Identifying two-point leakages in parallel pipelines based on flow parameter analysis

Abstract

Parallel pipelines are widely used to transport energy resources. Leakages usually can occur in pipelines due to aging, corrosion, metal failure, etc. When an accident happened, not only the energy company would take the financial loss, but also it would cause pollution and safety issues to the local environment. Therefore, an efficient way to identify leakages in parallel pipelines is necessary to be proposed. In this study, ANSYS was used to simulate different leak scenarios in parallel pipelines. Fluid and pipe parameters were used to simulate different leak scenarios. In each leak scenario, there were different pressure drops along the leak pipeline based on leak locations and different flow rates. After determining there is more than a leak in pipelines, the relationship among pressure drops, leak locations, and flow rates can be used to build a mathematical model for detecting leaks. During the pipeline operations, the pressure drops were affected by leak locations and flow rates. Therefore, applying flow parameters in real leak scenarios to the mathematical model that is built from the parameters in the reality will identify the leak locations. In addition, lab experiments were applied to verify the validity of the simulations. The deviations between the experiments and simulations are less than 4%. The pressure drops through the leak pipe in the experiments and simulation vary from 1,955 to 2,898 Pa and 1,992 to 2,803 Pa, respectively. This research investigated a method to identify two-point leakages in parallel pipelines based on flow parameter analysis.