Vibration-based leak detection and monitoring of water pipes using output-only piezoelectric sensors

While access to potable water remain one of the grand challenges of the modern world, water distribution pipelines continue to degrade globally and pose a problem in overcoming this challenge. There is a need for data-driven decision-making in relation to identifying structurally degraded pipelines, typically used in water distribution, through monitoring and subsequent assessment in a smart manner. This explains the growing attention the area of leak and damage detection in water pipes. This paper presents the conception, development and experimental validation of a novel technology for leak detection in water pipes using sensors made from piezoelectric materials that converts strain from vibration into electrical energy. These monitors are self-powered and hence has the potential to be deployed more easily than those requiring external power to run. The paper details the fabrication and characterization of the sensors, the experimental design which details the design of a benchmark test rig developed and the test procedure to ensure repeatability. The paper subsequently demonstrates how harvested energy signatures are aligned to the location and extent of damage in the pipe by experimentally introducing leakage in the pipe. It presents the results from tests conducted to validate the idea. The conclusions and recommendations provide insights and directions into more extensive applications for these types of sensors for monitoring of our built infrastructure. It is expected that this paper will form an experimental benchmark for future work on this topic