Leakage position estimation device and leakage position estimation method

Abstract

To provide a leakage position estimation device and a leakage position estimation method capable of estimating a leakage position of fluid in a conduit network.SOLUTION: A leakage position estimation device (10) includes: a pressure information acquisition unit (16) which acquires, for each of a plurality of customers, pressure information indicating the supply pressure of fluid to the plurality of customers who receive supply of the fluid from a conduit network; a pressure change information acquisition unit (17) which acquires pressure change information relating to changes in a plurality of pieces of pressure information acquired by the pressure information acquisition unit; and an estimation unit (18) which estimates a leakage position of the fluid in the conduit network based on the pressure change information acquired by the pressure change information acquisition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a leak location estimation device and a leak location estimation method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a water leak location estimation system has been disclosed that detects water leaks in water supply pipes based on vibration signals detected by a sensor installed in the water supply pipes buried underground (see Patent Document 1). This water leak location estimation system estimates the location of the water leak based on the strength of the vibration signal from the sensor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-183936 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, smart meters equipped with a communication function are known that can measure the gas usage of a consumer, measure the gas supply pressure to the consumer, and transmit information indicating the supply pressure to the outside. By using such a smart meter, if a gas leak occurs in a pipeline near a specific consumer, it is possible to detect a change in the supply pressure to the specific consumer based on information from the smart meter of the specific consumer.

[0005] However, the supply pressure to consumers changes from moment to moment depending on the consumption activities of consumers even when there is no leakage in the pipeline network, and the supply pressure differs for each consumer depending on the consumption amount by the consumer, the shape of the pipeline network, the distance from the governor that is the supply source, etc. Therefore, even if it is possible to know the supply pressure to consumers, there is a problem in that it is difficult to improve the accuracy of estimating the leak position in the pipeline network.

[0006] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a leak location estimation device and a leak location estimation method that can improve the accuracy of estimating the location of a fluid leak in a pipeline network compared to conventional methods. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The leak location estimation device of the present disclosure is characterized by comprising a pressure information acquisition unit that acquires pressure information indicating the supply pressure of fluid to multiple consumers receiving fluid from a pipeline network, for each of multiple consumers, a pressure change information acquisition unit that acquires pressure change information regarding changes in the multiple pressure information acquired by the pressure information acquisition unit, and an estimation unit that estimates the leak location of the fluid in the pipeline network based on the pressure change information acquired by the pressure change information acquisition unit. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the accuracy of estimating the location of a fluid leakage in a conduit compared to the conventional art. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a pressure monitoring system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the pressure monitoring device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the pressure monitoring device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the pressure monitoring device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which pressure information has been acquired from a gas meter corresponding to alarm information in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment; FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a pressure information transmission command has been output to a selected gas meter in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7]5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which it is determined that there is no possibility of leakage as a result of acquiring pressure information from a specific gas meter in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which it is determined that there is no possibility of leakage as a result of acquiring pressure information from a selected gas meter in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which it is determined that there is a possibility of leakage as a result of acquiring pressure information from a selected gas meter in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment; FIG. [Figure 10] 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which, as a result of acquiring pressure information from a selected gas meter in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment, it is determined that there is a possibility that the leakage position is outside the information acquisition range. FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the information acquisition range is expanded in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment; FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which it is determined that there is a possibility of leakage as a result of acquiring pressure information from gas meters in an expanded information acquisition range in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment includes a pressure monitoring device 10 and a plurality of gas meters 20 each of a plurality of consumers who receive gas supply through a pipeline network monitored by the pressure monitoring device 10. The pressure monitoring device 10 and the plurality of gas meters 20 are electrically connected to each other so that information can be communicated. For example, the pressure monitoring device 10 and the plurality of gas meters 20 are connected to each other through an information and communication network via wireless communication. In the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment, all consumers in the pipeline network monitored by the pressure monitoring device 10 may have the gas meter 20, or only some of the consumers may have the gas meter 20.

