Palmer MicroCALL+ User manual

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Palmer Environmental Ltd
Ty Coch House
Llantarnam Park Way
Cwmbran
NP44 3AW
nited Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Web: www.palmer.co.uk
MicroCALL+ ser Manual
MicroCALL+ ser Manual
MAN-066-0001
Issue A
Date 01/02/08
Written by JP

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Settings Page 17
Listening Mode Page 18
Pipe Parameters Page 19
Pipe Materials Database Page 20
Information Page 21
Filters Page 22
Tec nical Specification Page 24
Contact Page 26
Contents
Flexibility, Efficiency, Simplicity
Contents Page 2
Introduction Page 3
Principle Of Correlation Page 4
Battery Installation And C arging Page 5
Switc ing On T e Basestation Page 6
Outstation Deployment Page 7
Operating T e Basestation Page 8
Correlate Page 9
Correlation Mode Page 10
Correlation Setup Page 11
Calculate Velocity Page 12
Peak Suppression Screen Page 13
Regression Analysis Page 14

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Introduction
T e MicroCALL+ combines t e power, grap ics and ease of use of a PC based leak noise
Correlator into a and eld unit. Featuring a ig visibility LCD display wit advanced
detection features, t e intelligent software includes automatic 3-outstation functionality
for improved pinpointing results and reduced dry oles. Redesigned radio outstations of-
fer more compact packaging and portability.
T e system builds on t e proven reputation of MicroCorr Correlators and includes ad-
vanced features only previously available in Palmer’s DigiCALL PC based unit to maxi-
mise performance, ease of use and rugged compact packaging for daily deployment.
Headp ones can be connected to t e Basestation unit in listening mode to ear t e leak
noise detected by t e Outstations. A database of filter options and presets are also
available wit in t e unit to increase accuracy w en being used in areas wit a ig level
of ambient noise. Digital sensors, radio transmission and intelligent processing ensure
t e ig est level of performance.
T e Basestation unit and Outstations are fully injection-moulded ousings, providing
maximum strengt and durability. T e Basestation unit incorporates an external an-
tenna and a magmount antenna (optional extra) t at may be connected t at can pro-
vide longer correlation distances if t e Basestation is ve icle-based. External antennae
are used wit t e Outstations.
Connectors are to military specification and cables are fitted wit strain relief to protect
against fatigue damage and elp eliminate external noise interference.
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Principle of Correlation
In t e "classic" correlation process, two sensors are deployed on pipe fittings ("dry"
connection) or connected to ydrants ("wet" connection).
T e sensors are positioned eit er side of t e suspected leak position. Noise is created
by t e leak as it escapes from t e pipe under pressure.
T is noise is conducted in bot directions away from t e leak t roug t e pipe wall (as
minute vibrations) and t roug t e water column (as a pressure wave).
T e leak noise travels at a constant velocity (V), w ic depends on t e material and
diameter of t e pipe, and arrives first at t e sensor nearer t e leak.
T e arrival time at eac sensor is registered. T e difference (Td) between t e two ar-
rival times, combined wit knowledge of t e sound velocity w ic is provided by t e
pipe type and lengt , allows t e leak position to be calculated by t e correlator.
Depending on t e environmental conditions, accuracy of leak pinpointing can be wit in
centimetres.
Principle of correlation can be defined by: L = ½ (D-(VxTd)) and is s own grap ically
below:
Flexibility, Efficiency, Simplicity

