Heat transfer model for non-invasive leakage detection in heating pipes

Abstract

Abstract Typical leak detection equipment requires the excavation, installation, and reconstruction of heating pipes, which interrupt production and daily activities of nearby residents. This study proposes a heat transfer model for detecting underground heating pipes by analyzing the temperature of the ground surface boundary layer, thereby eliminating the interruption needs. A sandbox test rig, incorporating hot water and wind circulation, was constructed, and six sets of tests were conducted to verify the model’s accuracy, which was determined to be 99.805% by varying the air flow rate and water temperature in the pipes. Moreover, leakage scenarios were simulated. Non-invasive leak detection of heating pipes was achieved by comparing the accuracy of the model for leaking and non-leaking conditions. The results show that after 1 h of leakage, the calculated temperature was 0.207 ℃ lower than the actual temperature, confirming that the model can detect leakage within 1 h. This paper presents a novel approach for non-invasive leak detection in heating pipe networks, providing valuable data for future applications of the model.

Keywords

• Heating pipes
• Non-invasive leak detection
• Heat transfer
• Sandbox test