JP3122152B2 - Pipe running device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-pipe traveling apparatus for performing inspection and repair work in a pipe while traveling in the pipe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hereinafter, a conventional configuration of a pipe running apparatus for performing a welding operation as an example of pipe repair will be described. An example of such an in-pipe traveling device 1 is shown in FIG. The in-pipe traveling device 1 includes a pair of guide devices 2, a working device 3, a traction device 4, and the like.
It consists of an in-pipe unit 1a running inside and an out-of-pipe unit 1b disposed outside the pipe. The extra-tube unit 1b includes a winch 6, a launcher 7, a cable winder 8, a cable drum 9, and the like, a generator 10 for supplying power required for the operation thereof, and a control device 11 for performing work control. It is configured. Here, when performing the in-pipe work, the work pit 12 is excavated so as to include a predetermined work section, the pipe 5 is emptied, and after performing an N ₂ purge process, the above-described in-pipe unit 1a is connected to the pipe 5. Work by inserting it into the inside. Power required for running the in-pipe unit 1a is supplied via a cable 13 provided between the in-pipe unit 1a and the generator 10.

[0003]

However, the conventional in-pipe traveling apparatus has a cable for supplying energy from a generator or the like disposed outside the pipe in order to supply power to the in-pipe unit. There were the following problems. (A) The traveling distance cannot be increased because the cable must be dragged together with the in-pipe unit when traveling. (Currently, the maximum travelable distance is about 300 m. Due to this factor, it is necessary to excavate a pair of working pits for work, and manholes provided every about 1 km from existing pipes etc. Cannot be used for insertion of the in-pipe traveling device.) (B) If there are many bent portions such as elbows in the traveling section, passage becomes difficult due to frictional resistance of the cable.
(Currently, it is possible to pass through up to six 90 ° elbows, and in actual piping, there are about 20 elbows for a pipe length of about 1 km.) As described above, the conventional pipe inside In the traveling apparatus, the in-pipe unit travels by supplying power to the in-pipe unit from outside the pipe, and the energy held by gas such as city gas flowing in the pipe to be worked has not been used. Furthermore, for example, when trying to obtain the energy from the gas flowing in the pipe, the amount of energy is limited, so that it is required to use this energy efficiently.

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to use the in-pipe traveling device for a traveling section longer than conventional ones without requiring a power supply cable or the like connected to the extra-pipe unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide an in-pipe traveling apparatus that can effectively use energy held by a gas flowing in a pipe to be worked and that can efficiently use the energy in a traveling operation.

[0005]

To achieve the above object, a pipe running apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by a wind turbine driven to rotate by a flow of gas flowing in the pipe, and a power generator for generating power by rotating the wind turbine. , A battery for storing the electric power obtained by the generator, and driving means for driving the in-pipe traveling device by the electric power stored in the battery, and further, a flow velocity or a flow direction of an airflow flowing in the pipe.
By the information means information related to the capture, of the gas flow
According to the information related to the flow velocity or flow direction, the drive
Means is stopped and the windmill and generator are
Power generation state to be activated, and
The running state in which the wind turbine and the generator are stopped is switched off.
There is a control means for switching , and the operation and effect are as follows.

[0006]

First, before describing the operation of the in-pipe traveling device, the operating environment of the device will be described. Examples of pipes to be worked include city gas pipes and the like, and the in-pipe traveling device is inserted into such pipes independently (a situation in which power is not supplied from outside the pipes). And
When the pipe is in an active pipe state (for example, a state in which the supply of city gas is maintained), the in-pipe traveling device of the present application operates.

Further, a windmill in this in-pipe traveling device,
The power generation function constituted by the generator and the drive function of the drive means are controlled and controlled by the control means. Velocity or flow of air flow related to such control criteria
As the information related to the direction, the flow velocity and the flow direction of the gas around the in-pipe traveling device, the time zone in which the gas flow becomes large, the specific position of the gas pipe in which the gas flow is large, and the like can be given. Then, performs only power in the preferred situation large power generation rate of the gas stream in accordance with these information, we had lines running only if low reverse or air current,
Wind direction heading against the running direction of the pipe running device
Only generates electricity in
Is a traveling only line Unode. In this way, the power generation function and the traveling function can be operated as efficiently as possible.

