Leak Detection and Location Pinpointing in Water Pipeline Systems using a Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist of wireless devices that are installed above the ground, buried under the dense soil, or placed in any underground spaces. WSNs have an immensely promising future which could impact diverse applications including water, oil, and gas pipeline leak detection. Any leak in the pipeline can trigger major financial losses and possible environmental damages. Almost twenty percent of the US water supply is lost annually because of pipe leakage. WSNs can be extremely useful in providing a solution for this problem. This paper presents a sensor network design method that uses pressure sensors to measure water pressure inside a pipe in different locations. Arduino and XBee (Zigbee) collect the pressure data, and exponential curve fitting technique determines leak and its location by analyzing the data. It demonstrates acceptable accuracy in predicting a leak and leak location under real world conditions for a given network. Moreover, it advises the acceptable distance between pressure sensors in a pipeline.