1.2. Inline water monitoring
A major field of interest that has emerged in recent years is the
application of MWSNs to the monitoring of conduits used to
distribute fluids such as water, gas, and oil. This has been used
for such purposes as the identification of possible faults or
leakages, and the analysis of the quality of the liquid itself.
The successful use of intelligent pigs (i.e., autonomous
devices sent into and retrieved from a pipe propelled by flow)
for pipe inspection by the oil and gas industries has generated
an interest in the water industry (USEPA, 2009).
Several inline devices for water pipeline inspection are
being developed and partially applied. Sahara leak detection
system is a commercially available tool for inline leak detection.
A single hydrophone attached to a cable, Sahara is
inserted into the pipe to examine noise signals in real-time,
while it traverses through the pipe interior. The cable also
controls the tool’s speed and allows its retrieval. The Sahara
can be deployed in any pipe material with a diameter of 300
[mm] or larger, and up to 1.8 [km] typical inspection length.