STTR Phase I: Self-powered wireless leak detection sensor for pipeline monitoring

This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project will support the development of the hydraulic pressure harvesting mechanism combined with four-channel acoustic emission (AE) based leak and damage detection hardware along with power management electronics to enable self-powered wireless health monitoring in pipeline systems. By combining our theoretical simulation and experimental testing, hydraulic pressure energy harvester systems will be designed and optimized for characteristics of typical oil pipeline systems. Wireless AE-based leak detection and energy harvester systems will be integrated with impedance matching and optimal power management to achieve the maximum efficiency. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project includes significant cost saving for both the civil engineering and aviation industries by providing a cost-effective solution for damage detection and evaluation. Through our commercialization efforts, advances in the wireless sensing technology will permit researchers to utilize our technology to better understand degradation mechanism leading to material failure in large and complex structures. The low-cost, high sensitivity sensor technology will improve public safety as a result of cost-effective structural and material condition evaluation and diagnostics.