RFEC PIG Designed for Long Distance Inspection

Abstract

This paper presents an innovative approach for the design and development of Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG) which can inspect pipes from 15" up to 30" with a simple change of shirts using the latest technologies such as Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) sensors as well as Remote Field Eddy Current (RFEC) sensors for oil pipes inspection, through the creation of a simulation tool capable of generating simulated images from pipeline using Inertial Navigation System (INS) for highest accuracy and precision inspection to protect the environment and equipment from any unexpected accident. There are several dynamo motors utilized to regenerate green efficient power from the flow of the medium inside the pipeline to elongate the distance of investigation by the mean of reduction of the number of individual pigging processes to save time and cost for companies. The INS uses accelerometers and gyroscopes of the type "Integrated Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems" (iMEMS), to carry out the mapping corresponding to the inspected pipes. Fluid hammer effect is another factor which has been considered during designing this pig. To avoid such case to occur the design has been revised and several arms have been devised around the robot to maintain the speed and position of pig all the way through the pipeline. Introduction Pipelines are considered to be the safest way for transportation of large amounts of liquid and gas over large distances. Pipelines are one of the cornerstones of modern civilization constituting an essential part of the infrastructure. More than 3 million kilometers of pipelines connect the reservoirs of oil and gas, the ports of shipment, the refineries and the storage facilities today. Non-destructive testing of the pipeline system by means of in-line inspection using intelligent pigs has become an important part of this system in ensuring its safe and economic operation. In order to prevent pipeline failure, any defect that may become critical has to be detected early enough. As most of the pipelines are buried and also covered by a protective coating, a complete inspection can only be done from the inside. This is achieved with in-line inspection using automated inspection systems called intelligent pigs (or smart pigs). The ultimate goal of this type of inspection is to detect a certain type of defect with a high Probability of Detection (POD) and to provide high resolution data that allow precise sizing of the detected defects. (WILLEMS, 2008) Intelligent pigs are automated inspection systems which are usually designed such that one inspection tool is looking for a specific type of defect utilizing one technology. Table 1 shows an overview. The main inspection methods that are used are Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) and Ultrasonics (UT).