Abstract
Pipeline plays a vital role in transporting fluids like oils, water, and petrochemical substances for longer distances. Based on the materials they carry, 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%.
Highlights
This system consists of a pipeline inspection robot having two major units namely the visual inspection unit and the power carrier unit
The laser diode serves as a light source for capturing good quality images of inspection
The first unit namely the visual inspection unit consists of the slots for holding the light source and camera
Summary
These pipelines are easy to construct and it is more economical than any other method of transportation. Several underground chemical pipeline accidents in abroad such as Alabama gasoline disaster in 2016, Kentucky gas explosion in 2019, and local accidents like Kaohsiung gas explosion in 2014, Xizhi’s oil spill in 2015, and Yunlin Formosa gas explosion in 2019 grabbed the researcher’s attention to focus more on the inspection of pipelines Because these accidents are caused majorly by leakage of substances due to the leak holes in the pipeline. These pipelines, if not properly maintained, are a high risk for the people [9] and it will lead to major losses [10] to the industry
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.