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Battery Installation and Charging
T e battery packs for t e Basestation and Outstations are supplied as separate items
and will need to be installed and fully c arged before use. Two battery c argers are
supplied t at are capable of c arging all components of t e system.
To c arge t e batteries t ey must be installed in t e unit.
Unscrew t e quick release screws on t e underside of t e Basestation and Outsta-
tions, remove t e battery covers, connect t e battery to t e internal connector and fit
t e battery, ensuring t e battery leads are fitted neatly inside t e battery compart-
ment.
Refit t e cover and tig ten t e screws. Attac t e battery c arge lead to t e ead-
p one/c arge connector on t e top of t e Basestation and Outstations. T e units will
turn t emselves on to c arge.
All Outstations may be c arged simultaneously using t e supplied C argers. Only bat-
teries wit t e correct specification and type must be used. T ese are available from
Palmer Environmental s ould replacements be required.
All batteries are identical and are interc angeable. C arging for all batteries takes up
to 6 ours from flat, alt oug an overnig t c arge is recommended for maximum per-
formance.
Batteries s ould be removed from t e units during extensive periods of storage.
Flexibility, Efficiency, Simplicity
BATTERY WARNING
All batteries supplied are rec argeable lit ium ion. Do not s ort-circuit t ese bat-
teries. Any misuse may result in explosion or fire. T ey must not be used in any
ot er application or used wit any ot er equipment. Only batteries/battery-packs
supplied by Palmer Environmental must be used.
T e sealed battery packs contain circuitry to prevent overc arging and over-
disc arging.
NOTE: If t e system is going to be stored for any lengt of time, to ensure long
life of batteries it is recommended t at t ey are c arged to approx. 1/4 of capac-
ity.

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Switching on the Basestation
Switc t e Basestation on by pressing t e On/Off key momentarily. A number of sys-
tem tests and calibrations are carried out on power up to ensure t e unit is fully func-
tional.
After a few seconds t e main screen will appear on t e display as s own below:
From t e main screen select t e required menu/function by pressing t e assigned key.
Press key 1 to enter t e Correlate screen
Press key 2 to select Correlation Mode - two- or t ree-station correlation
Press key 3 to enter t e Correlation Setup screen
Press key 4 to enter t e Regression Analysis screen
Press key 5 to enter t e Settings menu
Press key 6 to view Information menu.
Detailed information on eac option is described on t e following pages.
To turn t e Basestation off, press and old t e On/Off key for 5 seconds until t e
backlig t goes out.
Flexibility, Efficiency, Simplicity

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Outstation Deployment
Once t e batteries ave been installed and c arged in t e Basestation and t e Outsta-
tions, connect t e antennas, sensor cables and sensors to eac Outstation.
Switc on eac Outstation by pressing t e On/Off button. T e LED will flas Orange
t en Green (or Yellow/Red depending on battery status) to indicate t e unit is ready
for use.
To turn t e Outstations off, press and old t e On/Off button momentarily. T e LED
will lig t Red t en go off. W en t e LED as gone off, t e button can be released.
To c eck t e sensors are working correctly, connect t e eadp ones to t e Outstation
and listen w ile running your finger over t e sensor magnet. A clear crisp noise s ould
be eard.
Deploy eac sensor on a water pipe fitting eit er side of t e suspected leak position.
T e sensor as a strong magnet t at will enable it to remain in position on steel/iron
fittings.
Always ensure t e contact point is free from dirt so t at t e magnet makes a good
contact. We recommend t e use of a wire brus to clean t e pipe/valve/ ydrant fitting
prior to attac ing t e sensor.
Outstation LED Functions:
T e Outstation incorporates an LED, w ic provides t e following information:
During charge:
T e LED flas es red at t e start of c arging. W en t e c arging current starts to
fall, t e LED indication c anges to a yellow flas . W en c arging is complete, t e
LED will flas green.
During deployment:
W en t e unit is on and performing normally, t e LED flas es Green briefly once
a second. To indicate battery status t e LED will c ange from Green to Yellow
and Red. Wit t e LED flas ing Yellow, t e battery is OK. A Red flas ing LED in-
dicates t e battery requires immediate c arging.
If t e Outstation is off and t e system is not on c arge, t e LED is off.
Flexibility, Efficiency, Simplicity

