LEAK DETECTION AND LOCALIZATION TECHNIQUES IN PIPE NETWORKS: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL REVIEW

Abstract

The most practical, safest, economical, and energy-efficient ways to move hydrocarbon-based liquids—such as natural gas, oil, and drinking water—are through pipelines and pipe networks. Transporting hazardous materials, however, raises the possibility of severe accidents because of pipeline breaks. The cause of the pipeline failure may be device/material failures, pipe corrosion, defects at installation and erection, human negligence, or external factors. These failures cause several problems, including irreversible economic losses and environmental imbalance. To reduce these hazards and maintain the integrity of pipeline infrastructure, much research has been devoted to developing a robust method for leak detection and localization. However, bibliometric and systematic reviews of leak detection and localization techniques are still deficient. This study conducts a scientometric analysis of the bibliographic data using VOSviewer to identify current popular techniques and issues in this field. This analysis covers statistics and examines the publications count, institutions involved, collaboration among countries, and research interests. It also critically evaluates leakage detection techniques for pressurized pipelines and provides an overview of state-of-the-art achievements in this field. A comprehensive and systematic categorization scheme for these strategies and a flowchart for selecting detection methods are proposed. Additionally, a review of the various approaches is conducted in this work, along with a detailed discussion of their benefits, drawbacks, and performance. Finally, based on the conclusions and limits of the current research, the report concludes with some approaches for future development.