Sensor element for detecting and locating soft drink leaks in bottling plant pipelines
Keywords:
Leak Detection, Carbonated Beverages, Copolymers, Sensor Systems, Pipeline Monitoring.Abstract
In the bottled soft drink industry, the use of pipelines is common; however, undetected leaks can lead to product loss or damage to the facilities. Therefore, the objective of this research is to propose a sensor element capable of detecting leaks and pinpointing their exact location as quickly as possible. A cable-type sensor was developed, composed of copolymers and nichrome wires, designed to detect leaks of carbonated soft drinks in processing pipelines. The copolymer was synthesized using 70% poly (n-butyl acrylate) and 30% poly (acrylic acid) through radical emulsion polymerization. The ingredients were combined in a two-neck flask, nitrogen was introduced via bubbling, and the reaction mixture was maintained at 60–70 °C under stirring to initiate polymerization. The cable prototype features two embedded nichrome wires that form an electrical detection system, utilizing the conductivity of the beverage’s water content to detect and locate leaks with high precision (error margins of ±0.0002% within the first 3 minutes). Ambient humidity does not affect the sensor's
sensitivity.
References
Ahmed, S., Mouël, F. L., Stouls, N., & Kouyi, G. L. 2023. Development and Analysis of a Distributed Leak Detection and Localisation System for Crude Oil Pipelines. Sensors, 23(9), 4298. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23094298
A. Katalin. 2006. "Data Acquisition for Pressure Monitoring and Control in Distributed Systems," IEEE International Conference on Automation, Quality and Testing, Robotics,Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 2006, pp. 157-160, doi: 10.1109/AQTR.2006.254622.
Ashurst, P. R. 2016. Carbonated beverages. In Elsevier eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-100596-5.03240-6
Casillas, M. V., Garza-Castañón, L. E., & Puig, V. 2015. Sensor placement for leak location in water distribution networks using the Leak signature space. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 48(21), 214–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2015.09.530
Cheng, B., Yuan, L., Zhu, W., Song, Y., & Xiao, H. 2017. A coaxial cable magnetic field sensor based on ferrofluid filled Fabry-Perot interferometer structure. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 257, 194–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2017.02.024
Fahim, Mainuddin, U. Mittal, J. Kumar, A. T. Nimal and M. U. Sharma. 2017. "Single chip readout electronics for SAW based gas sensor systems," IEEE SENSORS, Glasgow, UK, 2017, pp. 1-3, https://doi: 10.1109/ICSENS.2017.8233886.
Grand View Research GVR-2-68038-144-3 consulted 30 april 2024. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/carbonated-soft-drinks-market
Jia, Z., Ren, L., Li, H., Ho, S., & Song, G. 2014. Experimental study of pipeline leak detection based on hoop strain measurement. Structural Control & Health Monitoring, 22(5), 799–812. https://doi.org/10.1002/stc.1718
Kitayama, Y., Moribe, H., Minami, H., & Okubo, M. 2011. Emulsifier-free, organotellurium-mediated living radical emulsion polymerization of Styrene: Initial stage of polymerization. Polymer, 52(13), 2729–2734. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2011.04.027
K. Luo, A. Shui, S. Li, Z. Li and J. Chen. 2011. "Sensor cable-based tank leak detection system," Chinese Control and Decision Conference (CCDC), Mianyang, China, 2011, pp. 1320-1324, doi: 10.1109/CCDC.2011.5968394.
Salas M., Martina Hubner, Mykhailo Borisov, Michael Koerdt, Marcel Rennoch, Axel S. Herrmann, Walter Lang. 2018. "Measuring Material Moisture in Fiber Reinforced Polymers by Integrated Sensors," in IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 18, no. 9, pp. 3836-3843, 1 May1, 2018. doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2018.2815029.
Mendoza-Payán, J. G., Gallardo, S. F., & Márquez‐Lucero, A. 2009. Design for an ultrafast water distributed sensor employing polyvinylamine cross-linked with Cu(II). Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 142(1), 130–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2009.07.045
Neeraj, P. K. Suri and V. Yadav. 2017. "Design and implementation of wireless sensor network architecture for leak detection and monitoring in water supply distribution network" 2nd International Conference for Convergence in Technology (I2CT), Mumbai, India, 2017, pp. 559-564, doi: 10.1109/I2CT.2017.8226192.
Oh, S. W., Yoon, D., Kim, G. J., Bae, J., & Kim, H. S. 2018. Acoustic data condensation to enhance pipeline leak detection. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 327, 198–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.12.006
Olivier Colombani, Markus Ruppel, Frank Schubert, Heiko Zettl, Dmitry V. Pergushov, and Axel H. E. Müller. 2007. Synthesis of Poly(n-butyl acrylate)-block-poly(acrylic acid) Diblock Copolymers by ATRP and Their Micellization in Water. Macromolecules. 40(12). 4338–4350. doi.org/10.1021/ma060957815
Penza, M., Cassano, G., Sergi, A., Lo Sterzo, C., & Russo, M. V. 2001. SAW chemical sensing using poly-ynes and organometallic polymer films. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 81(1), 88–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0925-4005(01)00937-6
Cardell-Oliver, R., Scott, V., Chapman, T., Morgan, J., & Simpson, A. 2015. Designing sensor networks for leak detection in water pipeline systems," IEEE Tenth International Conference on Intelligent Sensors, Sensor Networks and Information Processing (ISSNIP), Singapore. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/ISSNIP.2015.7106909.
Romero-Ben, L., Alves, D., Blesa, J., Cembrano, G., Puig, V., & Duviella, E. 2023. Leak detection and localization in water distribution networks: Review and perspective. Annual Reviews In Control, 55, 392-419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arcontrol.2023.03.012
Salas, M., Hubner, M., Borysov, M., Koerdt, M., Rennoch, M., Herrmann, A. S., & Lang, W. 2018. Measuring Material Moisture in Fiber Reinforced Polymers by Integrated Sensors. IEEE Sensors Journal, 18(9), 3836-3843. https://doi.org/10.1109/jsen.2018.2815029
Wu, Y., Kim, K., Henry, M. F., & Youcef-Toumi, K. 2017. "Design of a leak sensor for operating water pipe systems," IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2017, pp. 6075-6082, doi:10.1109/IROS.2017.8206506.
Wan, X., Kuhanestani, P. K., Farmani, R., & Keedwell, E. 2022. Literature Review of Data Analytics for Leak Detection in Water Distribution Networks: A Focus on Pressure and Flow Smart Sensors. Journal Of Water Resources Planning And Management, 148(10). https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)wr.1943-5452.0001597
Zhang, H., Zhang, W., Xu, N., Guo, Z., & Wu, G. 2018. Improved PSO-based method for leak detection and localization in liquid pipelines. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 1. https://doi.org/10.1109/tii.2018.2794987
Zhou, J., Wang, H., Zhang, L., & Ma, J. 2014. Ab initio reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer emulsion polymerization of styrene/butyl acrylate mediated by poly(acrylic acid)‐block‐polystyrene trithiocarbonate. Polymer International, 63(12), 2098–2104. https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.4755
