluation system may comprise a central computing device carrying out the de scribed evaluation. The evaluation system, furthermore, may comprise a mobile or handheld device allowing a control by an operator locally in the field. Such a mobile device may be connected to a central evaluation or computing device. Alternatively, the mobile device may be in direct communication with the acoustic sensors to directly carry out the evaluation.

[15] Preferably, the evaluation system comprises a mobile device visualizing the evaluation result, in particular on a display. Such a mobile device may be used by an operator in the field. Preferably, the visuali zation on a display shows the entire network, for example in form of a map indicating the locations of all the sensors and the signal generators in the network. Such a visualization may help the operator †o find the optimum locations for placing second acoustic sensors in the system †o avoid blind spots and a† the same time minimizing the number of sec ond acoustic sensors required.

[16] In a possible solution said a† leas† one acoustic signal generator may be connected and controlled by an evaluation system, in particu lar a central evaluation system. By such a connection the evaluation system may initiate the output of an acoustic signal by the acoustic signal generator or sound generator, respectively. Furthermore, the evaluation system or evaluation device may, then, directly receive a feedback from one or more of the firs† acoustic sensors and/or second acoustic sensors already placed in the system †o evaluate which of the sensors can receive the acoustic signals output by the signal generator. Then, the result may be presented on a display †o an operator and/or an automatic evaluation may be carried ou† showing a† which point in the network further acoustic sensors, in particular second acoustic sen sors should be placed †o allow acoustic leakage detection in the entire network. This means according †o this embodiment the a† leas† one acoustic signal generator and the acoustic sensors, in particular the firs† acoustic sensors placed in the system may be synchronized by a cen tral evaluation system or evaluation device. However, in alternative solutions such synchronization can be avoided. In an embodiment us ing an unsynchronized acoustic signal generator, the signal or sound generator may be installed and started either by the evaluation system or an operator. The signal generator may then be left for generating an acoustic signal or sound for a longer period, for example for one or several days, e.g., up †o fen days.

[17] According †o a further possible embodiment said a† leas† one acoustic signal generator may generate an acoustic signal identifying or characterizing said acoustic signal generator, i.e. being characteris tic for said signal generator. For example, the signal generator may produce a predefined sound pattern being characteristic for the signal generator and which pattern can be identified by an acoustic sensor and/or an evaluation or control device evaluating signals from said sensor. For example, the sound pattern may consist of predefined phases of sound generation and silence which alternate. As an exam ple, there may be a phase of sound generation having a predefined duration followed by a predefined phase of silence, and so on. For ex ample, the sound generator may produce noise for six hours followed by three hours of silence and again followed by noise for six hours and so on. Such a sound pattern can be detected by the acoustic sensor without the need of synchronization with the signal generator. The sound pattern is chosen such †ha† it clearly distinguishes over the usual noise in the system, i.e. can be identified by a suitable evaluation sys tem. The detection or identification of the pattern may be carried ou† directly in the acoustic sensor, preferably a flow meter serving as an acoustic sensor. Alternatively or in addition, the sound pattern or char acteristics of the sound signal produced by the sound generator may be detected by an external evaluation system, in particular a central evaluation system. The acoustic signal received by the acoustic sensor, in particular the flow meter, or a signal representing said acoustic sig nal, respectively, may for example be transferred †o the evaluation de vice and the detection of the signal being characteristic for the sound generator may be carried ou† by the evaluation device. I.e. the re spective analysis can be made in a head end system. By this method the system can be simplified since a synchronization of the sensors and the signal generator is no† necessary.

[18] In case †ha† the analysis or evaluation shows the need for plac ing a further second acoustic sensor into the network, preferably, said a† leas† one second acoustic sensor is placed a† a location within a predefined or calculated distance, along the pipes of the network, †o the location of the acoustic signal generator used for this evaluation step. Further preferably, the a† leas† one second acoustic sensor is placed along a pipe between the location of the signal generator and the acoustic sensor, in particular the firs† acoustic sensor which could no† receive the signal produced by the acoustic signal generator.

