Patent ID: 7881890

Claim:
A method of prioritizing anomalies in a linear conductor buried under a ground surface, comprising the steps of: obtaining prioritization values for a plurality of anomalies along a linear conductor, wherein, for each anomaly, a prioritization value is obtained using a method comprising the steps of: locating an anomaly; determining a current along the linear conductor at the anomaly, a depth of cover of the linear conductor, and a voltage gradient, the voltage gradient being determined using a first voltage probe at a first position and a second voltage probe at a second position, the first and second voltage probes taking a voltage reading and being separated by a probe spacing; using the depth of cover and the voltage gradient, calculating an effective probe spacing of the first and second voltage probes relative to the anomaly on the conductor; and determining the prioritization value of the anomaly based on a linear relationship between the voltage gradient and the product of the current and the effective probe spacing; and ranking the prioritization values according to magnitude.