POLITEKNIK SULTAN SALAHUDDIN ABDUL AZIZ SHAH 1

KEJURUTERAAN BEKALAN AIR & AIR SISA | C5305

Index

No. Contents Page

1 Index 1

2 Introduction 2

3 Leak Noise Sounding Corelator 3

4 Conclusion 8

5 Reference 9

6 Appendix 10

Introduction
 POLITEKNIK SULTAN SALAHUDDIN ABDUL AZIZ SHAH 2
KEJURUTERAAN BEKALAN AIR & AIR SISA | C5305

Leak correlators require accurate information on the materials in which the leak sound
is traveling in order to do an accurate correlation. The user normally has to input the size and
type of pipe as well as the distances of the loggers from each other. Many standard pipe sizes
have known speeds of sound which can be used for the correlation calculation. If the materials
are unknown, the speed of sound through the materials will have to be calculated on site to get
an accurate leak correlation. Most correlators can also analyze the sound levels and sound
frequencies to determine other information about the leak such as the size and severity of the
leak or whether it's on the pipe, a valve or hydrant, or in a service line. Most leak correlators
serve two major purposes. First to detect the presence of a leak, second to pinpoint the
location of the leak for repair when detected.

Leak Noise Sounding Corelator

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KEJURUTERAAN BEKALAN AIR & AIR SISA | C5305

A leak in a pipe under pressure creates noise that travels through the pipe walls. The
noise is detected at two separate points, (water valves, hydrants, meters) by highly sensitive
microphones. The leak  noise takes longer to travel to the microphone furthest from the
source.

A leak noise correlator is an electronic device used for Leak Detection and as a leak
locator to find leaks in pressurized water lines. ALM leak Detection uses a
surface microphone, a computer leak correlator sound sensor, and accelerometers that are
placed at two or more places in contact with the pipe to detect and record sound emitted by
leaks. The sound data is processed through a mathematical algorithm which compares or
correlates the speed of sound that the leak noise travels from the point of the leak to each of
the sensors. The correlation can then be used to determine the location of the leak.

Water Leaks Create Different Sounds.

Water leaking from an underground pipe normally generates an audible sound due to the
water pressure. This leakage sound contains four elements:
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KEJURUTERAAN BEKALAN AIR & AIR SISA | C5305

 Water flow sound

 Impact sound
 Friction sound of the water against the pipe
 Pipe vibration sound

Sounds from water leaks: transmission through pipe walls and soil, factors that impact sound
transmission

Water Leaks create different sounds. Higher Frequencies are More

Attenuated (Absorbed) in Soil than
Lower Frequencies.

Sound Intensity Increases with Various Pipe Materials Transmit Sound

Water Pressure. Differently.

What Affects Leak Sounds & Our Ability to hear them.

 Water Pressure in Pipe

 Type of pipe material and pipe diameter
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KEJURUTERAAN BEKALAN AIR & AIR SISA | C5305

 Soil Type and Soil Compaction

 Ground Surface for microphone: concrete versus sod
 Extraneous noises: wind, highways, buildings, machinery

Water Leak Surveys and Water Leak Pinpointing.

1. Water Leak Surveys

 Listen at hydrants, Valves, meters, curb stops, and other exposed sections / fittings.
 No sounds at all: then no leak nearby.

2. Water Leak Pinpointing

 Only after performing surveys.

 Between two loudest fittings (hydrants, meters, etc.)
 Directly over top of line.

LEAK SURVEY at Meters Water Leak Pinpointing

What are Sounds of Leaks Like?

1. Good water pressure, crop leak or small leak: "hiss".

2. Good water pressure, main break or big leak: "whoosh".
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KEJURUTERAAN BEKALAN AIR & AIR SISA | C5305

3. Very close to leak (15-20 feet during pinpointing): rapid "thumping" noises of water
against soil in cavity or "clink, clink" of small stones bouncing off pipe.
4. Water splashing on the pipe: may be close to leak or may be water traveling along
pipe for long distance.
5. Pipe resonance noises (i.e., "hiss" or "whoosh"); always very constant.
6. Intermittent and on again / off again noises: not a leak.
7. "um and ringing”: transformers, motors, or gas lines.
8. "Click, click, click”: meter turning (not a leak).

Advantage of an Accoustic Leak Detector.

1. Not too expensive.

2. Maintenance free and pretty reliable (Don't drop the sensor!).
3. Pretty easy to operate.
4. Can be used inside of buildings for leaks inside of walls and under floors (turn off
HVAC system and other building noises).
5. Almost never wrong: where leak is loudest is almost always where leak is located.
6. Last for many years: 10-15 years life expectancy.

Disadvantage of Accoustic Leak Detector.

1. Practice required to lean leak sounds and techniques.

2. Maximum depth for pinpointing: 1 to 1.5m for pinpointing.
3. Pinpointing over soft or grass cover more difficult.
4. Pinpointing is sometimes possible only at night.

Water Leak Surveys: How to do them?

 For most complete surveys, listen at EVERY curb stop, meter, hydrant, valve, etc.
 For iron and steel lines, listen at hydrants or Meters every 100 to 200m.
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KEJURUTERAAN BEKALAN AIR & AIR SISA | C5305

 For AC pipe, listen at hydrants and at a curb stop/meter between them (max distance
between points: 100m).
 For 13mm to 150mm PVC pipe, (Max distance between points 150m).
 For 150mm and larger PVC pipe, (Max distance between points 100m).
 When listening at curb stops/meter boxes, pick side of street with shorter length
services.
 No Leak Sounds? Then, No Leak nearby.

Water Leak Pinpointing: How to do it.

 Only after performing surveys.

 Between two loudest fittings (hydrants, meters, etc.).
 Directly over top of line.

Listening at Meter by FSB-8D.

Conclusion

Simply throwing resources at issues such as pressure management and active leak
control is one way of improving those aspects of water loss management, however such a
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KEJURUTERAAN BEKALAN AIR & AIR SISA | C5305

brute force effort is always going to be limited in its scope for effectiveness, and even more
limited in its efficiency.  Gathering information is the first step in identifying how any
problems can be best resolved, before the best approach to tackle them can be chosen. 
Training and information sharing at all levels of service is essential to achieving success, and
personal experience is still invaluable to a leakage engineer, but the use of up-to-date
technology and methodology can ease the entire process.  When time and resources have gone
into building an effective system – any system – those investments are saved many times over
when the system is implemented.  This is particularly evident in largely automated (typically
computerised) systems, where the burden of processing is placed with devices specially
designed to do them.  By separating and specialising responsibilities not just between people
but also by sharing them with technological systems, each aspect becomes more efficient –
and the whole benefits greatly as a result.

Reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leak_noise_correlator
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KEJURUTERAAN BEKALAN AIR & AIR SISA | C5305

http://www.almleakdetection.net/water-main-leak-detection.html

http://www.fujitecom.com/howto/Howtofindleaks.html

http://www.fujitecom.com/howto/FSB8D.html

http://halmapr.com/news/hwm/water-lost-is-water-wasted-%E2%80%93-working-with-the-
water-loss-task-force/

Appendix