[0011] Each of the gas meters 20 has a sensor for detecting the gas consumption of the corresponding consumer and a sensor for detecting the gas supply pressure, and is a so-called smart meter that acquires information indicating the gas consumption of the corresponding consumer and information indicating the gas supply pressure to the corresponding consumer, and transmits the acquired information to the pressure monitoring device 10 based on a predetermined trigger. For example, upon receiving a command from the pressure monitoring device 10, the gas meter 20 transmits information corresponding to the command to the pressure monitoring device 10. Specifically, upon receiving a command from the pressure monitoring device 10, the gas meter 20 transmits pressure information indicating the gas supply pressure to the corresponding consumer to the pressure monitoring device 10.

[0012] Furthermore, for example, when the gas meter 20 acquires information indicating that the gas supply pressure has exceeded a preset range based on information acquired by a sensor, the gas meter 20 transmits notification information notifying that the gas supply pressure has exceeded a preset range to the pressure monitoring device 10. Furthermore, for example, when the gas meter 20 acquires information indicating that the gas supply pressure has exceeded a preset range based on information acquired by a sensor, the gas meter 20 transmits pressure information indicating the gas supply pressure for the corresponding consumer to the pressure monitoring device 10.

[0013] The pressure monitoring device 10 estimates the presence or absence of a leak in the gas pipeline network by communicating information with a plurality of gas meters 20. Furthermore, when it is estimated that there is a leak in the gas pipeline network, the pressure monitoring device 10 as a leak position estimation device estimates the leak position in the gas pipeline network by communicating information with a plurality of gas meters 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the pressure monitoring device 10 includes a threshold setting unit 11, a notification information acquisition unit 12, a meter information acquisition unit 13, an acquisition target selection unit 14, a command output unit 15, a pressure information acquisition unit 16, a pressure change information acquisition unit 17, an estimation unit 18, and a storage unit 19 that stores information used when the pressure monitoring device 10 performs various processes and information related to the results of these various processes.

[0014] The threshold setting unit 11 sets thresholds used for judgment when the pressure monitoring device 10 performs various processes. For example, the threshold setting unit 11 sets thresholds indicating upper and lower limit values ​​of a standard range of supply pressure for a plurality of gas meters 20. The threshold setting unit 11 may be configured to set different threshold values ​​for each of the plurality of gas meters 20, or may be configured to set the same threshold value for all of the gas meters 20. The threshold setting unit 11 may also be configured to set thresholds indicating a plurality of upper limit values ​​and a plurality of lower limit values. For example, the set thresholds are stored in a storage unit (not shown) of each gas meter 20.

[0015] The notification information acquisition unit 12 acquires, from the multiple gas meters 20, notification information notifying that the supply pressure to the corresponding consumer has exceeded a threshold value preset by the threshold setting unit 11. In other words, the notification information acquisition unit 12 acquires, from the multiple gas meters 20, notification information notifying that the supply pressure to the corresponding consumer has exceeded a range of supply pressure preset by the threshold setting unit 11.

[0016] The meter information acquisition unit 13 acquires meter information related to a plurality of gas meters 20. For example, the meter information includes information such as location information related to the location where each gas meter 20 is located, threshold information related to the threshold set in each gas meter 20, and pressure change information indicating a change in supply pressure to a consumer corresponding to each gas meter 20. For example, the information related to the location where each gas meter 20 is located includes information indicating the latitude and longitude of the location where each gas meter 20 is located, information indicating the altitude of the location where each gas meter 20 is located, information indicating the address of the location where each gas meter 20 is located, and information indicating the location on the pipeline network where each gas meter 20 is located. For example, the pressure change information includes information indicating the time when the supply pressure to the consumer corresponding to each gas meter 20 exceeded the threshold and the time when the supply pressure fell within the threshold, and information indicating the number of times the supply pressure to the consumer corresponding to each gas meter 20 exceeded the threshold in a specific period.

[0017] When the pressure monitoring device 10 acquires various pieces of information from the multiple gas meters 20, the acquisition target selection unit 14 selects from the multiple gas meters 20 a gas meter 20 that is to be the target of an information transmission command that triggers the gas meter 20 to transmit information to the pressure monitoring device 10. For example, the acquisition target selection unit 14 selects from the multiple gas meters 20 a gas meter 20 that is to be the target of an information transmission command based on information acquired from the gas meter 20. Details of the selection made by the acquisition target selection unit 14 will be described later.

[0018] Based on the selection result by the acquisition target selection unit 14, the command output unit 15 outputs an information transmission command to one or more selected gas meters 20 to cause them to transmit information to the pressure monitoring device 10. For example, the command output unit 15 outputs a pressure information transmission command to one or more selected gas meters 20 to cause them to transmit pressure information to the pressure monitoring device 10.

