Non-contact submarine pipeline ball passing indicating equipment based on ultrasonic principle

Abstract

The utility model discloses a non-contact type submarine pipeline ball passing indicating device based on the ultrasonic principle. The non-contact type submarine pipeline ball passing indicating device comprises a shell assembly, an electronic assembly arranged in a shell and an ultrasonic sensor arranged in a pipeline. The shell assembly comprises an anti-explosion shell, and a signal interface is formed in the circumferential wall of the anti-explosion shell. A waterproof key is arranged at the top of the circumferential wall of the explosion-proof shell; a transparent window is arranged at one end of the explosion-proof shell; the ultrasonic sensor comprises a sensor shell, a pre-amplifier, a mass block, a pair of piezoelectric elements and a connector, wherein the pre-amplifier, the mass block and the piezoelectric elements are arranged in the sensor shell, and the connector is arranged at the top of the sensor shell. The electronic assembly comprises a power supply unit, a signal acquisition unit, a processing and control unit, a communication unit and a display unit. According to the utility model, the ultrasonic sensor is used for signal reception, the mode recognition technology is adopted, the system reliability is high, the accuracy is high, and the positioning is accurate; sensors and analysis equipment are installed at the two ends of the pipeline, system installation, debugging and maintenance are convenient, and manufacturing cost is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of submarine pipeline leakage monitoring, and in particular relates to a non-contact submarine pipeline ball passing indicating device based on the ultrasonic principle. Background Art

[0002] Submarine pipelines are a crucial means of transporting offshore oil and natural gas, known as the lifeline of offshore oil exploration and development. They transport crude oil, condensate, natural gas, and water, providing a safe and efficient means of transportation.

[0003] Subsea pipelines undergo regular ball-passing and internal inspections, and standard ball-passing indicators are installed on the pipelines. These indicators are primarily used to determine when a pig has been dispatched or arrived. Traditional plug-in ball-passing indicators, if inoperative or not present, can make it impossible to accurately and promptly determine whether a pig has arrived, increasing the risk of the pig entering the process flow. In severe cases, this can lead to pipeline blockage, resulting in platform downtime and direct economic losses. Therefore, it is necessary to develop non-contact ball-passing indicators to avoid these production issues caused by ball-passing indicator failure.

[0004] However, existing non-contact indicating devices are generally based on magnetic principles or 22Hz low-frequency transmission signal non-contact indicating devices. These devices have their own characteristics, but they also have certain limitations in use. For example, the non-contact ball-passing indicating device based on magnetic principles and 22Hz low-frequency transmission signal principles requires a magnet and a 22Hz low-frequency transmitter to be installed on the sphere, which is not suitable for some foam balls. If the sphere is modified, it will increase the cost.

[0005] The existing ball passing indicator based on conventional acoustic wave principle collects conventional acoustic wave signals. In special working condition pipelines with relatively large background noise, false alarms often occur during the signal processing process, which directly affects the judgment of ball passing operation. Utility Model Content

[0006] The utility model is proposed to solve the problems existing in the prior art, and its purpose is to provide a non-contact submarine pipeline ball passing indicator device based on the ultrasonic principle.

[0007] The utility model is realized through the following technical solutions:

[0008] A non-contact submarine pipeline ball-passing indication device based on the ultrasonic principle comprises a shell assembly, an electronic assembly arranged inside the shell, and an ultrasonic sensor arranged in the pipeline; the shell assembly comprises a hollow cylindrical explosion-proof shell, a signal interface is formed on the circumferential wall of the explosion-proof shell; a waterproof button is provided on the top of the circumferential wall of the explosion-proof shell; a transparent window is provided at one end of the explosion-proof shell; the ultrasonic sensor comprises a sensor shell, a preamplifier arranged inside the sensor shell, a mass block and a pair of piezoelectric elements, and a connector arranged on the top of the sensor shell; the electronic assembly comprises a power supply unit, a signal acquisition unit, a processing and control unit, a communication unit, and a display unit.

[0009] In the above technical solution, the shell assembly further includes a mounting base provided at the bottom of the explosion-proof housing, the mounting base being fixedly connected to the circumferential wall of the explosion-proof housing; and the mounting base being connected to the outer wall of the pipe.

[0010] In the above technical solution, the mounting base is composed of a base main board and edge boards vertically connected to the four sides of the bottom surface of the base main board; connection holes are formed on the base main board and the edge boards.

[0011] In the above technical solution, one end of the preamplifier is fixedly connected to the top surface of the sensor housing, and the other end is inserted into the boss of the lower base of the sensor housing. The preamplifier passes through the mass block and a pair of piezoelectric elements.

