Patent ID: 7782062

Claim:
A method for establishing and possibly locating leaks in pipelines ( 1 ) for transporting liquid or gaseous media using at least one electrical conductor ( 2 ) running along the longitudinal extension of the pipeline ( 1 ) from a starting point to an end point, comprising the steps of applying a defined test voltage (U m , U L ) in the form of a combined DC/AC voltage between two electrical conductors ( 2 ) or between one electrical conductor ( 2 ) and the pipeline ( 1 ), measuring the resistance and/or impedance behavior between starting and end points of the two conductors ( 2 ) or the conductor ( 2 ) and the pipeline ( 1 ) at multiple DC voltage values and/or multiple AC voltage amplitudes or frequencies and with an intact pipeline ( 1 ), measuring the resistance and/or impedance behavior at the same test voltages (U m , U L ) at later times, and comparing them to the resistance and/or impedance behavior known for the intact pipeline ( 1 ), and detecting the presence of a leak from the deviations of the resistance and/or impedance behavior ascertained at later times from that for the intact pipeline ( 1 ).