[19] After the described analysis of the network for placing the nec essary acoustic sensors, preferably the acoustic signal generator is re moved from the fluid distribution network. This is preferable with a sepa- rate acoustic signal generator. In case †ha† the acoustic signal genera tor is integrated into another component used in the distribution net work, for example in a flow meter, the signal generator may remain in the network. In case †ha† the signal generator is removed, it may be used a† a different location of the network or in another distribution network for evaluating the need of further acoustic sensors for leakage detection.

[20] The acoustic signal generator preferably generates an acoustic signal in a frequency range detectable by said a† leas† one firs† acous tic sensor and said a† leas† one second acoustic sensor, further prefer- able it generates a signal in a frequency range which is used for acous tic leakage detection. Thus, for evaluating the need of further acoustic sensors a sound signal is used which is in the frequency range of the noise which must be detected for leakage detection. Preferably, also the signal amplitude is chosen to correspond to the amplitude of a leakage noise.

[21 ] The acoustic signal generator may generate a white noise signal and/or generate a signal in a frequency range between 10 Hz and 2 kHz. This is a preferred frequency region. However, the invention is no† limited †o this frequency region. The signal generated could be a single frequency, for example a 1 kHz signal. However, there is a risk of loosing such narrow band signal due †o unforeseen resonances, coupling phe nomena or acoustic damping by the pipe walls. Especially plastic pipes have a high damping. Therefore, the signal generated should prefera bly comprise several frequency components chosen in the frequency range between 10 Hz and 2 kHz.

[22] The a† leas† one acoustic signal generator may continuously output an acoustic signal. However, according †o a possible embodi- men† the acoustic signal is generated by the signal generator for a predefined time period, for example a period of 30 seconds †o one mi nute. An interruption of the signal output by the signal generator may enhance the analysis or signal detection by the acoustic sensors and/or a connected evaluation device, respectively. [23] The a† leas† one firs† acoustic sensor, the a† leas† one second acoustic sensor and/or said a† leas† one acoustic signal generator may be battery powered. This simplifies the installation in the network, as no external power supply is required. In particular, if flow meters or flow consumption meters are used as acoustic sensors it is preferred †ha† these flow meters are battery powered. This on the other hand requires an optimization of the method in view of the power consumption. The method preferably should be carried ou† with a minimized power con sumption †o preferably no† decrease the lifetime of the flow meters de pending on the battery lifetime. As described earlier, in the particular case where a flow meter or ultrasonic flow meter is also acting as an acoustic signal generator, for example with a loudspeaker integrated, the battery should be larger than used in normal flow meters, say a big D-cell lithium battery for example. Preferably, in a network one large- battery-signal-generating flowmeter per 10 to 50 houses is estimated as sufficient.

[24] According to a further preferred option during the evaluation or analysis of the need of further acoustic sensors, the water distribution network preferably is brought into a stable state to reduce or avoid changes in noise occurring in the system or network because of other reasons, i.e. produced by further aggregates in the system. For exam ple, pumps or valves in the system may produce noise. In this case it is preferred to set such pumps or valves in a stable condition. Further more, additionally or alternatively noise sources in the network may be brought into an operational condition producing the maximum noise, for example pumps may be set in a full load mode generating a high flow noise and/or pumping noise. When analyzing the system for the need of additional acoustic sensors at a maximum noise level, it can be ensured that even at high noise a leakage detection is possible. In case that the acoustic sensors can hear the acoustic signal produced by the acoustic signal generator during a high noise level then, they will later be able to hear noise at less busy flow levels, too.

