Monitoring Acoustic Noise in Steel Pipelines

A system is under development to permanently monitor the acoustic noise transported in a steel pipe. Using different kinds of sensors it is attempted to identify its sources. Initial goals are detection and, if possible, prevention of severe damage to the pipeline, mainly induced by third-party interference. With growing experience it should be possible to identify several much weaker sources of noise, and even detect significant changes in the general noise background. This will finally lead to a permanently monitored, semi-intelligent pipeline with reduced need for inline-inspection.