[0012] In the above technical solution, the longitudinal section of the mass block is H-shaped, and a pair of piezoelectric elements are respectively arranged at the upper and lower ends of the middle transverse plate of the mass block.

[0013] In the above technical solution, the sensor housing includes an upper cover and a lower base connected to each other; the upper cover is a cylindrical shape with an open bottom; a boss is formed in the middle of the inner top surface of the lower base, and a blind hole is formed in the middle of the boss; a threaded blind hole is formed in the middle of the outer bottom surface of the lower base.

[0014] In the above technical solution, the connector is connected to the integrated cable.

[0015] In the above technical solution, the ultrasonic sensor is in direct contact with the pipe wall.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the utility model are:

[0017] This utility model provides a non-contact submarine pipeline ball-passing indicator device based on ultrasonic principles, addressing the shortcomings of existing plug-in or non-contact ball-passing indicators on the market. This device can provide non-contact indication of various types of pigs, featuring short response times, accurate signal acquisition, and strong applicability. The device utilizes ultrasonic sensors for signal reception and pattern recognition technology, resulting in high system reliability, accuracy, and precise positioning. The sensors and analysis equipment are installed at both ends of the pipeline, facilitating system installation, commissioning, and maintenance, while maintaining a low cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Fig. 1 It is the main view of the utility model;

[0019] Fig. 2 It is a side view of the utility model;

[0020] Fig. 3 It is an axonometric view of the present utility model;

[0021] Fig. 4 This is a structural diagram of the ultrasonic sensor of the utility model;

[0022] Fig. 5 It is a connection diagram of the electronic components in the utility model.

[0023] in:

[0024] 1. Housing assembly; 11. Explosion-proof housing; 111. Signal interface; 112. Waterproof button; 113. Transparent window; 12. Mounting base;

[0025] 2. Electronic components;

[0026] 3. Ultrasonic sensor; 31. Upper cover; 32. Lower base; 321. Boss; 322. Threaded blind hole; 33. Preamplifier; 34. Mass block; 35. Piezoelectric element; 36. Connector.

[0027] For ordinary technicians in this field, other relevant drawings can be obtained based on the above drawings without any creative work. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific implementation methods.

[0029] like Figs. 1-5 As shown, a non-contact submarine pipeline ball passing indication device based on the ultrasonic principle includes a housing assembly 1, an electronic assembly 2 arranged inside the housing 1, and an ultrasonic sensor 3 arranged in the pipeline;

[0030] The housing assembly 1 includes a hollow cylindrical explosion-proof housing 11, a signal interface 111 is formed on the circumferential wall of the explosion-proof housing 11; a waterproof button 112 is provided on the top of the circumferential wall of the explosion-proof housing 11; and a transparent window 113 is provided at one end of the explosion-proof housing 11;

[0031] The housing assembly 1 further includes a mounting base 12 disposed at the bottom of the explosion-proof housing 11, the mounting base 12 being fixedly connected to the circumferential wall of the explosion-proof housing 11; the mounting base 12 being connected to the outer wall of the pipe; the mounting base 12 comprises a base main plate and edge plates perpendicularly connected to the four sides of the bottom surface of the base main plate; connection holes are formed on both the base main plate and the edge plates;

[0032] The shell assembly 1 protects the internal electronic components. The explosion-proof housing 11 can effectively resist external impacts and collisions, providing protection for the internal electronic parts. Even under extreme environmental conditions, such as places with flammable and explosive gases or dust, it can prevent sparks from causing explosions, thereby ensuring the safety of equipment and personnel. The signal interface 111 of the explosion-proof housing 11 realizes the connection of the ultrasonic sensor and the communication interface. At the same time, its good airtightness ensures waterproof and explosion-proof performance, prevents water vapor intrusion from causing short circuits in electronic components, and ensures the continuous and reliable operation of the equipment. The signal interface is a threaded structure commonly used for signal lines. The transparent window 113 and waterproof button 112 of the explosion-proof housing 11 work together to realize manual control of the equipment. The mounting base 12 can install the housing on the pipeline, which is easy to construct and the installation position can be replaced.

[0033] The ultrasonic sensor 3 includes a sensor housing, a preamplifier 33 arranged inside the sensor housing, a mass block 34 and a pair of piezoelectric elements 35, and a connector 36 arranged on the top of the sensor housing;

[0034] One end of the preamplifier 33 is fixedly connected to the top surface of the sensor housing, and the other end is inserted into the boss 321 of the lower base 32 of the sensor housing. One end of the preamplifier 33 passes through the mass block 34 and a pair of piezoelectric elements 35.

