A pulsed eddy current sensor device for metal pipeline corrosion monitoring

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field of pipeline monitoring, and in particular relates to a pulse eddy current sensor device for metal pipeline corrosion monitoring, comprising a base and a control box fixedly embedded in the top of the base, and further comprising: a plurality of mounting shells, all of which are arranged below the base, and two adjacent mounting shells are hinged to each other, each of the mounting shells being installed with a pulse eddy current detection probe; a retracting unit being installed inside the base, and the retracting unit being used to apply tension to the mounting shell; and a walking unit being fixedly arranged at both ends of the base. The present invention can automatically adapt to pipelines and plane detection of different diameters without the need to replace the probe, and can automatically control the probe to fit the pipeline, avoiding repeated detection or missed detection, thereby improving detection efficiency. At the same time, it can also automatically walk along the pipeline and switch detection positions, thereby realizing fully automated coverage monitoring, reducing manual intervention, and improving detection results.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of pipeline monitoring, and in particular relates to a pulsed eddy current sensor device for monitoring corrosion of metal pipelines. Background Art

[0002] Metal pipelines are widely used in the petroleum, chemical and other fields. Their corrosion can lead to risks such as leakage and explosion, threatening safety and efficiency. Therefore, pipelines need to be monitored to promptly detect defects in the pipelines. For example, patent announcement number CN118209626A discloses a metal pipeline pulse eddy current detection device. It uses pulse eddy current detection technology to penetrate the covering layer and quickly detect defects such as corrosion in metal pipelines without stopping the pipeline. It is suitable for in-service pipelines and is an efficient monitoring method.

[0003] However, a single pulsed eddy current detection probe is restricted by the coil size and magnetic field distribution, and its effective detection range is only a few square centimeters to tens of square centimeters. When facing pipeline monitoring, it needs to be moved frequently, which not only has low detection efficiency, but also easily creates detection blind spots due to improper detection spacing. Minor corrosion, cracks and other defects are very likely to be missed, seriously weakening the accuracy of pipeline defect monitoring; secondly, although conventional array eddy current detection probe groups can improve detection efficiency, they are mostly customized according to the fixed diameter of the pipeline. For pipelines with variable diameter parts, they cannot adapt to changes in pipe diameter and can only replace the adapter probe back and forth. Not only is the operation cumbersome, time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it also increases the detection cost and the risk of human error, greatly limiting the application efficiency in pipeline monitoring under complex working conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a pulsed eddy current sensor device for monitoring corrosion of metal pipelines in order to solve the above problems.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A pulsed eddy current sensor device for monitoring corrosion of metal pipelines, comprising a base and a control box fixedly embedded in the top of the base, and further comprising:

[0006] A plurality of mounting shells are arranged below the base, and two adjacent mounting shells are hinged to each other, and each mounting shell is equipped with a pulsed eddy current detection probe;

[0007] a retracting unit, mounted inside the base, and configured to apply a pulling force to the mounting housing;

[0008] The walking units are fixedly arranged at both ends of the base, and are used to drive the base to move along the axial and radial directions of the pipeline.

[0009] Preferably, the retracting unit includes reeling belts arranged on both sides below the base, a connecting column is provided on one side of the two reeling belts, and the two connecting columns are fixedly connected to the side walls of the corresponding mounting shell, the column walls of the two connecting columns are rotatably connected to a detachable rotating bar, the ends of the two reeling belts away from the base are fixedly connected to a fixing bar, and the two fixing bars are connected to the corresponding rotating bar, a storage cavity is opened inside the base, and a reeling assembly is installed inside the storage cavity.

[0010] Preferably, the walking unit includes an annular seat fixedly mounted at both ends of the base, and both annular seats can be split into two semi-circular rings, three evenly distributed electric push rods are fixedly plugged into the side walls of the annular seat, and an electric walking wheel assembly is provided on one side of the movable end of each electric push rod, each of the electric push rods pushes the electric walking wheel assembly on the same side to resist the outer wall of the pipe, and each of the electric push rods is electrically connected to the control box.

