Performance assessment of leak detection failure sensors used in a water distribution system

This paper presents a performance assessment of two failure sensors for the detection of events in a pipeline distribution system. These sensors identify abnormal events on the basis of water opacity and differential temperature. The opacity sensor measures the cloudiness of the water, which is assumed to be dependent on water flow rate and turbulence caused by local events, while the second sensor measures water temperature difference. Both sensors, installed in the same housing, have been deployed at ten strategic locations in one zone of a local water company's distribution network. An isolated section within the zone has been selected for monitoring by the two sets of sensors. Detailed analysis for the flow measurement has been conducted in the isolated section using modelling software. The analysis is supported by a series of flushing trials organised for the performance assessment of both sensor locations in the pipeline network. A comparison is also made with data from established pressure loggers, which were located at various strategic locations in the zone during these trials.