An efficient leak and burst detection method is critical to the operation and maintenance of water pipe networks. Despite the wide applications of transient analysis-based methods for leakage or burst detection in simple tree-shaped pipe systems, their applicability to looped pipe networks (LPNs) is still challenging due to the sophisticated travelling paths of transient waves. In this paper, an improved forward–backward transient analysis method (FBTAM) is developed for leak detection in LPNs. The detection goal is achieved by analyzing transient signal deviations between the intact pipe assumption and that from the leaky pipe. The proposed method is distinguished by its ability to explicitly trace transient characteristics in each calculation, thereby enabling pipe defect analysis and removing the need for transient modelling across the entire LPN. This property is beneficial to significantly improve detection efficiency and makes the proposed method possible for practical application. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been validated through both hypothetical and real LPNs. In addition, the impacts of many influencing factors, including wave travelling direction, transient source, and noise, on the application of the proposed method, as well as limitations and recommendations of this work, are investigated and discussed. The findings imply that the proposed FBTAM offers a new way to effectively detect leaks and bursts in LPNs, representing an important step forward in the transient research area.Key pointsAn effective transient analysis method is developed for pipe leak/burst detection in looped pipe networksThe applicability and accuracy of the developed method are demonstrated using real looped water networksThis study represents an important step forward for the practical applications of transient analysis methods
Pan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.