Mechanical pressure clamps are examples of innovative tools commonly used in the oil and gas industry for arresting leaks from damaged oil and gas pipelines. However, if leaks result from pipeline rupture, clamps are ...Mechanical pressure clamps are examples of innovative tools commonly used in the oil and gas industry for arresting leaks from damaged oil and gas pipelines. However, if leaks result from pipeline rupture, clamps are not usually recommended. It is therefore obvious that inspection of the leaking pipeline is very crucial in deciding the strategy for repair. For subsea pipelines where underwater poor visibility is pronounced, this important aspect of the pipeline repair process becomes difficult to implement. The result is a repair-leak-repair cycle. This challenge is commonly found in repairs of old pipelines in unclear water conditions. Old pipelines and their vulnerability to fractures that often lead to ruptures are discussed. In this paper, the challenges and technologies available for visualisation and examination in such unclear water conditions are discussed. There appears to be a gap in the existing pipeline integrity management system with respect to inspection and repair of pipelines in unclear water conditions. This gap needs to be filled in order to minimise spills and pollution. For pipelines installed in unclear water condition, a perspective is suggested to extend the capability of existing remotely operated vehicles to employ the use of clear laminar water system or a related technique to provide integrity engineers and operators with close visual assess to inspect leaking pipelines and effect adequate repairs. This paper suggests that the use of optical eye as the main tool for examination remains valuable in managing the challenges in underwater pipeline repairs in unclear water condition.展开更多
In the field of pipeline inner wall inspection,the snake robot demonstrates significant advantages over other inspection methods.While a simple traveling wave or meandering motion will suffice for inspecting the inner...In the field of pipeline inner wall inspection,the snake robot demonstrates significant advantages over other inspection methods.While a simple traveling wave or meandering motion will suffice for inspecting the inner wall of small-diameter pipes,comprehensively and meticulously inspecting the inner wall of large-diameter pipes requires the snake robot to adopt a helical gait that closely adheres to the inner wall.Our review of existing literature indicates that most research and development on the helical gait of snake robots has focused on the outer surface of cylinders,with very few studies dedicated to developing a helical gait specifically for the inspection of the inner wall of pipes.Therefore,in this study,we propose a helical gait that is suitable for the inner wall of pipes and meets the requirements of gas pipeline engineering.The helical gait is designed using the backbone curve method.First,we create a mathematical model for a circular helix curve with constant curvature and torsion,ensuring it is applicable to a snake robot prototype in a laboratory environment.Subsequently.we calculate the joint angles required for two conical spiral curves with variable curvature and torsion,establish a new model,and define the physical significance of the specific parameters.To ensure the feasibility of the proposed gait,we conduct experiments involving meandering and traveling wave motions to verify the communication and control between the host computer and the snake robot.Building upon this foundation,we further validate the mathematical model of the complex helical motion gait through simulation experiments.Our findings provide a theoretical basis for realizing helical movement with a real snake robot.展开更多
Pipeline plays a vital role in transporting fluids like oils, water, and petrochemical substances for longer distances. Based on the materials they carry</span><span style="white-space:normal;font-size:1...Pipeline plays a vital role in transporting fluids like oils, water, and petrochemical substances for longer distances. Based on the materials they carry</span><span style="white-space:normal;font-size:10pt;font-family:"">,</span><span style="white-space:normal;font-size:10pt;font-family:""> prolonged usage may cause the initiation of defects in the pipeline. These defects occur due to the formed salt deposits, chemical reaction happens between the inner surface and the transferring substance, prevailing environmental conditions, etc. These defects, if not identified earlier may lead to significant losses to the industry. In this work, an in-line inspection system utilizes the nondestructive way for analyzing the internal defects in the petrochemical pipeline. This system consists of a pipeline inspection robot having two major units namely the visual inspection unit and the power carrier unit. The visual inspection unit makes use of a ring-type laser diode and the camera. The laser diode serves as a light source for capturing good quality images of inspection. This unit is controlled by the Arduino in the power carrier unit which provides the necessary movement throughout the pipe. The inspected images captured by the camera are further processed with the aid of NI vision assistant software. After applying the processing function parameters provided by this software, the defect location can be clearly visualized with high precision. Three sets of defects are introduced in a Polylactide (PLA) pipe based on its position and angle along the circumference of the pipe. Further, this robot system serves as a real-time interactive image synchronization system for acquiring the inspected images. By comparing the actual and calculated defect size, the error percentage obtained was less than 5%.展开更多