[0019] The pressure information acquiring unit 16 acquires information from a plurality of gas meters 20. For example, the pressure information acquiring unit 16 acquires, from the gas meters 20, pressure information indicating the gas supply pressure to the corresponding consumer.

[0020] The pressure change information acquiring unit 17 acquires pressure change information regarding changes in the supply pressure to the consumer corresponding to each gas meter 20. For example, the pressure change information acquiring unit 17 acquires pressure change information indicating the time during which the supply pressure to the consumer corresponding to each gas meter 20 continuously exceeds a threshold value preset by the threshold value setting unit 11, and pressure change information regarding the frequency of exceeding the threshold value. The pressure change information acquiring unit 17 may be configured to acquire the pressure change information from the gas meter 20, or may be configured to acquire the pressure change information from the storage unit 19 that accumulates the pressure information acquired from the gas meter 20.

[0021] The estimation unit 18 estimates the presence or absence of a leak in the pipeline network based on the pressure information acquired by the pressure information acquisition unit 16, and estimates the leak position when it is estimated that a leak has occurred. For example, the estimation unit 18 estimates the gas leak position in the pipeline network based on the difference between the multiple pieces of pressure information acquired by the pressure information acquisition unit 16 and the pressure change information acquired by the pressure change information acquisition unit 17. Details of the estimation by the estimation unit 18 will be described later.

[0022] Next, the hardware configuration of the pressure monitoring device 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the pressure monitoring device 10 according to the first embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the pressure monitoring device 10 according to the first embodiment, which is different from that shown in Fig. 2. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the pressure monitoring device 10 has a processor 10a, a memory 10b, and an I / O port 10c, and is configured so that the processor 10a reads and executes a program stored in the memory 10b. The memory 10b may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, an EPROM, or an EEPROM. The memory 10b may also be a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, a DVD, or the like. The memory 10b may also be an HDD or an SSD.

[0023] 3, the pressure monitoring device 10 has a processing circuit 10d, which is dedicated hardware, and an I / O port 10c. The processing circuit 10d is configured, for example, by a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, a system LSI (Large-Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these. Each function of the pressure monitoring device 10 is realized by the processor 10a or the processing circuit 10d, which is dedicated hardware, executing a program, which is software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware.

[0024] The pressure monitoring device 10 may be configured by a device such as a single computer, or may be configured by cloud computing realized by collaboration between a plurality of computers.

[0025] Next, an example of the process performed by the pressure monitoring device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 12. Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing the process related to the water leakage position estimation method performed by the pressure monitoring device 10 according to the first embodiment. When the process starts, the pressure monitoring device 10 sets a supply pressure threshold for each gas meter 20 by the threshold setting unit 11 (step ST1). In this process, the threshold setting unit 11 sets a threshold consisting of an upper limit value and a lower limit value indicating a standard range of the supply pressure for each gas meter 20 for each gas meter 20. Note that the process shown in Fig. 4 will be described assuming that a uniform value is set as the supply pressure threshold for each gas meter 20.

[0026] After performing the process of step ST1, the pressure monitoring device 10 determines whether or not it has acquired notification information from any of the gas meters 20 among the multiple gas meters 20 (step ST2). In the process of step ST2, if it has not acquired notification information from any of the gas meters 20 (NO in step ST2), the pressure monitoring device 10 waits until it acquires notification information. In the process of step ST2, if it has acquired notification information from any of the gas meters 20 (YES in step ST2), it outputs a pressure information transmission command to the gas meter 20 corresponding to the acquired notification information to transmit pressure information to the pressure monitoring device 10 (step ST3), acquires pressure information from the gas meter 20 (step ST4), and acquires location information from the gas meter 20 (step ST5).

[0027] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which pressure information is acquired from a gas meter corresponding to notification information in the pressure monitoring system according to embodiment 1. In detail, Fig. 5 shows a state in which gas meters S1, S2, ... S26 are provided as a plurality of gas meters 20 in a pipeline network R1, and the pressure monitoring device 10 has acquired notification information, pressure information indicating that the supply pressure is 1.4 kPa below the threshold value range, and location information from gas meter S23, in which the supply pressure threshold value is set to a lower limit of 1.5 kPa and an upper limit of 2.0 kPa.