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Operating the Basestation
T e Basestation as an alp a-numeric keypad, similar to t at of a mobile p one. Keys
include a full stop, cancel, enter and up/down arrows. Navigation t roug t e menus
uses combinations of t ese keys. Most functions can be selected by t e number dis-
played on screen.
Moving around t e system is done via t e numeric keys. Eac page, function and
menu as a corresponding key to select t at page, function or menu. T e relevant key
to select is displayed on t e screen.
• T e up/down arrows select items wit in a list and move t e cursor on t e grap .
• Numbers 0—9 are used to select t e required menu or function.
• Enter accepts any c anges or saves current settings
• Cancel disregards any c anges and moves to previous page or menu.
Text Mode:
Entering text is similar to enter text on a mobile p one. Pressing key 2 several times
toggles between 2, A, B and C. Key 3 toggles t roug 3, D, E and F and so fort . Key
0 enters a space and . enters a full stop. T e arrow keys enter a < or > respectively.
Key 1 only enters t e number 1, t ere is no text function.
Function Keys:
Flexibility, Efficiency, Simplicity
On / Off Key Arrow Keys Enter Key

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Correlate
Selecting Correlate (key 1) from t e main screen opens t e correlation screen. Wit
t e Outstations deployed and turned on, press t e Enter key to start t e correlation.
Correlation can be stopped at any time by pressing t e Enter key a second time.
Press Enter key for Correlation Set-up
Press Enter again to start Correlation
Press Enter a t ird time to stop Correlation.
Flexibility, Efficiency, Simplicity

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Correlation Setup
T e Stations to be used for Correlation are selectable.
Flexibility, Efficiency, Simplicity

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Correlation Mode
Either 2 station or 3 station.
2 Station is standard mode at power-up w en using it t e Correlator estimates t e
velocity of sounds in t e pipe work from user selected pipe material and diameter.
T is mode is also used in stations t at contain more t an one pipe material, results
from t is mode can be combined in a linear regression calculation to improve on t e
accuracy of t e velocity calculation.
A more accurate velocity ensures more accurate reporting of t e leak position.
3 Station requires red, blue and yellow (optional) outstations, t is can be used in
situations w ere t e pipe material is t e same t roug out t e run. T e velocity is
automatically determined w en using t is mode.
To set up t e software for t ree-station correlation (Tri-Correlation), eac of t e Out-
stations must be positioned relative to eac ot er as s own below.
T e sensors must always be placed in t e same order on t e pipe being surveyed.
i.e. left-to-rig t - red, t en blue, t en yellow, as s own below.
Flexibility, Efficiency, Simplicity

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Calculate Velocity
A velocity c eck gives a more accurate velocity of t e pipe to be correlated instead of
using t e default velocity value. In some circumstances t e default velocity may be
slig tly off due to adverse conditions, t erefore it may be required t at a manual veloc-
ity c eck be performed to ensure a correct correlation.
To calculate t e velocity a leak must be present, eit er real or induced. T e leak can
eit er be between t e sensors called an “In Bracket” c eck, see below:
In Bracket – Leak is between Sensor
Or outside of t e sensors called an “Out of Bracket” c eck, s own below.
Out of Bracket – Leak is outside of Sensors
Unlike correlation, w ere t e more central t e leak is positioned between t e sensors,
t e more accurate t e result, a velocity c eck requires t e leak to be positioned closer
to one of t e sensors to create a larger time delay.
T e procedure for a velocity c eck is to position your sensors as described above. In-
duce your leak or use t e real leak. Correlate as normal entering t e correct pipe data.
After a good correlation peak, stop correlating and select “Velocity Calculation” from t e
“Settings” menu.
It is wort noting t at a velocity calculation is not required for 3 station correlation.
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Press 6(Peak Suppression) To suppress a section of t e time delay range from t e
current correlation. T is may be used to remove known leaks or demand usage t at may
be iding unknown leaks.
Move t e das ed cursor line to t e start point of t e data to be removed and press 1 to
select a start point. A small arrow will appear below t e correlation grap . Move t e
das ed cursor line along t e data to select t e stop point. Press 1 again and t e section
of t e data to be suppressed will disappear from t e correlation grap as s own below.
Press Enter to accept t e data and a new correlation can be carried out wit out t e sup-
pressed data. To replace t e removed data press 2 delete.
Peak Suppression Screen

