Design and Testing of a Flow Facility for Pipeline Leak Prediction, Detection, and Investigation

Abstract Flow facilities play a crucial role in advancing pipeline leak detection systems. Existing experiments are performed with a simulated leak from a hole drilled in the pipe wall with flow rate controlled by a valve. Although adequate for certain research objectives, the boundary conditions of a real-world pipeline failure are not properly replicated using this approach and as a result some of the critical mechanical signatures of an actual leak or rupture event are missed. The current research aims to address this deficiency. A customized flow facility with flexible operating pressure and temperature has been designed for leak investigation of both gaseous and liquid transport. The pump and blower can deliver up to 50% (liquid) and 20% (gas) of a typical operational Reynolds number (ReD) in a 3-inch nominal diameter test section. The system is designed with the ability to perform flowing burst tests, controlled by increasing the average pressure of the flow loop while maintaining a constant ReD. Pipe sections with common threat mechanisms that include pitting corrosion, axial and circumferential cracking, or combinations with denting can be examined. The flow facility enables naturally evolving leak processes to be investigated in detail, starting with the precursors before a leak to the early stages of a leak. The data collected in the facility will be instrumental in the development of real-time monitoring technology for safe pipeline transport.