KR20100039553A - System and method for managing pipeline - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A system and a method for managing a pipeline are provided to measure damage to a pipeline and to quickly repair a damaged pipeline when a damaged pipeline is discovered. CONSTITUTION: A system for managing a pipeline comprises: a generator(110) for transforming energy, which is generated in a pipeline, including vibration energy and electrical energy; a condenser(120) which accumulates the electrical energy; a sensor(130) which measures pressure, temperature, pollution level, or flow rate in the pipeline using the electrical energy; a communication unit(140) which transmits the measured data from the sensor to the outside; and a controller(150) which controls the generator, the condenser, the sensor, and the communication unit.

Description

System and method for managing pipeline

The present invention relates to a pipeline management system and method, and more particularly, to a pipeline management system and method for managing pipelines in real time through various measurement data in pipelines measured using energy harvesting technology and sonar communication technology. will be.

The water and sewage system in Korea has a history of about 100 years, and as the history of the water is old, the aging of water and sewage systems is rapidly progressing, and the damage of water and sewage pipes caused by old pipes or various causes is leaked. Causes a phenomenon.

For example, the amount of flow of tap water produced in our water purification plant is 80.2%, which is much lower than that of Europe, the United States, and Japan. have.

As such, the leakage phenomenon is not only a loss of water resources, but also a need for additional pressurization equipment due to pressure loss and a weakening of the soil around the pipeline where the leak occurred, which makes it difficult to maintain water and sewage pipes, thereby causing serious economic problems. Cause loss.

In addition, in the pipelines such as gas pipes and oil pipelines, as in the water and sewage pipes, damage to the pipelines caused by aging and various causes may cause gas or oil leakage.

This is also not only a loss of energy resources, but also causes pollution around the pipeline where a gas or oil leak has occurred, resulting in serious economic losses and environmental pollution.

Therefore, it is important to secure the stability of the buried or installed pipelines. To this end, the damaged parts of the pipelines are detected before the damage due to the pipelines is broken, thereby preventing leakage, gas or oil leakage, or There is a need for a way to quickly repair broken parts.

However, most of them identify the symptoms and signs of leaks, gas leaks, or oil leaks, and if they are already in progress, they detect pipelines and repair broken parts of the detected pipelines. The meaning of the page is big.

In addition, since the manager visits and checks the damaged part, it takes a lot of time to detect the damaged part and real-time monitoring is impossible.

Therefore, it is urgent to prepare a method that can effectively monitor the pipeline in real time to prevent the damage caused by the damage of the pipeline.

The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and manages various measurement data in the pipeline measured using energy harvesting technology and underwater sound communication technology in real time, and detects the breakage of the pipeline in real time using the same. It aims to effectively prevent damage caused by breakage of pipelines.

In order to achieve the above object, the pipeline management system according to the present invention includes a power generation unit, a power storage unit, a sensing unit, a communication unit, and a control unit.

The power generation unit converts energy generated in the pipeline including vibration energy into electrical energy, the power storage unit stores the electrical energy, and the sensing unit includes at least one of pressure, temperature, pollution degree, and flow rate in the pipeline by using the stored electrical energy. Measure the observations.

In addition, the communication unit transmits the measured values of the observation elements measured by the sensing unit to the outside, and the control unit controls the power generation unit, power storage unit, the sensing unit, and the communication unit, and performs a communication relay function.

In addition, the pipeline management system according to the present invention may further include a cell base which is installed in the power generation unit, power storage unit, sensing unit, communication unit, and the control unit, and configured to be installed in the pipeline according to the temperature change.

In addition, the cell base may be unfolded at room temperature, folded at a high temperature, and a plurality of cell bases may be installed at predetermined intervals inside the pipeline.

In addition, the communication unit uses ultrasonic waves to transmit the measurement data to the communication unit installed in the cell base proximate the transmission direction of the measurement data, and when an abnormality occurs in the communication unit of the cell base proximate the transmission direction of the measurement data, the control signal from the control unit In accordance with the present invention, the measurement data can be transmitted to the communication unit of the subsequent cell base.

The pipeline management system using the sensor according to the present invention may further include a central controller, which receives the measurement data of the observation elements from the communication unit and detects whether the pipeline is damaged by comparing with the steady state measurement value.