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Regression Analysis
Regression Analysis provides an additional way of pinpointing leak positions by using a
set of correlation results, rat er t an an individual correlation result. T is also pro-
vides a way of measuring an accurate velocity.
W ere t e same pipe material and diameter are used wit in t e network, t e time de-
lay / distance relations ip of t e correlation is t eoretically linear. As t e distance be-
tween a sensor and t e leak noise increases, t e time taken for t e sound to reac t e
sensor increases proportionally wit t e distance. For example, if you move t e sensor
twice as far away, t e sound will take twice as long to reac it. It is t is linear rela-
tions ip t at makes it possible to determine t e sound speed and t erefore t e leak
point automatically w en using a set of correlation results.
Before t e regression analysis feature can be used, correlations must ave been saved
on t e control unit. For an accurate result it is recommended to save t ree or more
correlations, but obeying t e following rule :-
One of t e sensors must remain static during t e collection of data. W ic of t e sen-
sors does not matter.
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After at least two correlation results ave been saved, from t e main screen, press 4
(Regression Analysis). Press 1 to add t e first result. At t is point t e file screen will
appear. Select one of t e saved correlations.
T e control unit will t en ask for t e “Static Outstation” colour. (T is is t e outstation
t at was not moved during t e correlations.) T e control unit will store t e material
and diameter of t e first correlation result and compare wit t e next result(s) to be
added, t is ensures t ese details remain constant.
A regression analysis grap will appear s owing time delay and distance. A cross will
appear on t e grap s owing t e lengt of pipework between t e sensors and t e
measured time delay.
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Furt er linear regression options are as follows:
Pressing 2 allows you to remove a suspicious correlation—one t at does not appear to
be accurate in comparison to t e ot er data points. T ose t at are accurate s ould lie
close to t e plotted straig t line. Use Up/Down to select t e inaccurate result, t en
press 2 to remove it.
Pressing 3 (File info) s ows any information t at pertains to t e currently-selected re-
sult.
Pressing 4 (New) clears t e results and allows you to start a new linear regression cal-
culation.
Press 1 to add t e second correlation result. A second cross will appear and a line will
pass t roug bot . T e distance from t e static sensor to t e leak and t e calculated
velocity will be s own. We ig ly recommend t e user add a t ird result for a more con-
fident result.
If you ave taken a t ird correlation result, press 1 again to add it. A t ird cross will ap-
pear and a best fit line will pass t roug or near t e t ree crosses. T e distance from
t e static sensor to t e leak and t e calculated velocity will be improved.
Note t at it is possible to add furt er correlation results taken at different distances
from t e leak, w ic will furt er refine t e results.
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Settings
Options 1,2 and 3 allow t e setting of lengt units bot Metric and Imperial and t e
time units selectable are seconds or milliseconds, radio power can be low or ig .
Hig —gives greater range but s ortens battery life.
Option 4, t is allows access to t e pipe material database w ere you can define your
own materials also velocities for specific diameters.
Option 5, system setting sub-menu:
Press key 1 to set-up time intervals after w ic t e specified period of inactivity
switc es t e backlig t off.
Press key 2 to adjust of backlig t level and brig tness.
Press key 3 to enter /adjust Time and Date setting.
Press key 4 to control beacons on suitably equipped outstations.
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Settings
Listening Mode
W en listening to an Outsatation t e transmission will occur in fifteen second blocks.
T is is due to t e system using a single radio frequency, it t en allows listening mode to
finis according to t e user’s wis es. See below for screens ot.

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Settings
Pipe Parameters
T is enables a user to define a pipe containing up to 10 segments.
T is screen allows a pipe containing up to ten segments to be defined.
To add a new pipe segment, click t e “Add” button and t e “Enter Pipe Segment”
box will be displayed. Enter t e segment’s details and press “OK”.
To edit an existing pipe segment, select t e segment in t e table and press t e
“Edit” button. “T e Enter Pipe Segment” box will be displayed allowing t e user to
c ange t e segment’s settings.
C ange t e segment’s settings and press “OK”.
To remove a segment, select t e segment to remove from t e table and press t e
“Remove” button. T e segment will be removed from t e table.
To c ange t e order of t e pipe segments select t e segment and click on t e up/
down arrows accordingly.

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Settings
Pipe Materials Database
Enables t e user to manually define up to 20 pipe materials for use on t e current cor-
relation.