供水设施通常使用声学设备来定位泄漏。虽然声学设备通常被认为适用于金属管道，但它在塑料管道上的应用可能会有问题。这项研究发现，可以使用声学技术定位塑料管道中的泄漏；然而，也有一些困难。使用泄漏噪声相关器的专业泄漏检测团队很少能成功定位泄漏，因为相关器自动（或操作员手动）选择的频率范围通常过高。塑料管道泄漏信号的频率含量大多低于50 Hz。监听设备除非在非常接近泄漏的地方使用，否则是无效的。 通过修改相关器的自动模式算法，使用可微调的噪声滤波器，以及使用水听器或高灵敏度振动传感器测量泄漏信号，可以使声泄漏检测方法更加有效。雷达、热成像和示踪气体等非声学方法似乎很有前景。包括9个参考文献、图表。

Water utilities commonly use acoustic equipment to locate leaks. Although acoustic equipment is generally considered satisfactory for metallic pipes, its application to plastic pipes could be problematic. This study found that leaks in plastic pipes could be located using acoustic techniques; however, there were several difficulties. Professional leak detection teams using leak noise correlators rarely succeeded in locating leaks because the frequency range selected automatically by correlators (or manually by operators) was usually too high. The frequency content of leak signals from plastic pipes was mostly below 50 Hz. Listening devices were ineffective unless they were used very close to leaks. Acoustic leak detection methods can be made more effective by revising the automatic-mode algorithms of correlators, using finely tunable noise filters, and measuring leak signals with hydrophones or highly sensitive vibration sensors. Nonacoustic methods such as radar, thermography, and tracer gases, appear promising. Includes 9 references, figures.