Abstract
This paper aims to present the design and prototype of an inspection robot that can perform both horizontal and vertical locomotion in ferromagnetic pipelines. The proposed robot applies to a range from 5-inch (127 mm) diameter pipes to flat plates. The train-like robot is mainly composed of three sealed modules with omnidirectional driving wheels for longitudinal and transverse movements. Permanent magnets were designed to provide sufficient magnetic adhesion between the robot and the ferromagnetic surface of the pipes. The internal condition of the pipe can be monitored visually through cameras and sensors. Specific experimental conditions have been carried out to validate the robot’s capabilities, including maximum speed, payload capacity, and vertical climbing distance. The experimental results also show that the robot is capable of passing through a straight pipe and elbow fitting in both upward and downward directions.
Highlights
Received: 28 November 2021Ferromagnetic pipelines are the primary means of transporting gas, oil, and other liquids, especially in the industrial sector
We present the design and implementation of an in-pipe inspection robot that is applicable to a wide range of ferromagnetic pipe sizes from 5-inch (127 mm) diameter pipes to flat plates
A train-like inspection robot was proposed for the visual inspection of the inside ferromagnetic pipes with a diameter of 5proposed inches
Summary
Ferromagnetic pipelines are the primary means of transporting gas, oil, and other liquids, especially in the industrial sector. Pipeline maintenance and inspection are necessary to ensure proper functioning conditions. The manual assessment of the internal conditions of small diameter pipes by workers and/or in hazardous conditions is unfeasible. To prevent the exposure of operators to these conditions, in-pipe inspection robots could potentially replace the human-conducted tasks. In-pipe inspection robots are categorized into five common systems based on robotic locomotion. Wheeled robots [1–4] have simple structural designs
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