[0008]

As described above, in the in-pipe traveling apparatus of the present invention, the power required for traveling is covered by the power of the gas flowing through the pipe, which is conventionally required.
There is no need for a power supply system (cable or the like) from the outside of the pipe to the in-pipe unit disposed inside the pipe. In addition, power supply and the like can be performed only in the pipe as needed, so that the traveling distance can be significantly extended.

Further, since the power generation system used for taking in the power and the drive system serving as a vehicle are controlled in accordance with information relating to the flow state of gas in the pipe, the power generation system and the drive system are most efficiently used. This makes it possible to control, and even when the amount of energy obtained from the gas in the pipe is limited, it is possible to effectively use the energy and perform the running in the pipe without any problem. Therefore, it is easy to automate the in-pipe traveling device. For example, the device can be inserted in advance into a city gas pipe buried in the ground, and the work can be performed as needed.

Furthermore, for example, when the flow of gas is fast, the vibration of the in-pipe traveling device itself increases, which may cause noise in inspection and other operations and adversely affect the operation. Also, when sound is measured with a microphone, it is difficult to detect a subtle change in sound because of the large background noise. Therefore, if work such as inspection is performed when the flow velocity is low, inspection accuracy can be improved.

[0011]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the in-pipe traveling device 20 of the present application, and FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of the first unit 21 in the in-pipe traveling device 20. First, a description will be given based on FIGS. The in-pipe traveling device 20 includes the first to third units 2
1, 22, and 23. Each unit includes a pair of wheels 24 having magnetic adhesion. That is, each unit travels in the pipe while adhering to the pipe wall surface 25 to perform work. The function of each unit will be described below. The first unit 21 includes a traveling motor 26 as a driving unit, a detection first sensor 27, a control computer 28 as a control unit, the detection first sensor 27, a control computer 28 The first battery 29 for is provided. That is, the first unit 21 is a part mainly responsible for the traveling operation of the in-pipe traveling device 20.

Further, the first unit 21 is provided with a power supply regulator 30, a generator 31, and a windmill 32 provided at the tip end of the first unit 21 by being connected to the first battery 29 described above. I have.

Next, the configuration of the second unit 22 will be described. The second unit 22 basically includes only the second battery 33, and the second battery 3
The electric power supplied from 3 is supplied to the detection second sensor 34 provided in the third unit 23 and the working device 35 such as a welding device. That is, the second unit 22 has a role as a work power supply. The second battery 33 is also electrically connected to a power generation system (the wind turbine 32, the generator 31, and the power regulator 30) provided in the first unit 21, and power is supplied from this system. As described above, the third unit 23 is configured to include the detection second sensor 34 and the welding device as the working device 35, and is a part that performs the main work in the in-pipe traveling device.

In the above configuration, the in-pipe traveling device 2
0, the power generated by the wind turbine 32 and the generator 31 is supplied to the first and second batteries 29, 3 via the power regulator 30.
3 and stored in these parts, and for the first battery 29, the first unit 21
And the second battery 33 is used for work. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the first unit 21 is provided with a flow rate detection sensor Sv for detecting the flow rate of the gas flow in the pipe 25. The detection information of the flow velocity detection sensor Sv is sent to the control computer 28, and is used for power generation and traveling control. That is, the control computer 28 is configured to individually control and control the above-described power generation system and the traveling motor 26 as a drive system.

