Inference and learning methodology of belief-rule-based expert system for pipeline leak detection

Belief rule based expert systems are an extension of traditional rule based systems and are capable of representing more complicated causal relationships using different types of information with uncertainties. This paper describes how the belief rule based expert systems can be trained and used for pipeline leak detection. Pipeline operations under different conditions are modelled by a belief rule base using expert knowledge, which is then trained and fine tuned using pipeline operating data, and validated by testing data. All training and testing data are collected and scaled from a real pipeline. The study demonstrates that the belief rule based system is flexible, can be adapted to represent complicated expert systems, and is a valid novel approach for pipeline leak detection. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.