[0035] The mass block 34 has an H-shaped longitudinal cross-section, and a pair of piezoelectric elements 35 are respectively disposed at the upper and lower ends of the middle horizontal plate of the mass block 34. The mass block 34 and the inner wall of the sensor housing, as well as the piezoelectric elements 35 and the mass block 34, are connected and fixed by high-performance adhesive fixation combined with mechanical limit stops.

[0036] The sensor housing includes an upper cover 31 and a lower base 32 connected to each other; the upper cover 31 is cylindrical with an open bottom; a boss 321 is formed in the middle of the top surface of the lower base 32, and a blind hole is formed in the middle of the boss; a threaded blind hole 322 is formed in the middle of the outer bottom surface of the lower base 32;

[0037] The connector 36 is connected to the integrated cable to achieve the connection between the ultrasonic sensor 3 and the electronic component 2; the connector 36 is a conventional coaxial line connection port to achieve the connection between the ultrasonic sensor 3 and the electronic component;

[0038] The ultrasonic sensor 3 is in direct contact with the pipe wall and is connected to the electronic component 2 disposed in the explosion-proof housing 11 via an integrated cable. The integrated cable extends from the signal interface 111 into the explosion-proof housing 11.

[0039] The ultrasonic sensor 3 further includes a magnetic member, which includes a magnet and a threaded column coaxially fixed to the magnet. The magnetic member is connected to the threaded blind hole 322 through the threaded column. The magnet enables the ultrasonic sensor to be directly adsorbed to the outside of the pipe, which is convenient for operation.

[0040] The ultrasonic sensor 3 can collect ultrasonic sensing signals within a specific frequency range and transmit the signals to the electronic unit and signal processing unit via an integrated cable sensor. The ultrasonic sensor integrates a preamplifier to amplify and filter the output signal. The piezoelectric element is the core component of the ultrasonic sensor and has the function of converting electrical energy into acoustic energy. The preamplifier is used to amplify the signal. The mass block prevents the inertial vibration of the element and absorbs the acoustic energy radiated from the back of the element to reduce the pulse width and interference from other signals. The connector is used to receive the acoustic vibration signal. The threaded blind hole 322 is used for sensor installation. The sensor housing provides protection.

[0041] The electronic components include a power supply unit, a signal acquisition unit, a processing and control unit, a communication unit and a display unit;

[0042] The power supply unit is electrically connected to the signal acquisition unit, the processing and control unit, and the communication unit respectively; the power supply unit is responsible for providing a stable and reliable power supply for the entire electronic part. It can adapt to a wide voltage input and perform voltage stabilization and filtering on the power supply to ensure that the electronic components operate in a stable voltage and current environment, thereby ensuring the stability and reliability of the system;

[0043] The signal acquisition unit includes a highly sensitive amplifier that can amplify the weak signal output by the ultrasonic sensor 3 to a processable amplitude level, so as not to miss any valuable information due to the signal being too weak, thus providing a basis for the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the entire ultrasonic acquisition system. The signal acquisition unit collects the signal output by the sensor through the front-end acquisition and processing circuit;

[0044] The processing and control unit is the control and computing core of the entire system, with powerful data processing capabilities and computing speed. It is responsible for coordinating and managing the work of each subsystem, including sensor data acquisition, data storage and reading of the data cache unit, system status monitoring, and algorithm execution of the signal processing part.

[0045] The communication unit is responsible for accurately and timely transmitting the valid data processed by the ultrasonic acquisition equipment to a remote server, host computer or other terminal device for further analysis and storage; at the same time, it can also receive control instructions and configuration information from the outside to realize remote control and parameter setting of the equipment; the communication unit is used to receive control instructions and configuration information from the outside, and transmit the characteristic parameters processed by the equipment to a remote server, host computer or other terminal device for further analysis and storage.

[0046] The display unit is an LCD or LED, and the display unit cooperates with the waterproof button 112 to set and display parameters of the device, and can also prompt the ball passing detection status.

[0047] The ultrasonic sensor collects the signal of the pipe cleaner passing through, transmits the signal data to the equipment, and displays it on the high-brightness LED indicator screen after signal processing.

[0048] Principle of this utility model:

[0049] In the non-contact ball-passing indicator device based on ultrasonic principle, the ultrasonic sensor is installed in direct contact with the pipe wall. After the device is started and enters the monitoring state, the ball-passing indicator continuously collects ultrasonic sensor signals, and the software system calculates the collected signals in real time, wherein a certain number of frequency windows are intercepted for each signal segment, and the in-band power (LF) of the low-frequency window and the in-band power (HF) of the high-frequency window are calculated in a certain number of frequency windows. Then, the average noise (AN) within the average noise time period is calculated in minutes, and the average value (AV) within the average noise time period is calculated in seconds, and the difference (DL) is calculated. If DL≤HT, return to the previous step and continue calculating; if DL>HT, it is displayed that the pipe cleaner or detector is approaching. Then, if DL is not less than HT, it is continued to display that the pipe cleaner or detector is approaching until DL<HT,则接着判断DL> If the duration of HT is longer than DT, the pig or detector is detected to have passed through and the detection is successful.

