SYNCHRONIZATION-FREE PIPELINE LEAK DETECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

1 . A synchronization-free pipeline leak detection system, comprising a plurality of acoustic sensor nodes positioned equidistantly in a linear array against an external surface of a wall of a pipeline, each of the acoustic sensor nodes having:

an acoustic transducer for receiving an acoustic signal generated by a leak in the wall of the pipeline and transmitted through fluid flowing through the pipeline, and for further measuring an acoustic received signal strength associated with the acoustic signal;

a transceiver for generating and transmitting acoustic signal strengths sensed by the transducer and receiving acknowledgement signals of acoustic received signal strengths sensed by its immediately adjacent sensor nodes;

non-transitory, computer readable memory;

means for recording the time of reception of the acoustic signal from the leak in the non-transitory, computer readable memory;

means for comparing the acoustic received signal strength against a threshold signal strength value, the transceiver transmitting a signal representative of the acoustic received signal strength to the immediately adjacent acoustic sensor nodes when the acoustic received signal strength is greater than the threshold signal strength value;

means for comparing the acoustic received signal strengths in the acknowledgement signals transmitted by the immediately adjacent acoustic sensor nodes against the acoustic received signal strength of the acoustic signal from the leak measured by the transducer;

means for recording respective times of reception of each of the acknowledgement signals from the immediately adjacent acoustic sensor nodes in the non-transitory, computer readable memory;

means for determining an acoustic sensor node closest to the leak to be the acoustic sensor node having the greatest measured acoustic received signal strength;

means for determining an acoustic sensor node second closest to the leak to be the immediately adjacent acoustic sensor node measuring the second greatest acoustic received signal strength; and

means for calculating a distance from the leak to the acoustic sensor node closest to the leak as:

L= 1/2 [D−V· ( TACK 2− t 1)],

where D represents a distance between each adjacent pair of the acoustic sensor nodes, V represents a speed of acoustic signal transmission in the fluid, TACK 2 is the recorded time of reception at the acoustic sensor node closest to the leak of acknowledgement strength of the acoustic sensor node second closest to the leak, and t 1 represents the recorded time of reception of the acoustic signal from the leak at the acoustic sensor node closest to the leak, the transceiver transmitting an alert signal representative of a position of the leak in the wall of the pipeline.

2 . A synchronization-free pipeline leak detection method, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of acoustic sensor nodes positioned linearly and equidistantly against an external surface of a wall of a pipeline;

receiving an acoustic signal generated by a leak in the wall of the pipeline and being transmitted through fluid flowing through the pipeline, the receiving being by at least one of the acoustic sensor nodes;

at each of the acoustic sensor nodes receiving the acoustic signal, measuring an acoustic received signal strength associated with the acoustic signal and recording a time of reception of the acoustic signal in non-transitory, computer readable memory associated with the acoustic sensor node;

comparing the respective acoustic received signal strength against a threshold signal strength value, the comparing being performed by each of the acoustic sensor nodes receiving the acoustic signal;

transmitting an acknowledgement signal representative of the respective acoustic received signal strength by each of the acoustic sensor nodes to immediately adjacent acoustic sensor nodes if the respective acoustic received signal strength is greater than the threshold signal strength value;

comparing the acknowledgement signals transmitted by the immediately adjacent acoustic sensor nodes against the acoustic received signal strength measured by the acoustic sensor node, and recording respective times of reception of each of the acknowledgement signals in the non-transitory, computer readable memory associated with the acoustic sensor node, the comparing being done by each of the acoustic sensor nodes;

determining an acoustic sensor node closest to the leak to be the acoustic sensor node with the greatest measured acoustic received signal strength;

determining an acoustic sensor node second closest to the leak to be the immediately adjacent acoustic sensor node having the second greatest measured acoustic received signal strength;

calculating a distance, L, from the leak to the acoustic sensor node closest to the leak as:

L= 1/2 [D−V· ( TACK 2 t 1)],

where D represents a distance between adjacent pairs of the acoustic sensor nodes, V represents a speed of acoustic signal transmission in the fluid, TACK 2 is the recorded time of reception at the acknowledgement signal of the acoustic sensor node second closest to the leak, and t 1 represents the recorded time of reception of the acoustic signal received by the acoustic sensor node closest to the leak; and

transmitting an alert signal representative of a position of the leak in the wall of the pipeline.