| CPC G01M 3/002 (2013.01) [G01M 3/18 (2013.01); G01M 3/38 (2013.01)] | 18 Claims |
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1. An in situ leakage detection system for a buried nonmetallic pipeline, the system comprising:
flexible composite mats, wherein the mats extend in a lengthwise direction along a length of the pipeline, the mats having an inner surface arranged to face an exterior surface of the pipeline, an exterior surface and a thickness therebetween;
a plurality of distributed optical fiber sensor (DOFS) affixed to the inner surface of the mats and extending lengthwise along the mats for the length of the pipeline, the plurality of DOFS having an input end configured to be coupled to an optical time domain reflectometer (ORDR),
wherein the mats are separate structures from the pipeline,
wherein a first mat among the mats is disposed substantially above the pipeline and a second mat among the mats is disposed between a bottom of the pipeline and surrounding soil, and wherein at least a first DOFS among the plurality of DOFS is affixed to and extends lengthwise along a respective inner surface of the first mat and at least a second DOFS among the plurality of DOFS is affixed to and extends lengthwise along a respective inner surface of the second mat, and
the mats having a first state in which they are flexible to facilitate insertion, and wherein the mats comprise a flexible composite fabric material including a water-activated hardener configured to, in response to application of water to the mat, cause the mats to set into a structure having a second state having hardness and rigidity sufficient to support the pipeline and distribute its weight to surrounding soil;
a monitoring computing system comprising the OTDR,
wherein the OTDR is configured to provide an optical input signal to the input end and measure parameters of a returned optical signal, and
wherein the computing system is configured to detect a leak in the pipeline and a location of the leak as a function of the measured parameters.
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