The Use Of Untethered Acoustic Ball Technology To Locate Leaks In Pressurized Water Mains

Investor-owned & municipal utilities may experience catastrophic damage if it relies on Untethered Acoustic Ball technology to locate leaks. As shown below, the inspection of a 10,000-feet (3km) of 36-inch (913mm) diameter Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP), gave a clean-bill-of-health with ‘NO LEAKS’ using a leading vendor’s Untethered Acoustic Ball technology.  Eighteen (18) months later, separate pipe ruptures occurred. First, on June 21, 2013 (Rupture #1) causing a 30ft-wide by 15ft-deep hole, followed by a second rupture on September 19, 2014 (Rupture #2), located nearby the first ruptured pipe. Not disclosed to local media, both pipe failures had ‘NO LEAKS’ identified using sensitive listening devices equipped with acoustic sensors sent through the pipe a caught in netting downstream from its insertion point.