Towards an improvement of GPR-based detection of pipes and leaks in water distribution networks

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a non-destructive tool that can be used to help detecting water leaks in water distribution networks. This study, which was undertaken in the framework of the SENSPORT project (Walloon Region, Belgium), aims at improving GPR-based detection of pipes and leaks in water distribution networks using advanced, integrated radar data processing and visualization strategies. The proposed method includes a physically-based near-field antenna effects removal approach and reflection detection and segmentation algorithms. It also involves a quantitative estimation of the medium properties using full-wave inversion. Finally, a specific human-computer interface allowing the end-user to visualize buried utilities and 2-D/3-D processed data on mobile devices is proposed. We successfully validated the general methodology through a laboratory experiment with near-field measurements performed at different times over a leaky pipe buried in a sandbox. This integrated tool appears to be promising to help detecting and monitoring water leaks. Future research will focus on more complex real cases.