[0011] Preferably, the winding assembly includes two winding rollers rotatably arranged inside the storage chamber, two strip holes are opened at the bottom of the storage chamber, and the ends of the two winding belts away from the mounting shell are wound around the winding rollers through the strip holes, the cavity wall of the storage chamber is rotatably connected to two mutually meshing gears, a drive motor is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the base, and the drive motor is connected to the wheel axle of the corresponding gear, and the drive motor is electrically connected to the control box.

[0012] Preferably, a rotation drive assembly is provided on one side of each of the electric running wheel assemblies, and the rotation drive assembly is used to drive the electric running wheel assembly to rotate, and the rotation drive assembly is electrically connected to the control box.

[0013] Preferably, tension sensors are fixedly mounted on the side walls of the two rotating bars, and detection ends of the two tension sensors are fixedly connected to the side walls of the fixed bar on the same side, and the two tension sensors are electrically connected to the control box.

[0014] Preferably, a pressure sensor is fixedly mounted on the movable end of each electric push rod, and a pressure measuring end of each pressure sensor is fixedly connected to the mounting end of the rotary drive assembly, and each pressure sensor is electrically connected to the control box.

[0015] Preferably, an encoder is fixedly mounted on the cavity wall of the storage cavity, the shaft of the encoder is transmission-connected to the axle of the gear on the same side, and the encoder is electrically connected to the control box.

[0016] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of a pulsed eddy current sensor device for metal pipeline corrosion monitoring are:

[0017] Through the mutual cooperation of the provided base, control box, mounting shell and pulsed eddy current detection probe, and through multiple mutually hinged pulsed eddy current detection probes, it can be fitted to the outside of the pipe and can be applied to pipes of different diameters. When detecting variable-diameter pipes, there is no need to replace the pulsed eddy current detection probe. At the same time, the coverage area of ​​one-time detection is large, which can meet the detection of pipes and planes with an outer diameter of more than 152mm.

[0018] Through the setting of the retraction and pulling unit, in conjunction with the setting of the tension sensor, the pulse eddy current detection probe can be automatically retracted and pulled when inspecting pipes of different diameters, so that it fits the pipe, which is easy to use. Secondly, in conjunction with the setting of the encoder, the comprehensive inspection of the pipe can be automatically controlled based on the diameter of the pipe, avoiding duplication of the pipeline inspection range and the phenomenon of missed pipeline inspection, thereby improving the inspection efficiency.

[0019] Through the set walking unit, it can automatically walk along the pipeline, and with the set rotating drive component, the detection position can be easily changed, so that the pipeline can be automatically covered and monitored without excessive human participation, and the monitoring effect is good. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a pulsed eddy current sensor device for metal pipeline corrosion monitoring provided by the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a side structural schematic diagram of a pulsed eddy current sensor device for metal pipeline corrosion monitoring provided by the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the mounting housing of a pulsed eddy current sensor device for metal pipeline corrosion monitoring provided by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 The present invention provides a pulse eddy current sensor device for monitoring metal pipeline corrosion. Figure 2 A magnified view of the structure of part A;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the top view of the base of a pulsed eddy current sensor device for metal pipeline corrosion monitoring provided by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 The present invention provides a schematic structural diagram of an electric push rod and an electric travel wheel assembly of a pulsed eddy current sensor device for metal pipeline corrosion monitoring.

[0026] In the figure: 1 base, 2 control box, 3 mounting shell, 4 pulsed eddy current detection probe, 5 retracting unit, 51 reeling belt, 52 connecting column, 53 rotating bar, 54 fixed bar, 55 storage cavity, 6 walking unit, 61 circular ring seat, 62 electric push rod, 63 electric walking wheel assembly, 7 reeling assembly, 71 reeling roller, 72 bar hole, 73 gear, 74 drive motor, 8 rotation drive assembly, 9 tension sensor, 10 pressure sensor, 11 encoder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments.

