An optimisation approach to the location and sizing of multiple leaks in a duct

A single leak in a duct can be located, and its size predicted, by measuring the input impedance of the duct and then solving an inverse problem. However, extending this procedure to a duct containing several leaks is non-trivial, with the resulting mathematical expressions proving to be highly complex. In this paper, an optimisation approach to the location and sizing of multiple leaks in a duct is described. The approach employs a standard theoretical model of a duct that contains several leaks. The initial parameters of the duct model (e.g. duct radius, number of leaks, leak positions and sizes) are chosen arbitrarily. An optimisation function then adjusts the parameters of the model until its input impedance matches the measured impedance of the duct under investigation. Results are presented which demonstrate the success of this optimisation approach in both locating and sizing multiple leaks in a duct.