The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) has developed a new technology for diagnosing faults to prevent water leaks from district heating pipes, which supply energy in an eco-friendly and economical way.
KICT conducted research of measuring abnormal signals of the pipelines by using both acoustic emission (AE) sensors and accelerometer sensors and classifying the signals using machine learning to increase detection accuracy and diagnose various abnormalities including a water leak.
Preventing such leaks could drastically increase public safety. District heating pipelines supply hot water at temperatures of as high as 120℃ at constant pressure from a District Heating Hot Water Production Facility plant to the point of demand.
When a leak occurs in one of these pipes - particularly if it takes place near a road - it can have fatal consequences. This was the case in 2018, when an underground hot water pipeline ruptured near...