[0028] like Figures 1-6 As shown, a pulse eddy current sensor device for monitoring corrosion of metal pipelines includes a base 1 and a control box 2 fixedly embedded in the top of the base 1, and also includes: multiple mounting shells 3, multiple mounting shells 3 are arranged below the base 1, and two adjacent mounting shells 3 are hinged to each other, each mounting shell 3 is installed with a pulse eddy current detection probe 4. When the pulse eddy current detection probe 4 is working, the excitation coil in the pulse eddy current detection probe 4 will generate a periodically changing pulse magnetic field. The magnetic field penetrates the surface of the pipeline and induces eddy currents inside the metal of the pipeline. Due to the skin effect, the distribution of eddy currents in the pipeline will attenuate with depth. If there are defects such as corrosion and cracks in the pipeline, its metal cross-sectional area will decrease and its electromagnetic properties will change, which will lead to abnormal eddy current distribution, and then the secondary magnetic field generated by the eddy current will change. After the detection coil captures the change signal of the secondary magnetic field, it converts it into an electrical signal and transmits it to the control box 2. The control box 2 transmits the signal to the terminal computer device (transmits the signal via wireless communication).

[0029] The retracting unit 5 is installed inside the base 1, and the retracting unit 5 is used to apply tension to the mounting shell 3. The retracting unit 5 includes retracting belts 51 arranged on both sides below the base 1, and one side of the two retracting belts 51 is provided with a connecting column 52, and the two connecting columns 52 are fixedly connected to the side walls of the corresponding mounting shell 3, and the column walls of the two connecting columns 52 are rotatably connected with a detachable rotating bar 53, and the ends of the two retracting belts 51 away from the base 1 are fixedly connected with a fixing bar 54, and the two fixing bars 54 are connected to the corresponding rotating bar 53. A storage cavity 55 is provided inside the base 1, and a retracting assembly 7 is installed inside the storage cavity 55. The retracting assembly 7 includes two retracting rollers 71 rotatably arranged inside the storage cavity 55, and two bar-shaped holes 72 are provided at the bottom of the storage cavity 55, and the two retracting belts The ends of 51 away from the mounting shell 3 are wound around the winding roller 71 through the strip hole 72. The cavity wall of the storage cavity 55 is rotatably connected to two mutually meshing gears 73. A drive motor 74 is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the base 1, and the drive motor 74 is connected to the axle of the corresponding gear 73. The drive motor 74 is electrically connected to the control box 2. An encoder 11 is fixedly installed on the cavity wall of the storage cavity 55. The shaft of the encoder 11 is connected to the axle of the gear 73 on the same side. The encoder 11 is electrically connected to the control box 2. The rotation of the gear 73 drives the internal code disk of the encoder 11 to rotate. The translucent and reflective stripes on the code disk alternately block the light source, causing the photoelectric sensor to generate a corresponding pulse signal. The encoder 11 feeds back the pulse signal to the control box 2. The control box 2 can calculate the current diameter of the pipeline based on the total number of pulses.

[0030] The walking unit 6 is fixedly arranged at both ends of the base 1, and the walking unit 6 is used to drive the base 1 to move axially and radially along the pipeline. The walking unit 6 includes a circular ring seat 61 fixedly installed at both ends of the base 1, and the two circular ring seats 61 can be split into two semi-circular rings. Three evenly distributed electric push rods 62 are fixedly inserted into the side wall of the circular ring seat 61, and an electric walking wheel assembly 63 is provided on one side of the movable end of each electric push rod 62. Each electric push rod 62 pushes the electric walking wheel assembly 63 on the same side to resist the outer wall of the pipeline. Each electric push rod 62 is electrically connected to the control box 2. The electric walking wheel assembly 63 includes a driving motor, a walking wheel, a bearing, a shaft and other components.

