Fluid-leak detector cable
AssigneeAsahi Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd.
InventorShoken Mizuochi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cable for detecting, in a stable and waterproof way, any leak of petroleum, petroleum product, or other fluid from an underground pipeline by means of a change in the electrostatic capacity between inner and outer conductors of the cable due to permeation by the leaking fluid. The cable offers constant, uninterrupted monitoring of such a pipeline with no limit to the watching range, and can accurately locate even a minor leak. The invention also involves a method of installing a detection system using such a detector cable, and a detection method which depends on electric pulses as means for detecting such a leak.
Claims12
A fluid-leak detector cable which comprises an inner conductor, an outer conductor, and a serving layer for retaining a leaked fluid disposed therebetween, said layers being coaxially disposed with respect to each other, said outer conductor being provided with an exterior layer of a porous, permeable, plastic film which is permeable to hydrocarbons but not permeable to water, said film having an open-cell structure which is not soluble in the leaking fluid, thereby being adapted to retain the leaking fluid within the serving layer.
A fluid-leak detector cable which comprises two conductors disposed substantially parallel to each other, each of said conductors being individually provided with a serving layer disposed therearound and each of said conductors and their corresponding serving layers being provided with a common covering layer, said serving layers and said covering layer being made of a porous, permeable plastic film which is permeable to hydrocarbons but not permeable to water, said film having an open-cell structure which is not soluble in the leaking fluid.
A method for detecting a hydrocarbon leak from an underground pipeline which comprises laying a fluid-leak detector cable in close proximity to and substantially parallel to the underground pipeline so that any leaking hydrocarbon fluid may permeate the fluid-leak detector cable, said fluid-leak detector cable comprising an inner conductor and an outer conductor, and a serving layer for retaining the leaked fluid disposed therebetween, said layers being coaxially disposed with respect to each other, said outer conductor being provided with an exterior layer of a porous, permeable, plastic film which is permeable to hydrocarbons, but not permeable to water, said film having an open-cell structure which is not soluble in the leaking fluid, thereby being adapted to retain the leaking fluid within the serving layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.