Patent ID: 8342006

Claim:
A method for detecting and/or for quantifying a water leak (F) on a drinking water pipe ( 1 ), of the type that consists in measuring the flow rate of the water flowing through the pipe ( 1 ) at least at two distinct points, one downstream of the presumed leak point F, and the other upstream of the presumed leak point F, comprising: measuring the water flow rate by temporarily injecting, at a point I 1 upstream of the presumed leak point F and at a point I 2 downstream of the presumed leak point F, a tracer that modifies the conductivity of the water; measuring the conductivity of the water continuously downstream of each of the points I 1 and I 2 for a period beginning at the time t 1 of the injection until the time t 2 at which the conductivity of the water returns to the value it had prior to the injection of the tracer; and calculating from these values the flow rates Q 1 and Q 2 of water flowing upstream and downstream of the presumed leak point F in the pipe ( 1 ) thereby detecting and/or quantifying a water leak.