National Research Council Canada, Institute for Research in Construction; National Research Council Canada, Commercialization Office; Department of Justice Canada; Echologics Engineering Inc.

Technology Transfer Award

National Research Council Canada / Department of Justice Canada / Echologics Engineering Inc..

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For the successful development and commercialization of an enhanced leak noise correlation technology for detecting and locating leaks in pressurized pipes.

Harris Cunningham, Osama Hunaidi, Alex Wang
National Research Council Canada, Institute for Research in Construction

Clement Langemeyer, Paul Wiebe
National Research Council Canada, Commercialization Office

Marc-André Dionne
Department of Justice Canada

Marc Bracken
Echologics Engineering Inc.

At any given moment along any stretch of municipal road in most parts of the world, work crews are ripping up asphalt or packed earth in search of burst or damaged water pipes. Leaks and ruptures to water distributions systems are facts of life in any country, especially one with as harsh a climate as Canada. Every year, Canadian municipalities spend millions of dollars repairing underground water pipes, half of them at least 20 years old and some so defective they lose as much as half the water they carry.

Efficient water delivery was at issue in the late 1990s when the Institute for Research in Construction (IRC) undertook a strategic research project in collaboration with the Research Foundation of the American Water Works Association to investigate leakage detection problems in plastic water distribution pipes. As with many inventions, tackling a specific problem often produces unexpected and wider benefits. Along the way, the National Research Council's Ottawa facility amassed a bank of knowledge about the weaknesses of existing equipment that ultimately led to the invention of two methods tailored for leak detection and non-destructive testing for both plastic and other varieties of pipe material such as cast iron.

Patented as LeakFinder^RT, the technology was prototyped and field-tested in the City of Ottawa before exclusive licensing rights were granted to Echologics Engineering Inc. of Toronto to commercialize and further develop the system. The LeakFinder^RT system is currently in use by several municipalities in Canada and the U.S., with reports of significantly increased accuracy in leak detection.

In the past, the problem of leaking pipes in Canada was as costly as it was commonplace. Undetected slow leaks in older cast-iron systems taxed supplies of limited water resources, increased the risk of contaminants entering pipes and wasted energy needed to pump and treat leaking water. The simple solution was to find leaks and fix them before they caused catastrophic pipe breaks. But detection technology was complicated and expensive. In many cases, small and medium-sized municipalities subcontracted services on an emergency basis only.

The LeakFinder^RT technology solved these problems at every level. Researchers at IRC dramatically improved existing leak noise correlation techniques as well as the system itself. Using a Microsoft Windows-based operating platform, the portable system works on-site by sensing the sound or vibration of a suspected leak at two locations on the pipe, on either side of the leak. The noise is then transmitted to a new-generation personal computer-based correlator that determines the exact location of the leak using an enhanced cross-correlation algorithm and variables that include the velocity of the sound in the pipe and sensors spacing.

As the first truly PC-based system on the market, LeakFinder^RT has promising potential for all water utilities, including utilities in developing countries. Because of its innovative software, the system is less than half the cost of its closest competitor. Easy to use, it requires no previous knowledge and experience and can be learned in less than one hour. Effective, it detects very small leaks, even under adverse conditions. Adaptable, it can be modified to work for oil and natural gas distribution systems.

Echologics is exploring export markets in U.S., Britain, Japan, China and the Middle East. The new company expects to create as many as 20 new jobs and generate $10 million in sales by 2009.

Sponsored by:
Smart & Biggar