[0028] After performing the processes of steps ST3 to ST5, the pressure monitoring device 10 selects another gas meter from which to acquire pressure information based on the position of the gas meter S23 using the acquisition target selection unit 14 (step ST6). In other words, when the pressure monitoring device 10 acquires pressure information indicating that the supply pressure to any one of multiple consumers to which gas is supplied through the pipeline network R1 has exceeded a preset pressure range, the pressure monitoring device 10 selects another consumer from which to acquire pressure information based on the position of that one of the consumers using the acquisition target selection unit 14.

[0029] For example, in this process, the pressure monitoring device 10 selects another gas meter whose path length along the pipeline network R1 from the position of the gas meter S23 is within a preset range. In other words, the pressure monitoring device 10 selects another consumer whose path length along the pipeline network R1 from the position of the consumer whose supply pressure exceeds the threshold is within a preset range. Also, for example, in this process, the pressure monitoring device 10 selects another gas meter whose distance from the position of the gas meter S23 is within a preset range. Also, for example, in this process, the pressure monitoring device 10 selects another gas meter (consumer) located at an address that is at least partially common to the address where the gas meter S23 (consumer) is located. Specifically, in this process, the pressure monitoring device 10 selects another gas meter located at an address that has the same street address as the address where the gas meter S23 is located. After performing the process of step ST6, the pressure monitoring device 10 outputs a pressure information transmission command to one or more selected gas meters (step ST7).

[0030] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a pressure information transmission command is output to a selected gas meter in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment. Fig. 6 shows a state in which the pressure monitoring device 10 has output a pressure information transmission command to gas meters S12, S13, S16, S17, S18, S21, S22, and S24 among a plurality of gas meters S1, S2, ..., S26. When the process of step ST7 is performed, the pressure monitoring device 10 acquires pressure information from each gas meter to which the pressure information transmission command has been output (step ST8). Specifically, the pressure monitoring device 10 acquires pressure information by the pressure information acquisition unit 16 from the gas meters S12, S13, S16, S17, S18, S21, S22, and S24 (the gas meters hatched in Fig. 6) to which the pressure information transmission command has been output.

[0031] The pressure information acquiring unit 16 may be configured to acquire pressure information based on another trigger, separate from the pressure information acquired based on the pressure information transmission command. For example, the pressure information acquiring unit 16 may be configured to acquire pressure information transmitted together with the notification information when the gas meter outputs the notification information, regardless of the pressure information transmission command, or may be configured to acquire pressure information as notification information from the gas meter, or may be configured to acquire pressure information from the gas meter at regular intervals in addition to or instead of the pressure information acquired based on the pressure information transmission command.

[0032] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state where pressure information is acquired from a specific gas meter in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment. In other words, Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state where, in the pressure monitoring system, the pressure monitoring device 10 acquires pressure information from each gas meter to which the pressure information transmission command has been output. For example, the pressure monitoring device 10 may be configured to acquire new pressure information from the gas meter S23 corresponding to the notification information when acquiring pressure information from each gas meter to which the pressure information transmission command has been output. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, as a result of acquiring new pressure information from the gas meter S23, the supply pressure related to the gas meter S23 has changed to 1.8 kPa, which falls within the threshold value.

[0033] After performing the process of step ST8, the pressure monitoring device 10 uses the acquisition target selection unit 14 to determine whether or not the information acquisition range, which is the range of the gas meters from which pressure information is to be acquired, is sufficient (step ST9). For example, the acquisition target selection unit 14 determines whether or not the information acquisition range is sufficient based on the pressure distribution of the gas meters from which pressure information is acquired. Specifically, the acquisition target selection unit 14 determines whether or not the information acquisition range is sufficient based on the presence or absence of a gas meter whose supply pressure (a numerical value indicated by an arrow for the gas meter) for each gas meter is below or above the range set by the threshold, among gas meters S12, S13, S16, S18, S21, S22, S23, and S24, which are gas meters located near the boundary of the information acquisition range.

