Leak noise propagation and attenuation in submerged plastic water pipes

Detection of water leaks in buried distribution pipes using acoustic methods is common practice in many countries. Correlation techniques are widely used in leak detection, and these have been extremely effective when attempting to locate leaks in metal pipes. However, a number of difficulties have been highlighted when trying to determine the position of leaks in plastic pipes. Of particular interest here is what happens to the leak noise when the pipe passes through an expanse of water, such as across a river or lake.In this paper, the low-frequency acoustic propagation and attenuation characteristics of a submerged plastic water pipe are investigated experimentally in the laboratory, supported by predictions from a theoretical model. It is found that, whilst the signal attenuation for a submerged pipe is increased relative to that for a similar in-vacuo pipe, energy does not, in fact, radiate into the water; furthermore, the attenuation is small compared with that for a pipe buried in soil.