Pipeline Pig Sensor Arm Coupling for Steady Low-Pressure Runs
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pipeline pigs are unsuitable for gas lines with low pressure or pipelines with low fluid speeds due to insufficient coverage of the pipeline cross section and high friction on the pipe wall, leading to unsteady runs and poor measurement results, especially when passing through bends or weld seams.
Innovation Solution
The pipeline pig features sensor arms connected to sealing units via a coupling mechanism, which influences the contact forces on the pipeline inner side, ensuring a uniform and steady run by managing differential pressures and radial forces, and includes a light guide with Bragg gratings for precise curvature measurement, allowing for improved speed control and measurement accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If foam material plug is used to cover pipeline cross section, then propulsion can be varied, but friction on pipe wall becomes too high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from foam material to plastic material with specific friction characteristics. The plastic material allows for controlled friction levels that are suitable for low-pressure gas lines, unlike foam material which creates excessive friction. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by providing adequate propulsion control without excessive wall friction.
2Force
If free pipeline cross section is not covered sufficiently, then friction is reduced, but propulsion control is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic elements including flexible sensor arms that can adjust their position and artificial muscles that can actively modify the passage cross-section. These dynamic components allow the pig to adapt its friction characteristics and propulsion control in real-time, resolving the contradiction between maintaining adequate coverage and controlling friction levels.
3Measurement precision
If pig passes through bends or weld seams, then measurement data is collected, but friction peaks reduce speed and cause unsteady run
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning specific sensor arms at strategic locations to measure pipeline geometry at critical points like bends and weld seams. The sensor arms are locally activated or positioned only where measurement data is needed, allowing the pig to maintain steady speed while collecting precise measurement data at specific locations rather than requiring continuous high-friction contact throughout the entire pipeline.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables a pig with a more even run and improved measurement quality, particularly in low-pressure gas lines and pipelines with bends, by optimizing friction and using a light guide for accurate curvature measurement, resulting in high-quality sensor data.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide with Bragg gratings for precise curvature measurement
Data Source
AI summary
A pig for pipelines, in particular in the form of a cleaning or inspection pig, with a central unit and at least one, in the longitudinal direction of the central unit, front and one rear sealing unit. The pig also includes at least one sensor device comprising a plurality of sensor arms, which is provided in particular for the measurement of a geometry or condition of the pipeline. At least one of the sealing units and preferentially the central unit are produced from a plastic material at least in sections. At least one sensor arm, distant from the central unit, is connected to one of the sealing units.