[0034] For example, as shown in FIG. 7, if there is no gas meter that exceeds the preset supply pressure range of 1.5 kPa to 2.0 kPa among the gas meters located near the boundaries of the information acquisition range, the acquisition target selection unit 14 determines that there is little possibility of a leak occurring outside the boundaries of the information acquisition range in the pipeline network, and that the information acquisition range is sufficient.

[0035] In the process of step ST9, if it is determined that the information acquisition range is sufficient (YES in step ST9), the pressure monitoring device 10 acquires pressure change information from gas meters in the information acquisition range (step ST10). For example, in this process, the pressure monitoring device 10 acquires pressure change information indicating the time during which the supply pressure to the consumer corresponding to each gas meter 20 continuously exceeded a threshold value. Also, for example, in this process, the pressure monitoring device 10 acquires pressure change information indicating the frequency at which the supply pressure to the consumer corresponding to each gas meter 20 exceeded a threshold value.

[0036] After the process of step ST10, the pressure monitoring device 10 judges the presence or absence of gas leakage in the pipeline network R1 based on the pressure information acquired from the gas meters in the information acquisition range in step ST8 and the pressure change information acquired from the gas meters in the information acquisition range in step ST10 (step ST11). For example, as shown in Fig. 8, the pressure monitoring device 10 judges that there is no possibility of gas leakage in the pipeline network R1 based on the fact that the value of each supply pressure indicated by the last acquired pressure information of each gas meter does not exceed a threshold value. Also, for example, the pressure monitoring device 10 judges that there is no possibility of gas leakage in the pipeline network R1 based on the fact that the time during which the value of each supply pressure indicated by the pressure change information of each gas meter continuously exceeds the threshold value does not exceed a preset time.

[0037] Also, for example, the pressure monitoring device 10 determines that there is a possibility of gas leakage in the pipeline network R1 based on the acquisition of pressure change information indicating that each supply pressure value indicated by the last acquired pressure information of each gas meter does not exceed the supply pressure threshold value, but that the supply pressure value has deviated from the threshold value more than a preset number of times in a specific period. Also, for example, the pressure monitoring device 10 determines that there is a possibility of leakage when the current supply pressure is lower than a preset value compared to the past supply pressure (for example, the pressure value at the same time on the previous day, the average pressure value in a specific period in the past, etc.).

[0038] Also, for example, as shown in Fig. 8, when only the supply pressure related to a specific gas meter S23 exceeds the threshold value downward and the supply pressures related to the surrounding gas meters S23 are within the threshold value, it is determined that the cause is likely to be the equipment of the consumer related to the gas meter S23, and there is no possibility of leakage in the pipeline network R1. In this case, since it is desirable to notify the consumer that the supply pressure is decreasing, the estimation unit 18 may be configured to notify an operator to prompt the consumer to notify.

[0039] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which it is determined that there is a possibility of leakage as a result of acquiring pressure information from a selected gas meter in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment. Fig. 9 shows a state in which the gas meter associated with the lowest supply pressure is not located near the boundary of the information acquisition range, and the supply pressure of a gas meter not adjacent to the gas meter associated with the lowest supply pressure is higher than the supply pressure of a gas meter adjacent to the gas meter associated with the lowest supply pressure. In other words, Fig. 9 shows a pressure distribution in which the supply pressure increases with increasing distance from the gas meter with the lowest supply pressure. In such a case, the estimation unit 18 determines that there is a possibility of leakage in the conduit network R1.

[0040] 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which, as a result of acquiring pressure information from a selected gas meter in the pressure monitoring system according to the first embodiment, it is determined that the leak position may be outside the information acquisition range. For example, in the process of step ST9, if the gas meter S24, which is the gas meter with the lowest supply pressure in the information acquisition range, is located near the boundary of the information acquisition range, there is a possibility that the leak position is outside the information acquisition range, so the pressure monitoring device 10 determines that the information acquisition range is insufficient (NO in step ST9), returns the process to step ST6, and the acquisition target selection unit 14 reselects a gas meter from which pressure information is to be acquired (step ST6). For example, in this process, the acquisition target selection unit 14 newly selects a gas meter from which pressure information is to be acquired so as to expand the information acquisition range. In addition, the acquisition target selection unit 14 may be configured to determine that if any of the gas meters located near the boundaries of the information acquisition range has a supply pressure that exceeds the preset range of 1.5 kPa to 2.0 kPa, there is a possibility that a leak is occurring outside the boundaries of the information acquisition range in the pipeline network, and that the information acquisition range is insufficient.

