Leak in chilled water/condenser water loop in MIddle East
Len-IDEA
Edward T. Borer Jr.
Consider acoustic locating for direct buried water leaks.
Ted Borer, PE, CEM, LEED AP
Princeton University
Energy Plant Manager
MacMillan Building, Elm Drive
Princeton, NJ 08543-2158
Cell: (609) 731-2327
Home: (609) 466-3322
Learn about our plant on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwHhbDvpdS4
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Rundle, Gordon
We have used various means to locate leaks in our chilled water distribution system including:
· Visual – Sometimes just walking the route will result in some clues where to start. You may find some wet areas that are suspect.
· Thermal Scanning – With the high ambient temperatures this may be a good option. However, if the leak is small and the lines are deep it may not show up in the scan.
· Acoustic / Ultrasonic Scan – Personally, I have had the best luck with this type of detection. It is basically a technician listening with a microphone from ground level, or utilizing transmitters installed on the pipe. Accuracy will be affected by the interference of surrounding noise (i.e. traffic, plant equipment). So the quieter, the better.
· Gas detection – Depending on the size (volume) of the lines, they can be filled with a gas such as helium. Holes are then drilled above the pipe , to approx, the depth of the pipe, every 15’ or so along its path. Utilize a gas detector above the holes , the highest concentration of helium should indicate where the leak is. Accuracy will be affected by the porosity of the soil and back fill . If the pipes were bedded in stone, it will be difficult to detect as the gas will diffuse prior to rising from the hole. Likewise, if the pipes were jacketed in poly wrap, the gas will not have a direct path to the surface.
· Dig and Sectionalize – If the above options do not work this may be the only option. Dig up the line in the center of the run, cut out a section, and hydro test both sides. From there, you should be able to determine which side has the leak. Repeat until leak is found. We recently had a leak during construction. The contractor had installed approx. 1000’ of 20” pipe that was found to have a leak. After the acoustic scan (city streets to much noise) and gas detection (poly-wrap on pipe) failed, we had to go this route. While labor intensive, we were able to locate the leak in about 3 days.
Regards,
Gordon Rundle
Engineering Project Manager
366 Kentucky Ave, Indianapolis IN 46225
Office / Fax 317.693.8854
From: district-co...@googlegroups.com [mailto:district-co...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Len-IDEA
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2013 3:23 PM
To: district-co...@googlegroups.com
Subject: {District Cooling Forum} Leak in chilled water/condenser water loop in MIddle East
IDEA has received a request from an IDEA member in the MIddle East who is looking for advice about how to locate identify and repair leaks in a chilled water and condenser water loop. The setting is direct buried pipe in a high ambient temperature region. Any advice would be appreciated.
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