Experimental study on leak detection monitoring of water pipelines based on pressure and acoustic emission sensing synergy

Abstract Leakage in water pipelines not only results in water loss and energy waste but may also induce secondary hazards such as ground subsidence. Therefore, developing efficient and reliable methods for leak detection and localization is of significant engineering importance. Addressing the limitations of existing single-monitoring methods in sensitivity and adaptability, this paper constructs a test platform integrating pressure sensor arrays with acoustic emission sensors. Comprehensive leak monitoring experiments are systematically conducted under various operating conditions. First, transient hydraulic fluctuations induced by leakage are captured using pressure sensors, and a hierarchical localization method based on pressure-point analysis and improved pressure-gradient fitting is proposed, effectively mitigating the interference from nonlinear pressure drops. Second, high-frequency noise signals associated with leakage are acquired through acoustic emission sensing, and characteristic features were extracted using time–frequency analysis, verifying sensitive identification of small-aperture and early-stage leaks. Furthermore, integrating both signal types enabled multi-source cross-verification, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of leak localization. The experimental results demonstrate that synergistic monitoring can simultaneously meet the detection requirements for both medium–large and small aperture leaks, exhibiting strong reliability under complex operating conditions. These findings provide experimental basis for establishing a reliable leakage monitoring technology system for water pipelines.