Possible Detection of Multiple Blockages Using Transients

Abstract

This work explores the possibility of utilizing the interaction between a pressure pulse propagating in a pipe with the blockages therein, as a means of blockage detection and characterization. Whereas an earlier work focused on a single blockage, the present work attempts to extend the strategy to multiple blockages. A one-dimensional isothermal non-compositional single-phase Eulerian model was used to describe the propagation of a pressure pulse through a pipe with multiple blockages. Pressure variations at the inlet caused by reflections of the propagating transient are monitored and analyzed. This analysis is used to make deductions about the internal configuration of the pipe. The results demonstrate that the technique is feasible and that accurate characterization of multiple blockages is possible.