As a pipeline management method performed using a plurality of pipeline management modules spaced apart from each other according to the present invention for achieving the above object,

(a) each pipeline management module converting energy generated in the pipeline including vibration energy into electrical energy; (b) each pipeline management module stores electrical energy; and (c) each pipeline management module is stored. Measuring observation elements including at least one of pressure, temperature, pollution degree, and flow rate in the pipeline using electrical energy; (d) each pipeline management module measures measured data of measured observation elements using a communication relay function; And transmitting to a conduit management module proximate in the transmission direction of the data.

In addition, when an error occurs in the pipeline management module close to the transmission direction of the measurement data in step (d), the measurement data may be transmitted to the subsequent pipeline management module.

In addition, the ultrasonic wave may be used to transmit the measurement data in step (d).

In addition, in the pipeline management method according to the present invention, (e) receiving the measurement data of the observation elements from the final pipeline management module may further comprise the step of detecting whether the pipeline damaged by comparing with the steady-state measurement data.

According to the present invention, since the pipeline is managed in real time through various measurement data in the pipeline measured using the energy harvesting technology and the underwater sound wave communication technology, the manager can measure the damage of the pipeline without having to perform the pipeline failure measurement on the site. If there is a pipeline breakage, the pipeline breakage can be repaired within the shortest time, thereby effectively preventing damage caused by the breakage.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to more clearly understand the present invention, the same reference numerals are used for the same components in different drawings.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing an embodiment of a conduit management system configuration according to the present invention.

The pipeline management system according to the present invention includes a plurality of pipeline management modules including a power generation unit 110, a power storage unit 120, a sensing unit 130, a communication unit 140, a control unit 150, and a cell base 160. 100 and the central control unit 200 is included.

The power generation unit 110 converts the energy generated in the pipeline including the vibration energy into electrical energy. The piezoelectric body is mainly used for converting vibration energy into electrical energy, but a technique capable of substituting the piezoelectric body may be applied.

The electrical storage unit 120 stores the electrical energy converted by the power generation unit 110 by using the thin film storage battery. The electrical storage unit 120 may be minimized as much as possible to minimize the damage caused by the oil shock in the tube.

The sensing unit 130 measures the observation elements including at least one of pressure, temperature, pollution degree, and flow rate in the pipeline by using the electrical energy stored in the power storage unit 120.

The sensing unit 130 calculates the amount of energy consumed by the communication unit 140 and the controller 150 to be described later and the amount of energy consumed by the sensing unit 130, and the communication frequency and power generation unit 110 according to time. Capacity, it should be manufactured in consideration of the storage capacity of the power storage unit 120.

 As described above, a technique of converting and storing vibration energy into electrical energy and using the stored energy is called an energy harvesting technology.

Energy harvesting technology is one of the representative clean energy systems that can draw the required energy from the surrounding environment.It is precisely the difference between thermal energy, light energy, electromagnetic field and vibration energy. It refers to a technology that directly converts energy such as (Vibrational energy) into electrical energy through a conversion material or directly generates voltage / current through electromagnetic effects in a coil by using electromagnetic waves.

Using the energy harvesting technology, for example, vibrational energy is converted into electrical energy using piezoelectric, electrostatic and electromagnetic effects (e.g. functional shoes), and thermal energy is converted into electrical energy using the thermoelectric effect ( For example, thermocouples), light energy is converted into electrical energy using the photoelectric effect (eg, solar cells).

In particular, the technology using vibration, although its efficiency is lower than that of the solar cell, it can be applied as a power supply for small and smaller devices, and has an advantage of being applied to ultra-low power embedded electronic devices.

Looking more closely at these vibration energy harvesting technologies, they have an energy storage subsystem, usually in the form of capacitors, because of their ability to acquire very little energy over a long period of time. And unlike light energy harvesting technology, the device does not need to be exposed to the outside, which is advantageous for use in embedded or embedded devices. It can be applied as a self-powering system for various ubiquitous devices such as aircraft sensors, personal healthcare monitoring systems, and warning systems.

In addition, vibration energy harvesting technology is divided into piezoelectric effect method, electrostatic effect method and electromagnetic effect method according to the material / conversion method as mentioned above.