The control itself will be described. When the flow velocity of the airflow detected by the flow velocity detection sensor Sv is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the traveling motor 26 is stopped and the in-pipe traveling device 20 is stopped.
Is stopped, and the windmill 32 and the generator 31 are operated to perform power generation and charging. On the other hand, when the flow velocity of the airflow is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the traveling motor 26 is operated to move the position of the in-pipe traveling device 20 and stop the windmill 32 and the generator 31. By performing such a control, it is possible to avoid that the in-pipe traveling device travels in a head wind, for example, and consumes more power than necessary for normal traveling when the vehicle is not in a head wind state, and effectively in this state. It is possible to effectively convert the energy of the gas into electric energy. (In the example shown in the following simulation, when this control is performed, if the gas flow rate is 20 m / s and the gas flows for 1 hour, 130 w of energy can be saved, and 30% of the energy can be extracted as electric energy. In this case, 39w can be used for charging the battery.)

The outer shape of the machine base of the first unit 21 is a streamlined shape so as to be effective for exerting the performance of the wind turbine 32 disposed on the tip end side.
A speed-increasing device 36 is disposed between the two, and a configuration is adopted in which the rotation speed of the windmill 32 is increased to a charge start voltage or more.

Further, the axis of the wind turbine 32 is arranged on the opposite side to the wheel mounting side of the first unit 21. The occupied area of the wind turbine 32 is about 70% of the total cross-sectional area of the piping cross section. Is adopted. this is,
This is a procedure for the first unit 21 to bend a T-junction having a 90-degree bend in the vertical direction.

The wind turbine 32 and the in-pipe traveling device 20 of the present application are described below.
A simulation of the power transfer condition will be described. (B) Possibility of power generation and charging by the wind turbine 32 Now, when the gas flow velocity Vgt in the pipe is 5 m / s, the radius R of the wind turbine is 0.07 m, and a medium speed wind turbine of TSR = 4 is adopted as the wind turbine, Of rotation is 45 rps (2700
rpm). In this case, the condition of the rotation speed (1000 rpm or more) for obtaining the charging start voltage required for charging is sufficiently satisfied.

(B) Power that can be taken in from the gas flow (1) When the first unit 21 is stopped in the pipeline to generate power by the windmill, the pressure difference of the gas flow passing through the windmill is ΔP = 0.05 kg.
/ Cm ² gas flow velocity Vgt Vgt = 1 m /
When the specific weight of the gas is γ and the diameter of the pipe through which the gas is flowing is D = 0.15 m, the energy Q (w) that the fluid loses per second is

[0020]

(Equation 1) Thus, Q = 87w. Here, when the energy conversion efficiency e is 0.4, the power generation energy L is L = Q × e = 87 × 0.4 = 35w. For example, in the case of a gas pipe as in the present application, 15 to 24 hours per day Since the wind speed of 1 m / s or more can be secured, the power generation energy obtained from this system is at least 1
525 WH per day.

(2) In the case where the first unit 21 runs in the pipeline in opposition to the flow of gas and generates power by means of a windmill in this state, the gas density Pgt is set to 0.271 kg · s ² / m ^4. (20 ° C., 3 atm) When the cross-sectional area A of the traveling device is 70% of the cross-sectional area of the pipe, the drag coefficient of the traveling device is Cd 4, and the flow velocity of the gas flow is Vgt.
gf) is Pw = Pgt × A × Cd × Vgt ² × 1/2 Further, the drag per unit time when the in-pipe traveling device 20 advances at a traveling speed Vt = 5 m / s against the wind speed in the pipe. Energy Q (w) is energy conversion efficiency e
Is 0.8, Q = Pw × Vt × 1/60 × g × e. The relationship between the gas flow velocity and the drag energy Q is shown in FIG.
Is shown in In FIG. 3, the vertical axis represents the drag energy Q, and the horizontal axis represents the gas flow velocity Vgt.

Referring to FIG. 3, the gas flow rate Vgt = 2
Assuming that the gas flows at 0 m / s for one hour, the drag energy given to the in-pipe traveling device from the gas is 130 w. If 30% of the drag energy can be taken out as electric energy, 3 w
9w can be obtained as a battery charge. As described above, if the vehicle does not travel in a headwind state and is used as a power generation time, 130 w of energy can be saved in this state, and the above-described electric energy can be charged. As described in (1) and (2) above, in the gas supply piping system for so-called city gas or the like, when the configuration of the present application is adopted, it is possible to obtain at least 35 w of electric power.

