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US 12,584,814 B2Granted
Fluid leak detection, localization, and quantification with confidence
AssigneeChevron U.S.A. Inc.
InventorsNikolaos Ioannis Salmatanis, Tyrone Jenkins, Larry A. Bowden, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Infrared images of a fluid facility are captured to detect, localize, and quantify fluid leaks with confidence at the fluid facility. Changes in pixel values for a fluid leak, which reflect changes in temperature due to the fluid leak, are used to quantify the fluid leak. The location of the fluid leak is identified using the setup of the infrared camera and the fluid leak captured within the infrared images. A dispersion of the fluid leak is calculated and presented to show the path of the fluid leak.
Claims18
A system for detecting fluid leaks, the system comprising:
- one or more physical processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:
- obtain infrared image information, the infrared image information defining infrared images of a scene captured by an infrared camera, the infrared images of the scene including a first infrared image of the scene captured before a fluid leak at the scene and a second infrared image of the scene captured after the fluid leak at the scene;
- detect the fluid leak at the scene based on an observation made by an acoustic sensor, a gas sensor, a fluid sensor, or a point sensor, wherein the fluid leak at the scene is detected independent of the infrared images of the scene captured by the infrared camera;
- identify a portion of the infrared images depicting the fluid leak at the scene;
- determine a change in pixel density value within the portion of the infrared images captured before and after the fluid leak, the change in the pixel density value within the portion of the infrared images reflecting a change in temperature of an area of the scene depicted within the portion of the infrared images captured before and after the fluid leak;
- and
- determine an amount of the fluid leak at the scene based on the change in pixel density value within the portion of the infrared images captured before and after the fluid leak;
- wherein:
- the infrared images captured after the fluid leak depicts the fluid leak in two dimensions;
- and
- a volume of the fluid leak is estimated by matching a shape to the fluid leak based on an area into which the fluid leak is occurring, wherein:
- responsive to the area into which the fluid leak is occurring being the air, a cone shape is matched to the fluid leak to estimate the volume of the fluid leak;
- responsive to the area into which the fluid leak is occurring being a drainage area or a secondary containment area, a tank shape is matched to the fluid leak to estimate the volume of the fluid leak;
- and
- responsive to the area into which the fluid leak is occurring being the ground, a pool shape is matched to the fluid leak to estimate the volume of the fluid leak.
12 more elements
A method for detecting fluid leaks, the method comprising:
- obtaining infrared image information, the infrared image information defining infrared images of a scene captured by an infrared camera, the infrared images of the scene including a first infrared image of the scene captured before a fluid leak at the scene and a second infrared image of the scene captured after the fluid leak at the scene;
- detecting the fluid leak at the scene based on an observation made by an acoustic sensor, a gas sensor, a fluid sensor, or a point sensor, wherein the fluid leak at the scene is detected independent of the infrared images of the scene captured by the infrared camera;
- identifying a portion of the infrared images depicting the fluid leak at the scene;
- determining a change in pixel density value within the portion of the infrared images captured before and after the fluid leak, the change in the pixel density value within the portion of the infrared images reflecting a change in temperature of an area of the scene depicted within the portion of the infrared images captured before and after the fluid leak;
- and
- determining an amount of the fluid leak at the scene based on the change in pixel density value within the portion of the infrared images captured before and after the fluid leak;
- wherein:
- the infrared images captured after the fluid leak depicts the fluid leak in two dimensions;
- and
- a volume of the fluid leak is estimated by matching a shape to the fluid leak based on an area into which the fluid leak is occurring, wherein:
- responsive to the area into which the fluid leak is occurring being the air, a cone shape is matched to the fluid leak to estimate the volume of the fluid leak;
- responsive to the area into which the fluid leak is occurring being a drainage area or a secondary containment area, a tank shape is matched to the fluid leak to estimate the volume of the fluid leak;
- and
- responsive to the area into which the fluid leak is occurring being the ground, a pool shape is matched to the fluid leak to estimate the volume of the fluid leak.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.