The piezoelectric effect method uses the phenomenon that electricity is induced when pressure is generated by vibration, and thus has the highest energy conversion efficiency. As piezoelectric materials, polymers, polycrystals, single crystals and composite materials are used, and piezoelectric materials are known to have the best single crystal materials.

The electrostatic effect method uses a phenomenon in which electricity is induced by generating static electricity by vibration, and the energy conversion efficiency is lower than that of the piezoelectric method, but has an advantage of miniaturization.

The electromagnetic effect method uses a phenomenon in which electricity is induced when electromagnetic induction occurs due to vibration, and has a disadvantage of low energy conversion efficiency and difficulty in miniaturization.

In the present invention, the energy harvesting technique using the piezoelectric effect is used among the methods using vibration in order to increase the energy conversion efficiency and to make the miniaturization possible.

The communicator 140 is configured to communicate the measured data of the observation elements measured by the sensing unit 130 to the cell base 160 which is the closest among the cell bases 160 that exist in a plurality at a predetermined distance in the pipeline. In the present invention, it is assumed in the present invention that acoustic communication through oil (using ultrasonic waves) is used, but other techniques for transmitting data in a fluid may also be utilized.

Generally, optical wave or electromagnetic wave, which is widely used as a communication medium, has a sudden signal attenuation phenomenon according to the distance in the water, and ultrasonic waves are the only communication for general purpose underwater communication that can be used in the range of hundreds of meters or more. It is used as a transmission medium.

In water, ultrasonic waves have an inverse relationship between the transmission distance and the frequency characteristic. The higher the frequency, the shorter the transmission distance, and the lower the frequency, the longer the transmission distance.

As such, in order to obtain a high transmission speed with frequency characteristics limited by the transmission distance, an ultrasonic sensor used to generate and receive an ultrasonic signal in the water centered on a center frequency should have a wide frequency bandwidth. The general underwater acoustic communication system is characterized by low transmission rate because it is very difficult to design an ultrasonic sensor with a wide frequency bandwidth with uniform phase and magnitude.

Next, the controller 150 controls the power generation unit 110, the power storage unit 120, the sensing unit 130, and the communication unit 140, and performs a communication relay function.

That is, the controller 150 checks the amount of energy stored in the power storage unit 120 and the amount of energy consumed, and controls the power generation unit 110 to convert an appropriate amount of energy according to the checked amount of energy. Input the measurement request signal of the observation element to the sensing unit 130, so that the sensing unit 130 to measure the observation element periodically from the request signal input point, or control to measure the observation element only when the measurement request signal is input. can do.

In addition, the control unit 150 performs a communication relay function of transmitting the measurement data from the communication unit 140 to the communication unit 140 of the pipeline management module 100 closest to the transmission direction of the measurement data (preset). Control 140.

When the measurement data is transmitted, if an error occurs in the communication unit 140 of the pipeline management module 100 closest to the transmission direction of the measurement data, the communication unit of the sequential pipeline management module 100 according to a control signal input from the controller 150. The measurement data may be transmitted to 140.

The cell base 160 is provided with a power generation unit 110, a power storage unit 120, a sensing unit 130, a communication unit 140, and a control unit 150. It is implemented in a form suitable for installation within.

In other words, the cell base 160 is made of a shape memory alloy and is stretched at room temperature (or low temperature), and is folded at a high temperature.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the pipeline management module 100 in the pipeline management system configuration of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the pipeline management module 100 illustrated in FIG. 2.

As described above, the ring-shaped cell base 160 is provided with a power generation unit 110, a power storage unit 120, a sensing unit 130, a communication unit 140, and a control unit 150. In this case, an auxiliary device such as a latch may be installed to maintain the installation form and the attachment state.

4 illustrates an embodiment in which a plurality of pipeline management modules 100 installed in a pipeline measure an observation element and transmit the measurement data to the pipeline management module 100 closest to the transmission direction of the measurement data to manage the pipeline. Figure is shown.

In the pipeline, four pipeline management modules 100 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are provided at predetermined intervals. Installation of the pipeline management module 100 may be made from the installation apparatus 300. FIG. 5 is a view showing an embodiment of the installation apparatus 300, which will be described with reference to FIG.