文摘Mechanical pressure clamps are examples of innovative tools commonly used in the oil and gas industry for arresting leaks from damaged oil and gas pipelines. However, if leaks result from pipeline rupture, clamps are not usually recommended. It is therefore obvious that inspection of the leaking pipeline is very crucial in deciding the strategy for repair. For subsea pipelines where underwater poor visibility is pronounced, this important aspect of the pipeline repair process becomes difficult to implement. The result is a repair-leak-repair cycle. This challenge is commonly found in repairs of old pipelines in unclear water conditions. Old pipelines and their vulnerability to fractures that often lead to ruptures are discussed. In this paper, the challenges and technologies available for visualisation and examination in such unclear water conditions are discussed. There appears to be a gap in the existing pipeline integrity management system with respect to inspection and repair of pipelines in unclear water conditions. This gap needs to be filled in order to minimise spills and pollution. For pipelines installed in unclear water condition, a perspective is suggested to extend the capability of existing remotely operated vehicles to employ the use of clear laminar water system or a related technique to provide integrity engineers and operators with close visual assess to inspect leaking pipelines and effect adequate repairs. This paper suggests that the use of optical eye as the main tool for examination remains valuable in managing the challenges in underwater pipeline repairs in unclear water condition.
基金supported by the BUCEA Post Graduate Innovation Project,China(PG2023096).
文摘In the field of pipeline inner wall inspection,the snake robot demonstrates significant advantages over other inspection methods.While a simple traveling wave or meandering motion will suffice for inspecting the inner wall of small-diameter pipes,comprehensively and meticulously inspecting the inner wall of large-diameter pipes requires the snake robot to adopt a helical gait that closely adheres to the inner wall.Our review of existing literature indicates that most research and development on the helical gait of snake robots has focused on the outer surface of cylinders,with very few studies dedicated to developing a helical gait specifically for the inspection of the inner wall of pipes.Therefore,in this study,we propose a helical gait that is suitable for the inner wall of pipes and meets the requirements of gas pipeline engineering.The helical gait is designed using the backbone curve method.First,we create a mathematical model for a circular helix curve with constant curvature and torsion,ensuring it is applicable to a snake robot prototype in a laboratory environment.Subsequently.we calculate the joint angles required for two conical spiral curves with variable curvature and torsion,establish a new model,and define the physical significance of the specific parameters.To ensure the feasibility of the proposed gait,we conduct experiments involving meandering and traveling wave motions to verify the communication and control between the host computer and the snake robot.Building upon this foundation,we further validate the mathematical model of the complex helical motion gait through simulation experiments.Our findings provide a theoretical basis for realizing helical movement with a real snake robot.
文摘Pipeline plays a vital role in transporting fluids like oils, water, and petrochemical substances for longer distances. Based on the materials they carry</span><span style="white-space:normal;font-size:10pt;font-family:"">,</span><span style="white-space:normal;font-size:10pt;font-family:""> prolonged usage may cause the initiation of defects in the pipeline. These defects occur due to the formed salt deposits, chemical reaction happens between the inner surface and the transferring substance, prevailing environmental conditions, etc. These defects, if not identified earlier may lead to significant losses to the industry. In this work, an in-line inspection system utilizes the nondestructive way for analyzing the internal defects in the petrochemical pipeline. This system consists of a pipeline inspection robot having two major units namely the visual inspection unit and the power carrier unit. The visual inspection unit makes use of a ring-type laser diode and the camera. The laser diode serves as a light source for capturing good quality images of inspection. This unit is controlled by the Arduino in the power carrier unit which provides the necessary movement throughout the pipe. The inspected images captured by the camera are further processed with the aid of NI vision assistant software. After applying the processing function parameters provided by this software, the defect location can be clearly visualized with high precision. Three sets of defects are introduced in a Polylactide (PLA) pipe based on its position and angle along the circumference of the pipe. Further, this robot system serves as a real-time interactive image synchronization system for acquiring the inspected images. By comparing the actual and calculated defect size, the error percentage obtained was less than 5%.
