METHOD OF DETECTION OF BREAK IN UNDERWATER PIPE LINE Russian patent published in 2003 - IPC

FIELD: pipe line transport; systems of continuous observation of underwater product lines. SUBSTANCE: method includes sounding along pipe line route by means of transducer and receiver which are placed at boundaries of pipe line section to be checked forming at least two trajectories of sounding beams by radiating sounding signal from one point at different angular ranges or from several points at different depth and/or distance to receiver; depth and angle of arrival of respective sounding beams are fixed by means of vertical receiving antenna system; last data are compared with previous data; then, two theoretically calculated trajectories are plotted for sounding beam having maximum deviation from check magnitudes: from transducer-trajectory of assumed propagation of beam and from receiving system towards transducer-beam released from depth at angle corresponding to last obtained data, point of their intersection corresponds to position of zone of local change of hydrophysical characteristics of medium due to leak of material from underwater pipe line. EFFECT: possibility of detection of leaks at earlier stage. 2 cl, 5 dwg