摘要 |
A method of detecting a leak in a pipeline system, wherein a measurement is performed to determine the difference in the rate of change of pressure due to a leak between one pressure level and at least one other pressure level, after compensation has been made for thermally induced changes in the pressure in a pressurized pipeline system, including the steps of pressurizing the pipeline system to a first pressure level, and measuring the changes in pressure in the pipeline system that occur over a first measurement period; and pressurizing the pipeline system to at least a second pressure level, and measuring the changes in pressure in the pipeline system that occur over at least a second measurement period. A computation is then performed of the difference in the temperature compensated rate of change of pressure between one pressure level and at least one other pressure level from the measured pressure data at the pressure levels, including a correction for the thermally induced non-linear changes of pressure rate of change of pressure between the pressure levels is computed from the rate of change of pressure measured during the measurement periods (first derivative of the pressure data or rate of change of pressure) and higher order derivatives of the pressure data.
|