[0031] A rotation drive assembly 8 is provided on one side of each electric travel wheel assembly 63. The rotation drive assembly 8 is used to drive the electric travel wheel assembly 63 to rotate, and the rotation drive assembly 8 is electrically connected to the control box 2. The rotation drive assembly 8 includes a rotating motor, a shaft, bearings and other components. Each time it works, it can drive the electric travel wheel assembly 63 to rotate 90°, so that the electric travel wheel assembly 63 changes from moving radially along the pipeline to moving axially along the pipeline.

[0032] Tension sensors 9 are fixedly installed on the side walls of the two rotating bars 53, and the detection ends of the two tension sensors 9 are fixedly connected to the side walls of the fixed bars 54 on the same side. The two tension sensors 9 are electrically connected to the control box 2. The tension sensors 9 can automatically feedback the corresponding electrical signal to the control box 2 when the tension is not within the threshold range.

[0033] A pressure sensor 10 is fixedly installed on the movable end of each electric push rod 62, and the pressure measuring end of each pressure sensor 10 is fixedly connected to the mounting end of the rotary drive assembly 8. Each pressure sensor 10 is electrically connected to the control box 2. The pressure sensor 10 can feedback a corresponding electrical signal to the control box 2 when the pressure is not within the threshold range.

[0034] The operating principle of the present invention is now described as follows: the two annular seats 61 are first disassembled, and the rotating bar 53 and the connecting column 52 are disassembled. Then, the base 1 is placed above the pipeline to be inspected. Subsequently, the two annular seats 61 are assembled, and the rotating bar 53 and the connecting column 52 are installed together. At this time, the two annular seats 61 are sleeved on the outside of the pipeline to be inspected, and each pulsed eddy current detection probe 4 and the winding belt 51 are sleeved on the outside of the pipeline to be inspected. Subsequently, the control box 2 is connected to an external power supply (the power supply can be a portable power supply, which is manually assisted to move, or a small power supply can be used and installed on the base 1 or the annular seat 61). After starting the control box 2, the monitoring work of the pipeline to be inspected can be carried out;

[0035] After the control box 2 is started, the control box 2 will control the drive motor 74 to work, and the drive motor 74 will drive the two winding rollers 71 to rotate through the two gears 73, so that the two winding belts 51 can be wound. At this time, the two winding belts 51 will pull the mounting shells 3 at the two ends through the tension sensor 9, the fixed bar 54, the rotating bar 53 and other components, so that the detection ends of each pulse eddy current detection probe 4 are close to and attached to the outside of the pipe. When each pulse eddy current detection probe 4 is attached to the outer wall of the pipe, the winding belt 51 can no longer pull the mounting shell 3, so the tension detected by the two tension sensors 9 will increase. After the tension increase threshold (the threshold is generally set in the range of 5N to 10N), the tension sensor 9 will feedback an electrical signal to the control box 2. At this time, the control box 2 will control the drive motor 74 to stop working. Subsequently, the control box 2 controls When each pulsed eddy current detection probe 4 is working, the excitation coil inside the pulsed eddy current detection probe 4 will generate a periodically changing pulsed magnetic field. This magnetic field penetrates the surface of the pipeline and induces eddy currents inside the metal of the pipeline. Due to the skin effect, the distribution of eddy currents in the pipeline will decay with depth. If there are defects such as corrosion and cracks in the pipeline, its metal cross-sectional area will decrease and its electromagnetic properties will change, which will lead to abnormal eddy current distribution and thus change the secondary magnetic field generated by the eddy current. After the detection coil captures the change signal of the secondary magnetic field, it converts it into an electrical signal and transmits it to the control box 2. The control box 2 transmits the signal to the terminal computer device (transmitting the signal via wireless communication). The terminal computer device compares the reference signal under normal conditions with the real-time detection signal, analyzes the signal parameters such as amplitude, phase, and attenuation rate, thereby identifying the location, size and severity of the defect and displaying the detection result;

