May 7, 2024

Fire Hydrant Hydrophones Find Hidden Leaks in Water Distribution Networks

Pranav Agrawal and Sriram Narasimhan from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) will go over an ingenious acoustic solution to determine and track leakages in water distribution networks in their talk, “Maximum likelihood evaluation for leakage localization in water circulation networks using in-pipe acoustic noticing.” The discussion will take location Thursday, May 11, at 12:25 p.m. Eastern U.S. in the Purdue/Wisconsin space, as part of the 184th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America running May 8-12 at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile Hotel.
Spotting a leakage in a single straight pipe is not a challenge, but large urban networks can be a grid of hundreds or countless pipes, and exactly finding a leak is no easy job. Acoustic monitoring is the go-to solution, as the sounds from leaks are unique and travel far in water, but even this method has a hard time in intricate pipeline networks.
” Localization of the leak is complex as it involves aspects like hydrophone density, the frequency bandwidth of the leakage sound, and product homes of the pipe,” said Agrawal. “It is impractical to have highly thick picking up that can localize leaks at any area in the network.”
To take on the issue, the researchers established algorithms that run on acoustic signals gathered through hydrophones mounted on the most available parts of the pipeline network: fire hydrants.
” We have developed algorithms which operate on acoustic information collected from state-of-the-art tracking devices installed on fire hydrants and listen to the sound produced by leaks inside the water column,” said Agrawal. “This gadget is now commercially offered through Digital Water Solutions and has actually been deployed in various places in Canada and the U.S., consisting of in ongoing presentation trials at the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, Ventura County in California.”.
Connecting their sensors to fire hydrants means the team can prevent expensive excavation and rearrange the devices as required. Integrated with novel probabilistic and machine-learning techniques to analyze the signals and pinpoint leakages, this innovation could support water conservation efforts, particularly in the Western U.S., where this is direly required.
Satisfying: ASA 184th Meeting.

A summary of the methodology used for leak recognition including gathering acoustic information, drawing out relevant functions, and using advanced device knowing and probabilistic designs for leak detection and localization. Credit: Pranav Agrawal
Locating leaks in water distribution networks is made easier with hydrant-mounted hydrophones and advanced algorithms.
UCLA researchers established an acoustic solution utilizing hydrophones on fire hydrants and novel algorithms to discover and find leakages in complicated water circulation networks, helping in water preservation efforts.
Access to clean drinking water is essential for healthy communities, however delivering that water is growing progressively challenging for many utilities. Corroding pipes and land shifts in aging water circulation networks can develop frequent leakages, squandering water before it ever gets to the tap. Energies in the U.S. lose about 6 billion gallons of water a day– enough to fill 9,000 swimming pools– due to leakages, in addition to squandered energy and resources invested in treating and gathering that water.

Access to clean drinking water is important for healthy communities, however providing that water is growing progressively difficult for many energies. Rusting pipelines and land shifts in aging water distribution networks can create regular leaks, losing water before it ever gets to the tap. Utilities in the U.S. lose about 6 billion gallons of water a day– adequate to fill 9,000 swimming pools– due to leaks, in addition to wasted energy and resources spent in treating and gathering that water.