[0050] On the contrary, the approach of the pig or detector is clearly displayed as interference (signal) and the calculation continues:

[0051] This cycle is repeated.

[0052] The use method of this utility model:

[0053] (1) The ultrasonic sensor automatically samples and calculates the frequency of the noise in the pipeline at regular intervals, identifies the sound power range of the noise and confirms the upper and lower limits;

[0054] (2) When the pig approaches, the pipeline noise signal will fluctuate, and the ball indicator obtains the signal value through the software algorithm;

[0055] (3) When the power of the signal within the acoustic power range is higher than a certain threshold, i.e., HT, the ball-passing indicator will detect the approach of a pig or detector;

[0056] (4) After the high threshold signal is triggered, the detection of the pig or detector can be triggered only when the signal strength drops below the lower limit, that is, below the low threshold (LT);

[0057] (5) After exceeding the high threshold (HT), the signal strength must remain higher than the low threshold (LT) for a certain period of time (DT), and the ball-passing indicator will indicate that the pig has passed. Otherwise, no indication will be given.

[0058] The utility model is equipped with an ultrasonic sensor with a specific frequency range to process the signal more precisely. While being applicable to various pipe cleaners, it can be applied to pipelines in various working conditions, such as liquid, gas and multiphase mixed pipelines, to the greatest extent possible.

[0059] The applicant declares that the above is only a specific implementation method of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Technicians in the relevant technical field should understand that any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by technicians in the relevant technical field within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention fall within the protection scope and disclosure scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A non-contact submarine pipeline ball passing indicator device based on ultrasonic principle, characterized by: It comprises a housing assembly (1), an electronic assembly (2) arranged inside the housing (1), and an ultrasonic sensor (3) arranged in a pipeline; The housing assembly (1) comprises a hollow cylindrical explosion-proof housing (11), a signal interface (111) being formed on the circumferential wall of the explosion-proof housing (11); a waterproof button (112) being provided on the top of the circumferential wall of the explosion-proof housing (11); and a transparent window (113) being provided at one end of the explosion-proof housing (11); The ultrasonic sensor (3) comprises a sensor housing, a preamplifier (33) arranged inside the sensor housing, a mass block (34), a pair of piezoelectric elements (35), and a connector (36) arranged on the top of the sensor housing; The electronic components include a power supply unit, a signal acquisition unit, a processing and control unit, a communication unit and a display unit.

2. The ultrasonic-based non-contact submarine pipeline ball-passing indicator device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The housing assembly (1) further comprises a mounting base (12) arranged at the bottom of the explosion-proof housing (11); the mounting base (12) is fixedly connected to the circumferential wall of the explosion-proof housing (11); and the mounting base (12) is connected to the outer wall of the pipeline.

3. The ultrasonic-based non-contact submarine pipeline ball-passing indicator device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The mounting base (12) comprises a base main board and edge boards vertically connected to the four sides of the bottom surface of the base main board; connection holes are formed on the base main board and the edge boards.

4. The ultrasonic-based non-contact submarine pipeline ball-passing indicator device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: One end of the preamplifier (33) is fixedly connected to the top surface of the sensor housing, and the other end is inserted into the boss (321) of the lower base (32) of the sensor housing. The preamplifier (33) passes through the mass block (34) and a pair of piezoelectric elements (35).

5. The ultrasonic-based non-contact submarine pipeline ball-passing indicator device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The longitudinal section of the mass block (34) is H-shaped, and a pair of piezoelectric elements (35) are respectively arranged at the upper and lower ends of the middle transverse plate of the mass block (34).

6. The ultrasonic-based non-contact submarine pipeline ball-passing indicator device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The sensor housing comprises an upper cover (31) and a lower base (32) connected to each other; the upper cover (31) is cylindrical with an open bottom; a boss (321) is formed in the middle of the inner top surface of the lower base (32), and a blind hole is formed in the middle of the boss; and a threaded blind hole (322) is formed in the middle of the outer bottom surface of the lower base (32).

7. The ultrasonic-based non-contact submarine pipeline ball-passing indicator device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The connector (36) is connected to the integrated cable.

8. The ultrasonic-based non-contact submarine pipeline ball-passing indicator device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The ultrasonic sensor (3) is in direct contact with the pipe wall.

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