Acoustical Leak Detectors

When liquids are leaking from a pipe or other carrying medium that are
buried underground, they emit an audible noise when leaving the pipe
through a hole. Acoustic leak detectors are used to detect the
increased noise created by a leaking pipe in order to identify the
location of a leak to subsequently fix without having to waste money
on widespread exploration and investigation to find the source of a
leak.

Why Do Water Leaks Make Noise?

The sound of a leak from a pressurized pipe will make a number of
noises. The leak will produce a whoosh or hiss as it leaves a pipe orifice
and a slashing sound when flowing around a pipe. If the pressure of a
leaking pipe is more than 30 psi, it will produce an audible “hissing”
noise. Other sounds may or may not be produced by a leaking pipe
depending on the type of fluid and pressure that the pie is under.

What Factors Affect the Noise from a Leaking

Pipe?

Acoustic leak detectors take advantage of several factors that are

common amongst leaking pipes. These include the soil type and
compaction that the pipe is buried under, the pressure in the pipe,
depth of soil covering the pipe, pipe diameter and mater, and the
surface cover over top the pipe (asphalt, concrete, dirt, or grass). The
intensity of the leak will be proportional to the pressure the pipe in
under and the top cover and depth over the top of the pipe. Acoustic
leak detectors will have issues finding leaks in pipes buried deeper
than seven or eight feet that are not considered large leaks.

How Do Pipes Convey Sound?

Metal, copper, and steel pipes will convey the sound of leaks for
hundreds of feed in all directions. Pipes that are made of PVC or
asbestos-cement will not transmit sound as far with detectable ranges
being from 50 to 200 feet.

How Do Acoustic Leak Detectors Work?

Acoustic leak detectors are used to localize the location of potential
leaks for underground pipes. A monitoring system is used by a person
assigned to survey a potential leak area moving three to four feet at a
time with an acoustic listening device that uses a microphone set to a
constant volume to make measurements of the sounds detected from
the ground and displays results on a visual display to mark the
difference in sound output as the survey is conducted. If the loudness
significantly increases as any single point or points along the survey
route, then that location is identified as a spot to dig to verify the
existence of a leak on the pipe.

Source: http://www.tech-faq.com/acoustical-leak-detectors.html