[0036] After the pulse eddy current detection probe 4 finishes working, the control box 2 controls the drive motor 74 to drive the gear 73 to rotate in the opposite direction, so that the two take-up belts 51 are released outward by about 5 cm (by releasing the take-up belt 51, the pulse eddy current detection probe 4 is separated from the outer wall of the pipeline, thereby avoiding the pulse eddy current detection probe 4 and the outer wall of the pipeline from scratching when the electric walking wheel assembly 63 is moving). Subsequently, the drive motor 74 stops working, and the control box 2 controls each electric walking wheel assembly 63 to work. Each electric walking wheel assembly 63 drives the base 1 to rotate a certain angle through the annular seat 61 and then stops working (the electric walking wheel assembly 63 includes The control box 2 then controls the pulsed eddy current detection probes 4 to work again to detect a new area. After all radial circumference detection of the pipeline is completed, the control box 2 controls the rotary drive assembly 8 to work, and the rotary drive assembly 8 can drive each electric travel wheel assembly 63 to rotate 90°. Subsequently, the electric travel wheel assembly 63 works again. At this time, the electric travel wheel assembly 63 can drive the base 1 to move along the axial direction of the pipeline, so that it can move to the next detection position, and repeat the above steps to conduct a comprehensive detection of the pipeline, so that the pipeline can be automatically fully covered and monitored.

[0037] Among them, when the electric walking wheel assembly 63 moves along the axial direction of the pipeline to the variable diameter position of the pipeline, when the diameter of the pipeline at the variable diameter position is larger than the diameter of the current pipeline, the extrusion force exerted on the electric walking wheel assembly 63 moving to the variable diameter position increases. At this time, the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 10 increases, and the pressure sensor 10 will immediately feedback an electrical signal to the control box 2. The control box 2 will control the corresponding electric push rod 62 to retract, so that the electric walking wheel assembly 63 moves to the variable diameter pipeline. After the pressure returns to normal, the control box 2 controls the electric push rod 62 to stop working. When the diameter of the pipeline at the variable diameter position is smaller than the diameter of the current pipeline, when the electric walking wheel assembly 63 moves to the variable diameter pipeline, the blocking force exerted on the electric walking wheel assembly 63 by the pipeline disappears. When the pressure sensor 10 is lower than the normal value, the pressure sensor 10 will immediately feed back the corresponding electrical signal to the control box 2, and the control box 2 will control the corresponding electric push rod 62 to extend, so that the electric walking wheel assembly 63 fits the variable diameter pipe until the pressure sensor 10 detects that the pressure returns to normal. Since there are two circular ring seats 61, and they are located on both sides of the base 1, when the electric walking wheel assembly 63 drives the base 1 to move along the axial direction of the pipe to the variable diameter pipe, at most only the electric push rod 62 of the circular ring seat 61 on one side will start working first. At this time, the circular ring seat 61 on the other side can stably support the base 1 through the electric push rod 62, the electric walking wheel assembly 63, etc., to ensure the stable and smooth transition of the entire device at the pipe variable diameter position;

[0038] Among them, when eddy current detection is performed on pipes of different diameters, since the lengths of the winding belt 51 required to drive each pulse eddy current detection probe 4 to fit the outer wall of the pipe are different, the number of turns of the drive motor 74 driving the gear 73 is also different, and the number of turns changes synchronously with the diameter of the pipe. For example, when the diameter of the pipe becomes larger, the length of the winding belt 51 required to be wound is shorter, and the number of turns of the gear 73 is less at this time. Conversely, the number of turns of the gear 73 becomes larger. Therefore, by detecting the number of turns of the gear 73 on the same side by the encoder 11, the diameter of the pipe can be directly calculated (the rotation of the gear 73 drives the internal code disk of the encoder 11 to rotate, and the light-transmitting and reflective stripes on the code disk are generated). The light source is alternately blocked to make the photoelectric sensor generate a corresponding pulse signal. The encoder 11 feeds back the pulse signal to the control box 2. The control box 2 can calculate the current diameter of the pipeline based on the total number of pulses). Since the detection range of each pulse eddy current detection probe 4 is limited, when the radial conversion detection position of the pipeline is changed, the control box 2 can control the radial movement length of the electric walking wheel assembly 63 according to the diameter of the pipeline (the control box 2 can control its travel length by controlling the working time of the electric walking wheel assembly 63). This ensures that when each pulse eddy current detection probe 4 performs full-circle coverage detection on the pipeline, the coverage repetition rate of the detection position is reduced, which is conducive to improving the detection efficiency.

