Pipe leak check robot is an inside job

Researchers with MIT and the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals have developed a robotic system to autonomously patrol the interiors of pipes and pinpoint leaks by detecting changes in pressure. 

Most systems for leak detection use acoustic sensors above ground or video cameras in a pipe. However, leak detection can be slow and often misses small leaks.

The robot is propelled through the pipes on wheels or swept along by flowing liquid and carries a drum-like membrane that forms a seal across the width of the pipe. When a leak is encountered, liquid flowing towards it distorts the membrane, pulling it towards the leak. The distortion is detected by force-resistant sensors via a mechanical system and the location sent back via a wireless communication system and GPS.

The robot can move at speeds of up to 3mph and be left indefinitely within a pipe to conduct automatic, nonstop monitoring. 

Dimitrios Chatzigeorgiou, MIT researcher on the project, said the system “can detect leaks of just one to two millimetres in size at relatively low pressure”. He said: “We've proved that the concept works. It can be produced in various sizes to fit different-size pipes and should be effective in gas, water and oil pipes.”

Detecting leaks by sensing a pressure gradient close to leak openings is a novel idea,  Chatzigeorgiou said, and key to the effectiveness of the system. The 3mph top speed is a restriction imposed by the propulsion motors of the robots, not the detector itself, so faster surveying is possible. 

The team also believes that the robotic system could be much cheaper than existing methods of detection. The monitoring of hundreds of kilometres of pipelines can stretch into hundreds of thousands of pounds annually. 

The research team is in talks with gas, water and oil companies to set up field tests for the system.