Design of radio-acoustic sensors for leakage detection in underground water pipes

The interest in the exploitation of wireless sensor networks in dissipative media (other than the free space) is nowadays growing in importance, thanks to the identification of ever newer fields of applications. This paper introduces an efficient design methodology for an easy definition of the characteristics of mobile sensors inserted in pipes filled with fluids. The proposed procedure takes into account all the physical parameters of the systems such as: the performance range of the acoustic transducer, the acoustic and electromagnetic coupling mechanism among different media, and the electromagnetic interaction within the sensor and among the electronic and metallic components. Results obtained for the design of mobile sensor networks floating in underground water conduits confirm the adequacy of the proposed method.