(C) Energy consumption of the in-pipe traveling device Next, the energy consumption of the above-described in-pipe traveling device 20 will be described. (1) the power required for pipe Mobile device pipe Mobile device to the driving force times t required for advances at a speed Vt Pt, the total mass M _T of the pipe running device, the gravitational acceleration g, the rolling friction coefficient Cr And the adhesion of the magnet wheel to F
c, when the inclination angle of the conduit is a, the density of the natural gas is Pgt, the cross-sectional area of the main body of the in-pipe traveling device is A, and the speed of the natural gas is Vgt, the driving force Pt is expressed by the following equation. Pt = energy consumption _{[M T × g × cos (} a) + Fc] Cr × Vt + M T × g × sin (a) × Vt + Pgt × A × Cd × Vgt 2 × Vt / 2 (2) pipe Mobile device E is the total energy consumed by the in-pipe traveling device, P _{Tt is} the total power at time t, Ps is the power for the working device, Pc is the power for the computer and sensor, T is the total running time, and Ts is the operating time of the working device. Assuming that the mechanical-electrical energy conversion rate is e, the energy consumption E is represented by the following equation.
_{E = ∫P Tt dt = ∫ (} Ps + Pc + Pt / e) dt = T × Pc + Ts × Ps + 1 / e∫P t dt (3) Mb mass of required mass battery battery, the total weight of the non-battery M
s, the energy density per unit mass of the battery is B, and the mass of the battery is as follows. Mb = M _T −Ms = E / B That is, B × Mb = T × Pc + Ts × Ps + 1 / e∫P _t dt From this, Mb = ｛B− (1 / e) × g × ∫ [Cr × cos (a) + Si
n (a)] × V _t dt｝ ⁻¹ × ｛T × Pc + Ts × Ps +
(1 / e) ∫ [Ms × g (C _r × cos (a) + sin (a)) +
Fc × Cr + Pgt × A × Cd × Vgt 2/2] × V t
dt｝

(4) Specific examples related to the in-pipe device (4-1) Mass of each part of the in-pipe traveling device

[0025]

[Table 1] (4-2) traveling speed V _t forward 2 m / min way back 5 m / min (4-3) of the pipe Mobile device gas flow rate Vgt = 5 m / s (4-4 ) of the wheel and the tube wall rolling friction coefficient Cr =
0.1 (4-5) Adhesive force of wheel magnet Fc = 40.8 kgf (4-6) Gas density Pgt = 0.271 kg · s ²
/ M ⁴ (20 ° C, 3 atm) (4-7) Cross-sectional area of pipe running device A = 0.00883
m ² (4-8) Power for working equipment provided in the third unit
Ps = 20 w (4-9) Control computer and detection first sensor power provided in the first unit Pc = 5 w (4-10) Mechanical-electric energy conversion efficiency e = 0.
8 (4-11) Drag coefficient Cd = 1

(5) Simulation of energy consumption of in-pipe traveling apparatus Under the above conditions, conditions when the in-pipe traveling apparatus is driven in a predetermined area of Takata Kaido, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi will be described below. Mt: Total mass of the in-pipe traveling device Mt 13.2 kg Vt: Speed of the in-pipe traveling device (going) Vt 2 m / min Velocity of the in-tube traveling device (return) Vt 5 m / min Vgt: Gas flow rate (going) Vgt 5 m / s Gas flow velocity (return) Vgt-5 m / s Total required travel 948 m (predetermined area of Takada Highway, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto) Predetermined height difference Predetermined number of bends The calculation results of this simulation result are shown in FIG.
In this figure, the horizontal axis indicates the traveling distance of the in-pipe traveling device, and the vertical axis indicates power consumption. In this case, the working device 35 mounted on the third unit is performing the work on the outward route, and the work is not performed on the return route. In such an operation, the total energy consumption is 124 WH, which indicates that the power generation by the wind turbine 32 in the stopped state is sufficient. Here, since the energy density of the Ni-Cd battery is 28 WH / kg, the weight of the battery in this case is 4.4 kg, which is almost a value close to the expected battery weight.

