Simultaneous Pipe Leak Detection and Localization Using Attention-Based Deep Learning Autoencoder

Water distribution networks are often susceptible to pipeline leaks caused by mechanical damages, natural hazards, corrosion, and other factors. This paper focuses on the detection of leaks in water distribution networks (WDN) using a data-driven approach based on machine learning. A hybrid autoencoder neural network (AE) is developed, which utilizes unsupervised learning to address the issue of unbalanced data (as anomalies are rare events). The AE consists of a 3DCNN encoder, a ConvLSTM decoder, and a ConvLSTM future predictor, making the anomaly detection robust. Additionally, spatial and temporal attention mechanisms are employed to enhance leak localization. The AE first learns the expected behavior and subsequently detects leaks by identifying deviations from this expected behavior. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, the Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR) simulator is utilized to generate water pressure and flow rate data in a water supply network. Various conditions, such as fluctuating water demands, data noise, and the presence of leaks, are considered using the pressure-driven demand (PDD) method. Datasets with and without pipe leaks are obtained, where the AE is trained using the dataset without leaks and tested using the dataset with simulated pipe leaks. The results, based on a benchmark WDN and a confusion matrix analysis, demonstrate that the proposed method successfully identifies leaks in 96% of cases and a false positive rate of 4% compared to two baselines: a multichannel CNN encoder with LSTM decoder (MC-CNN-LSTM) and a random forest and model based on supervised learning with a false positive rate of 8% and 15%, respectively. Furthermore, a real case study demonstrates the applicability of the developed model for leak detection in the operational conditions of water supply networks using inline sensor data