[25] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention flow me ters which are configured to serve as acoustic sensors are placed in the network. It is possible to provide all flow meters with a possibility to de tect acoustic noise in the system. Alternatively, flow meters provided for acoustic leak detection are placed at critical points in the system, only. The use of such special flow meters avoids further, second acoustic sen sors in the network, or reduces the number of them. Preferably, mainly those flow meters are used for leakage detection in the fluid or liquid distribution network. Thus, preferably firs† the flow meters having the acoustic leak detection properties are placed in the network and then the described method is carried ou† †o evaluate a† which further loca tions additional, second acoustic sensors are required †o cover the en- tire network for acoustic leakage detection. By this method, the num ber of necessary additional, second acoustic sensors can be minimized and flow meters having acoustic leak detection properties can be used instead of special sensors whenever possible.

[26] In the following the invention is described by way of example with reference †o the accompanying drawings. In this:

Fig. 1 shows a water distribution network according †o the inven tion, and

Fig. 2 shows a flow meter serving as a firs† acoustic sensor.

[27] Figure 1 shows an example of a water distribution network for distributing water †o different points of consumption, here shown as houses 2. The houses 2 are connected via branching pipes or branch pipes 4, which lead †o a main distribution pipe 6. The water in the main distribution pipe 6 and, thus, in the entire network is delivered by a pumping device 8. A† each point of consumption, i.e. in each of the houses 2 there is provided a flow meter 10 for metering the water con sumption. The flow meters 10 may be ultrasonic flow meters detecting the flow by an ultrasonic sensor. The flow meters 10 are provided for wireless radio communication, i.e. include a wireless communication module 12. The wireless communication modules 12 connect the flow meters 10 via a communication network 14 †o a control or evaluation device 16, i.e. a head end system. Additionally, the flow meters may include for example near field communication technology (NFC) for communicating with a handheld device. In some embodiments the flow meters 10 may have a bidirectional communication capability.

[28] The flow meters 10 include flow sensors, in this example an ultra sonic flow sensor 18 inside the housing 20. Additionally or alternatively, the housing 20 may include a separate noise or acoustic sensor 22. By use of the ultrasonic sensor 18 or the acoustic sensor 22 the flow meter 10 may serve as a firs† acoustic sensor detecting acoustic noise in the branch pipes 4. The detected noise or signals derived from the detect ed noise are transferred via the wireless communication module 12 †o the control or evaluation device 16. This preferably is the same wireless communication link which is used †o transfer the metering results, i.e. the metered water consumption †o the central control device 16. The noise detection function inside the flow meters 10 may be optimized †o detect noise transferred by the branch pipes 4, which usually are small pipes often made from plastic material. The flow meters 10 serving as firs† acoustic sensors allow †o listen inside the water distribution network †o detect leakages inside the distribution network, i.e. outside the hous es 2, on basis of the occurring noise. Thus, the flow meters 10 having a noise detection functionality are used instead of separate acoustic sen sors for leakage detection in the network, i.e. allow †o reduce the nec essary number of those separate acoustic sensors for leakage detec tion. I† would be ideal if for leakage detection the entire fluid distribu tion network could be covered by those firs† acoustic sensors in form of the flow meters 10. Usually, in a large and complex fluid distribution network, however, it is no† possible †o cover the entire network, i.e. there are remaining blind spots or areas in which noise cannot be de tected by the flow meters 10 which are placed a† the ends of the branch pipes 4, i.e. a† the points of consumption in houses 2.

[29] In those areas further acoustic sensors, namely second acoustic sensors 24 are arranged. These second acoustic sensors 24 are config- ured for noise defection only and may comprise a microphone, for ex ample. In this example af point A such a second acoustic sensor 24 is arranged. The second acoustic sensor 24 is provided with a wireless communication module allowing to connect to the communication network 14 and to the control or evaluation device 16. Thus, noise sig nals or more precisely sound signals detected by the second acoustic sensor 24 or information derived from those signals can be transferred to the control or evaluation device 16 and used for leakage detection in the network. These second acoustic sensors 24 are used in connec tion with the noise detection property of the flow meters 10 to localize leakages inside the network by noise detection. Characteristic acoustic signals which occur upon leakage are transmitted or conducted via the pipes towards the sensors 10, 24 and are detected by the first acoustic sensors (flow meters 10) and the second acoustic sensors 24. It is possible to localize a leakage by considering which of the sensors re ceives or hears the respective noise characteristic for a leakage.