[Another Embodiment] Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below. (A) In the above embodiment, the flow velocity detection sensor Sv
, The flow rate of the gas in the pipe 25 is directly detected, and the power generation system and the drive system are controlled by the control computer 28 in accordance with this value. During high hours (for example,
From 15:00 to 19 during the day in the city gas supply pipe
At this time, the flow velocity is the fastest (20 to 30 m / s). ),
The control computer 28 may be configured to operate based on information such as a location where a high flow velocity is always obtained at a specific portion in the pipe. Thus, referred to the information underlying the decision by the control computer with the information of the air flow, referred to as site and information means having the information, for example, when detecting the flow rate of the gas directly, the flow rate detection sensor, which In the case of time and place, a timer and a storage device correspond to this.

(B) Further, the flow path in the working section is T
The portion in the shape of a letter is stored in advance in the in-pipe traveling device 20, and at this position only the first unit 21 as shown in FIG. You can also put it. In this case, since the influence of the second and third units 22 and 23 can be ignored, the performance of the wind turbine 32 can be favorably operated.

(C) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the pipe to be worked on which the in-pipe traveling device 20 travels is a gas pipe has been described. In the present invention, however, it is sufficient if the fluid flowing through the pipe is a gas. The effect of the windmill 32 can be expected.

(D) Further, as the batteries 29 and 33, a lead battery, an alkaline battery, and the above-mentioned Ni-
Any device such as a Cd battery can be used as needed.

In the claims, reference numerals are provided for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the attached drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall structure of a tube running device of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of a first unit of the in-pipe traveling device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of a drag energy received by the in-pipe traveling device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of energy consumption of the in-pipe traveling device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another power generation state.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional in-pipe traveling device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 traveling device in pipe 25 pipe 26 driving means 28 power generation control means 29 battery 31 generator 32 windmill

────────────────────────────────────────────────── (5) References JP-A-62-137546 (JP, A) JP-A-60-222764 (JP, A) JP-A-1-59856 (JP, U) (58) Survey Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B61B 13/10 F16L 55/18

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An in-pipe traveling device (20) traveling in a pipe (25), wherein the in-pipe traveling device (20) has a windmill (32) that is driven to rotate by a flow of gas flowing in the pipe. A generator (31) for generating power by rotation of a windmill (32), a battery (29) for storing power obtained by the generator (31), and a power supply in the pipe by the power stored in the battery (29). A driving means (26) for driving the traveling device (20), and further comprising: a flow velocity of an airflow flowing through the pipe (25);
Information related to the flow direction uptake by the information unit, the information related to the flow velocity or flow direction of the gas flow,
Stopping the driving means (26), and
(32), a power generation state for operating the generator (31)
And actuating the driving means (26),
Running state in which the wind turbine (32) and the generator (31) are stopped
An in-pipe traveling device provided with a control means (28) for switching between states. Wherein information of the gas stream flowing through the tube (25) is a velocity of the air current, together with the information means is a flow rate detection sensor (Sv) for detecting the flow rate in the tube, said control means (28) However, when the flow velocity of the airflow is a certain value or more, the power generation state and
And, when the flow velocity of the airflow is equal to or less than a certain value, the traveling state and
The in- pipe traveling device according to claim 1, wherein 3. A time zone in which the flow velocity of the airflow increases, or
The position of the pipe (25) where the flow velocity is large is stored in advance,
The information stored in advance, said tube (25) and information means for obtaining information related to the velocity of the air current flowing through the information by pipe Mobile device associated with the flow velocity of the gas stream (2
An in-pipe traveling device provided with a control means (28) for controlling traveling and traveling stop of 0).