[0039] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pulsed eddy current sensor device for monitoring corrosion of metal pipelines, comprising a base (1) and a control box (2) fixedly embedded on the top of the base (1), characterized in that: Also includes: A plurality of mounting shells (3) are all arranged below the base (1), and two adjacent mounting shells (3) are hinged to each other, and each mounting shell (3) is equipped with a pulsed eddy current detection probe (4); A retracting unit (5) is installed inside the base (1), and the retracting unit (5) is used to apply a pulling force to the mounting shell (3); A walking unit (6) is fixedly arranged at both ends of the base (1), and the walking unit (6) is used to drive the base (1) to move along the axial direction and radial direction of the pipeline; The retracting unit (5) includes retracting belts (51) arranged on both sides below the base (1), a connecting column (52) is provided on one side of each of the retracting belts (51), and the two connecting columns (52) are fixedly connected to the side walls of the corresponding mounting shell (3), the column walls of the two connecting columns (52) are rotatably connected to a detachable rotating bar (53), the ends of the two retracting belts (51) away from the base (1) are fixedly connected to a fixing bar (54), and the two fixing bars (54) are connected to the corresponding rotating bar (53), a storage cavity (55) is provided inside the base (1), and a retracting assembly (7) is installed inside the storage cavity (55); The walking unit (6) includes an annular seat (61) fixedly mounted on both ends of the base (1), and both annular seats (61) can be split into two semi-circular rings, and three evenly distributed electric push rods (62) are fixedly plugged into the side wall of the annular seat (61), and an electric walking wheel assembly (63) is provided on one side of the movable end of each electric push rod (62), and each electric push rod (62) pushes the electric walking wheel assembly (63) on the same side to abut against the outer wall of the pipeline, and each electric push rod (62) is electrically connected to the control box (2); The winding assembly (7) includes two winding rollers (71) rotatably arranged inside the storage chamber (55), two strip holes (72) are provided at the bottom of the storage chamber (55), and the ends of the two winding belts (51) away from the mounting shell (3) are wound around the winding rollers (71) through the strip holes (72), the cavity wall of the storage chamber (55) is rotatably connected to two mutually meshing gears (73), a driving motor (74) is fixedly installed on the outer wall of the base (1), and the driving motor (74) is connected to the wheel shaft of the corresponding gear (73) in a transmission manner, and the driving motor (74) is electrically connected to the control box (2); A rotation drive assembly (8) is provided on one side of each of the electric running wheel assemblies (63). The rotation drive assembly (8) is used to drive the electric running wheel assembly (63) to rotate, and the rotation drive assembly (8) is electrically connected to the control box (2).

2. A pulsed eddy current sensor device for metal pipeline corrosion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: Tension sensors (9) are fixedly mounted on the side walls of the two rotating bars (53), and the detection ends of the two tension sensors (9) are fixedly connected to the side walls of the fixed bars (54) on the same side. The two tension sensors (9) are electrically connected to the control box (2).

3. The pulsed eddy current sensor device for metal pipeline corrosion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pressure sensor (10) is fixedly mounted on the movable end of each electric push rod (62), and a pressure measuring end of each pressure sensor (10) is fixedly connected to the mounting end of the rotary drive assembly (8), and each pressure sensor (10) is electrically connected to the control box (2).

4. The pulsed eddy current sensor device for metal pipeline corrosion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: An encoder (11) is fixedly mounted on the cavity wall of the storage cavity (55), the shaft of the encoder (11) is transmission-connected to the axle of the gear (73) on the same side, and the encoder (11) is electrically connected to the control box (2).

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