Real-Time Pipeline Leak Detection: A Hybrid Deep Learning Approach Using Acoustic Emission Signals

This study introduces an advanced deep-learning framework for the real-time detection of pipeline leaks in smart city infrastructure. The methodology transforms acoustic emission (AE) signals from the time domain into scalogram images using continuous wavelet transform (CWT) to enhance leak-related features. A Gaussian filter minimizes background noise and clarifies these features further. The core of the framework combines convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with long short-term memory (LSTM), ensuring a comprehensive examination of both spatial and temporal features of AE signals. A genetic algorithm (GA) optimizes the neural network by isolating the most important features for leak detection. The final classification stage uses a fully connected neural network to categorize pipeline health conditions as either ‘leak’ or ‘non-leak’. Experimental validation on real-world pipeline data demonstrated the framework’s efficacy, achieving accuracy rates of 99.69%. This approach significantly advances smart city capabilities in pipeline monitoring and maintenance, offering a durable and scalable solution for proactive infrastructure management.