[30] To find the locations at which the second acoustic sensors 24 must be placed to avoid blind spots in the network, an acoustic signal generator 26 is used. The signal generator 26 may for example be placed by an operator 28 at a position which in the operator’s opinion may be critical for leakage detection. Preferably, the acoustic signal generator 26 is placed on the pipe, in this example the main distribution pipe 6 at a location where the pipe is accessible, for example at the position of a valve inside the network. In this example the acoustic sig nal generator 26 is placed at the position D. The acoustic signal gener ator 26 outputs an acoustic signal in the frequency range which is con sidered for acoustic leakage detection. Then, the operator 28 analyses which of the first acoustic sensors, i.e. the flow meters 10 detects the acoustic signal output by the acoustic signal generator 26. The opera tor 28 in this example uses a handheld device 30, for example a soft ware application on a smartphone. The handheld device 30 has a wire less communication module allowing a direct wireless communication with the communication module 12 of the flow meters 10, the acoustic signal generator 26 and/or via the communication network 14 with the sensor control or evaluation device 16. The operator 28 may star† the output of the acoustic signal by the signal generator 26 directly himself, by direct communication with the acoustic signal generator 26 or via the control device 16. In this case the signal generator 26 may comprise a communication module allowing the communication with the central control device 16.

[31 ] In case that this acoustic signal produced by the signal genera- tor 26 can be received by a† leas† one of the flow meters 10, it is no† necessary †o place a further second acoustic sensor 24 a† the position D. However, in case †ha† neither one of the flow meters 10 nor the sec ond acoustic sensor 24, which are already placed in the network, can detect the acoustic signal output by the acoustic signal generator 26, then the operator 28 could decide †o place a further second acoustic sensor 24 a† the position D. This method may be carried ou† for further points in the network, for example a† points B and C shown in figure 1 .

[32] The handheld device 30 comprises a display 32 which may visu alize the entire network †o the operator 28, in particular showing all of the acoustic sensors, i.e. the flow meters 10 serving as firs† acoustic sen sors and the second acoustic sensors 24. The display 32 may directly visualize which sensors 10 receive an acoustic signal generated by the signal generator 26.

[33] Instead of such a manual evaluation there may be a software application inside the handheld device 30 and/or the central control device 16 evaluating a† which positions second acoustic sensor 24 must be placed. The central control device 16 may inform the operator 28, for example via the handheld device 30, a† which location the acous tic signal generator 26 should be placed for the evaluation process. [34] To further improve the acoustic leakage detection during evalu ation, whether and where additional second acoustic sensors 24 are necessary, preferably the pumping device 8 and possibly further devic es are set into their operational state producing a maximum of noise in the network. Thus, it is ensured that also in such operational state acous tic leakage detection can be ensured.

[35] The described method allows to make a leakage detection in the entire network mainly by use of the flow meters 10 having leakage detection modules and to just place additional second acoustic sen- sors 24 in the network where necessary, i.e. at those locations or in those areas to which the flow meters 10 cannot listen. Thus, the number of necessary second acoustic sensors 24 can be minimized, and the es sential part of the acoustic leakage detection can be provided by the flow meters 10 which are needed at the point of consumption, anyway.

List of reference numerals

2 houses, points of consumption

4 branch pipe 6 main distribution pipe

8 pumping device 10 flow meters, firs† acoustic sensors 12 wireless communication module 14 communication network 16 control or evaluation device 18 flow sensor 20 housing 22 acoustic sensor 24 second acoustic sensor 26 acoustic signal generator

28 operator 30 handheld device 32 display

A, B, C, D locations inside the fluid distribution network