Acoustic leak localisation based on multipath identification

This paper proposes a method for estimating wave speed and locating leaks in water pipes using multipath identification techniques. The wave speed and leak location are determined simultaneously from the relative arrival times of reflections in acoustic leak signals. Two multipath identification techniques based on the autocorrelation function and power cepstrum are derived and analysed for identifying reflections. Results show that the power cepstral technique is more robust and accurate than the autocorrelation technique. Analysis of simulation and experimental data acquired on a leakage test rig demonstrates that the proposed method is effective for locating leaks, outperforming the commonly used cross-correlation method in some cases. A practical advantage of the proposed method is capability to locate leaks without a priori knowledge of the wave speed.