Radix-2 Design Ltd – Development of “Enhanced Pipeline Inspection system”

在海上石油和天然气生产行业中，存在许多管道堵塞和停产的情况。管道钻机检测设备的使用促使回收仪器的进一步使用。该公司之前在NWDA的支持下开发了一种混合光学/声波成像设备，该设备领导了一个由高清摄像头和高分辨率声纳组成的管道检测系统。随着许多管道老化，O&G行业对管道检测的需求不断增长。环境和行业要求定期维护这些管道，因为如果管道完整性在任何点被破坏，都可能导致管道内的泄漏或其他污染，从而导致污染和其他环境破坏。使用具有视频和声纳管道检查功能的现有设备是有用的，但受到限制，需要开发传感器包的附加功能，使其更有用并提供更多有关其位置的信息。首要任务是安装里程表，用于测量爬行器沿管道向下移动的距离。建议开发一种设备，它可以指向管壁，并可以获取移动信息，可能类似于计算机鼠标，它通过快速拍摄管道移动表面的快照来知道它在哪里。第二个功能是需要操作员通过开发一个完整的惯性导航系统来了解系统对传感器的定位，从而能够监控管道的形状并提供其准确的位置。该系统还将突出显示任何需要修复的管道不支持的部分

Inthe Offshore Oil and Gas production industry, there are many situations whereby a pipelinebecomes blocked and production is halted. The use of pipe rig inspection equipment invitesfurther use of recovery instrumentation.The Company has previously developed a Hybrid Optical/Acoustic Imaging Device Devicewith the support of the NWDA, which led an inspection system for pipelines, which consistedof an HD camera and high resolution sonars.Demand from the O&G industry for the pipeline inspection is growing as many of thepipelines are getting quite old. There is an environmental and industry requirement to servicethese pipelines on a regular basis because if the pipeline integrity is breached at any point itcan result in a spill or other contamination within the pipeline which can lead tocontamination and other environmental damage.The use of existing equipment with video and sonar pipe inspection functions is useful butlimited and there is a demand to develop additional functions to the sensor package to make itmore useful and provide more information on its location.The first priority is to incorporate an Odometer for measuring the distance that the crawler hastravelled down the pipe. It is proposed to develop a device that can be pointed at the pipe walland can pick up movement information, possibly similar to a computer mouse, which knowswhere it is by taking rapid snapshots of the surface it is moving on.The second function is the need of operator to be aware of the system’s orientation of thesensor through the development of a complete inertial navigation system, with ability tomonitor the shape of the pipe and provide an exact location of its position.The system will also highlighted any unsupported sections of pipeline, which need remedied