A study on detection water leakage of underground metal and PVC pipes using ground penetrating radar

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a high resolution electromagnetic techniques that is designed primarily to investigate the shallow subsurface of the earth, building material, roads and bridges. GPR was also able to detect water leaks in the underground distribution system. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the validity and effectives of GPR technology in detecting water leakage using two different types of pipes which are metal and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. Experiment was conducted using GPR 800 MHz antenna using 4 inch pipe with diameter of hole is ¼ inch to stimulate the leakage. GPR identify leaks in buried water pipes either by detecting underground voids created by the leaking water as it erodes the material around the pipe or by detecting anomalous change in the properties of the materials around pipes due to the water saturation.