[0041] 11 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the information acquisition range has been expanded in the pressure monitoring system according to embodiment 1. For example, based on the expansion of the information acquisition range, the pressure monitoring device 10 outputs pressure information transmission commands to new gas meters S7, S8, S14, S19, S20, S25, and S26.

[0042] Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which it is determined that there is a possibility of leakage as a result of acquiring pressure information from gas meters in an expanded information acquisition range in the pressure monitoring system according to embodiment 1. In the state shown in Fig. 12, similar to the state shown in Fig. 9, the gas meter with the lowest supply pressure is not located near the boundary of the information acquisition range, and the supply pressure increases with increasing distance from the gas meter with the lowest supply pressure, so that the estimation unit 18 estimates that there is a possibility of leakage in the pipeline network R1 (YES in step ST11).

[0043] If it is determined in the process of step ST11 that there is no possibility of leakage (NO in step ST11), the pressure monitoring device 10 returns the process to step ST2.

[0044] Furthermore, when it is determined in the process of step ST11 that there is a possibility of leakage (YES in step ST11), the pressure monitoring device 10 estimates the leakage position in the pipeline network by the estimation unit 18 (step ST12). For example, as shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 12, if the gas meter with the lowest supply pressure is not located near the boundary of the information acquisition range and the supply pressure increases with distance from the gas meter with the lowest supply pressure, it is estimated that the leakage position is located near the gas meter with the lowest supply pressure.

[0045] After performing the process of step ST12, the pressure monitoring device 10 outputs information indicating the leak position and ends the process. For example, in this process, the pressure monitoring device 10 displays the leak position estimation result on a liquid crystal display device (not shown) to notify the operator of the pressure monitoring device 10 of the possibility of leakage and the leak position estimation result.

[0046] As described above, the pressure monitoring device 10 of embodiment 1 includes a pressure information acquisition unit that acquires pressure information indicating the supply pressure of fluid to multiple consumers receiving fluid supply from a pipeline network, for each of multiple consumers, a pressure change information acquisition unit that acquires pressure change information regarding changes in the multiple pressure information acquired by the pressure information acquisition unit, and an estimation unit that estimates the location of a fluid leak in the pipeline network based on the pressure change information acquired by the pressure change information acquisition unit.

[0047] As a result of being configured in this manner, the pressure monitoring device 10 of embodiment 1 estimates the location of a fluid leak in a pipeline network based on the supply pressure to each consumer and the change in supply pressure, thereby improving the accuracy of estimating the location of a gas leak in a pipeline network compared to, for example, estimating the location of a leak based on the vibration of a pipeline.

[0048] Furthermore, since the pressure monitoring device 10 of embodiment 1 estimates the location of a gas leak based on the difference in supply pressure to multiple consumers, it is possible to improve the accuracy of estimating the location of a gas leak in a pipeline network even if the standard range of supply pressure differs for each consumer.

[0049] In the pressure monitoring device 10 according to the first embodiment, the estimation unit 18 may be configured to estimate the presence or absence of a leak by a procedure other than the above. For example, the estimation unit 18 may be configured to acquire pressure information from a plurality of gas meters in a pipeline network, trace the pipeline network from the point where the supply pressure is the lowest toward a governor located upstream in the gas supply direction, and estimate the vicinity of the gas meter where the current pressure value is the lowest relative to past pressure values ​​(for example, the pressure value at the same time on the previous day, the average pressure value in a specific period in the past, etc.) as the leak position. By performing the estimation in this manner, it becomes possible to estimate the leak position even if the leak position and the position where the supply pressure is the lowest are different. Moreover, such estimation of the leak position can improve the estimation accuracy especially when there is no change in the inner diameter of the pipeline due to the intrusion of water from the leak position or deformation of the pipeline.

[0050] Furthermore, when water is expected to enter the pipeline at the leak position, the effective inner diameter of the pipeline may decrease or the pipeline may become clogged. In such a case, the estimation unit 18 may be configured to acquire pressure information from a plurality of gas meters in the pipeline network, trace the pipeline network from the point with the lowest supply pressure toward a higher altitude, and estimate the vicinity of the gas meter with the lowest current pressure value relative to past pressure values ​​(e.g., the pressure value at the same time on the previous day, the average pressure value in a specific period of time in the past, etc.) as the leak position. By performing the estimation in this manner, it becomes possible to estimate the leak position even if the leak position and the position with the lowest supply pressure are different.

