CHARACTERIZATION OF SENSORS FOR THE DETECTION OF LEAKS IN PIPES

Introduction : Water is an indispensable resource for all forms of life and unlike sometimes is thought, and it is an errous idea, pure and fresh water is a very limited resource. Thus, in these contemporary times, one of the main focuses of the researchers is the conservation of water. Purpose : The main goal of this work is to analyze some possibilities of monitoring water leaks in plumbing, using sensors based on physical phenomena such as induction of a magnetic field, changes in electric field and time delays in ultrasonic signals, among others, to detect these "unwanted leaks". Methods : First, a sensor model YF201C, was tested because it presents a good accuracy. This sensor has a turbine in the direction of the water flow, so when the fluid flows through it, it moves a magnetic material that induces a field in a circuit that turns the rotational motion into a pulsed output. In this work the YF201C was mathematically modeled and its characteristics analyzed. Results : This study showed that the sensor has a linear output that becomes more rectilinear according to the increase of flow. An expression that relates the pulse frequency and the fluid flow is presented and an error rate calculated, which remains around ± 12%. Conclusion : With a minimum detection of 28.7ml/s, it is possible to measure some types of leakage, but this measurement can become more accurate by switching the YF201C sensor to a more accurate one, such those present in the coffeemaker.