Leak detection and isolation in water distribution networks using principal component analysis and structured residuals

Leaks are present to some extent in all water-distribution systems. This paper proposes a leakage localization method based on pressure measurements and the application of principal component analysis to the fault diagnosis in water distribution systems. First, some theoretical basics are introduced, from model building and modeling the fault effects to monitoring. Then a simple hydraulic case study is presented to illustrate the proposed methodology, its particularities and the detection results.