[0051] Also, for example, the estimation unit 18 may be configured to estimate the presence or absence of a leak based on the RuLSIF method (see Non-Patent Document 1) as a method for detecting a characteristic change in time-series data, or a method for estimating the presence or absence of a characteristic change based on the bias of a difference vector indicating a change in time-series data (see Patent Document 1).

[0052] [Non-Patent Document 1] S. Liu, M. Yamada, N. Collier, and M. Sugiyama, Change-point detection in time-series data by relative density-ratio estimation, Neural Networks, 43(2013), pp.72-83. [Patent Document 2] Patent application 2023-046097

[0053] In addition, in the present disclosure, any of the components in the embodiments may be modified, or any of the components in the embodiments may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10: Pressure monitoring device 11: Threshold setting section 12: Notification information acquisition unit 13: Meter information acquisition unit 14: Acquisition target selection section 15: Command output section 16: Pressure information acquisition unit 17: Pressure change information acquisition unit 18:Estimation part 19: Storage section 20: Gas meter R1: Conduit network S1~S26, SN: Gas meter

Claims

1. a pressure information acquisition unit that acquires pressure information indicating a supply pressure of the fluid to each of a plurality of consumers that receives a supply of the fluid from a pipeline network; a pressure change information acquiring unit that acquires pressure change information relating to changes in the plurality of pieces of pressure information acquired by the pressure information acquiring unit; an estimation unit that estimates a leakage position of the fluid in the conduit network based on the pressure change information acquired by the pressure change information acquisition unit. A leak location estimation device comprising:

2. The estimation unit estimates a leakage position of the fluid in the conduit network based on a difference between the multiple pieces of pressure information acquired by the pressure information acquisition unit and the pressure change information acquired by the pressure change information acquisition unit.

2. The leak location estimation device according to claim 1.

3. When the pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information indicating that the supply pressure to any one of the plurality of consumers exceeds a preset pressure range, the pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information indicating the supply pressure to another consumer selected based on a location of the any one of the consumers.

3. The leakage location estimating device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When the pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information indicating that the supply pressure to any one of the plurality of consumers exceeds a preset pressure range, the pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information indicating the supply pressure to other consumers that are within a preset distance range from the location of any one of the consumers.

4. The leakage location estimating device according to claim 3.

5. When the pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information indicating that the supply pressure to any one of the plurality of consumers exceeds a preset pressure range, the pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information indicating the supply pressure to other consumers whose path lengths along the conduit network from the position of any one of the consumers are within a preset range.

4. The leakage location estimating device according to claim 3.

6. When the pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information indicating that the supply pressure to any one of the plurality of consumers exceeds a preset pressure range, the pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information indicating the supply pressure to other consumers located at an address that is at least partially common to an address where any one of the consumers is located.

4. The leakage location estimating device according to claim 3.

7. The estimation unit estimates a leakage position of the fluid in the pipeline network based on a time during which a supply pressure to any one of the plurality of consumers continuously exceeds a preset pressure range.

4. The leakage location estimating device according to claim 3.

8. The estimation unit estimates a leakage position of the fluid in the pipeline network based on a frequency at which a supply pressure to any one of the plurality of consumers exceeds a preset pressure range.

4. The leakage location estimating device according to claim 3.

9. When the pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information indicating that the supply pressure to the other consumer exceeds a preset pressure range, the pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information indicating a supply pressure to yet another consumer.

4. The leakage location estimating device according to claim 3.

10. A water leakage location estimation method performed by a device including a pressure information acquisition unit, a pressure change information acquisition unit, and an estimation unit, The pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information indicating a supply pressure of the fluid to each of a plurality of consumers that receives a supply of the fluid from a pipeline network; a step of acquiring pressure change information regarding changes in the plurality of pieces of pressure information acquired by the pressure information acquisition unit, by the pressure change information acquisition unit; and a step of estimating a leakage position of the fluid in the conduit network based on the pressure change information acquired by the pressure change information acquisition unit, by the estimation unit. A method for estimating a leak location comprising the steps of:

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