The installation apparatus 300 for transporting the pipeline management module 100 to be installed at a predetermined installation point may include a cell base storage unit 310, an installation execution unit 320, and a coordinate derivation unit 330. .

The cell base storage unit 310 may heat the cell base 160 to store the duct management module 100 that is folded in a form that is easy to transport. As described above, the cell base 160 is formed in a ring shape at room temperature (or low temperature), and is folded in a high temperature shape.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a state in which a cell base 160 is heated and folded.

The installation performing unit 320 is folded as shown in FIG. 6 and installs the pipeline management module 100 stored in the cell base storage unit 310 at a predetermined installation point. The form of the pipeline management module 100 ) May be in the form of an arm that is easy to install.

The coordinate derivation unit 330 may derive the absolute coordinates by calculating the relative coordinates of the installation point of the pipeline management module 100. That is, the pipeline management module 100 is installed at a predetermined point in the pipeline, and the absolute coordinate values derived by calculating relative coordinate values between the plurality of pipeline management modules 100 installed are stored in each pipeline management module 100. Input to the included control unit 150.

The coordinate values of the pipeline management module 100 are transmitted together when the above-described observation element measurement data is transmitted to the communication unit 140 included in the other pipeline management module 100, so that any value in any pipeline management module 100 is transmitted. It can be used as important information to make sure that it is measured.

That is, the transmitted observation element measurement data may include an absolute coordinate value of the pipeline management module 100 measuring the observation element, a measurement value of the observation element, time data of measuring the observation element, and the like.

The control unit of (a) which is the first pipeline management module 100 among the four pipeline management modules 100 of (a), (b), (c), and (d) installed from such an installation apparatus 300. 150 receives and stores the absolute coordinate values from the installation apparatus 300, and measures the observation elements in the sensing unit 130 under the control of the controller 150 according to the measurement request signal received from the central controller 200. do.

(a) transmits the measurement data to the communication unit 140 of (b) which is the pipeline management module 100 closest to the transmission direction of the measurement data in (a), and receives the measurement data from (a) (b) The communication unit 140 of (b) measures the observation elements under the control of the control unit 150 installed in (b), and the measured data received from the coordinate value of (b) and (a) together with the value of the measured observation element (c) To send).

As described above, (c) transmits the observation element measurement value and the coordinate value of (c), and the measurement data received from (a) and (b) to (d), and the last channel management module 100 (d) ) Transmits the coordinate values of (d), the measured element measurement values, and the measurement data transmitted from (a), (b), and (c) to the central control unit 200 through wired or wireless communication networks.

The central control unit 200 receives the measurement data from all the pipe management module 100 installed in the pipe from the communication unit 140 of the last pipe management module 100 to compare with the steady state measurement data to detect whether the pipe breakage Can be.

The steady state measurement data means measurement data for each observation element when no damage occurs in the pipeline, and the steady state measurement data is measured within a short time after the system is installed in the pipeline and stored in the central control unit 200. have.

The central controller 200 compares the received measurement data with the steady state measurement data, and if a change occurs in the measurement data (for example, a pressure measurement value and a temperature measurement value drop, a pollution degree measurement value increases, If a change occurs, such as when the flow rate measurement falls, the coordinates received can be used to determine the location where the changed data is measured.

In addition, the central control unit 200 may include or be connected to the notification system to enable real-time response of the person in charge, and may transmit the above-described comparison data in conjunction with other social infrastructure management system.

In this way, by using the pipeline management system 100 according to the present invention, the manager can measure the damage of the pipeline without having to directly measure the damage to the site, and if there is a pipeline damage, repair the pipeline in the shortest time. As a result, damage caused by breakage can be effectively prevented.

7 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a pipeline management method according to the present invention.

In order to measure the observation elements, first, the pipeline management module 100 is installed at a plurality of installation points spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the preset pipeline (S100).

In the power generation unit 110 included in each of the pipeline management modules 100, energy generated in the pipeline including vibration energy is converted into electrical energy and stored in the power storage unit 120 (S200).

When the first pipeline management module 100 receives the observation element measurement request signal from the central controller 200 (S300), the energy is stored in the power storage unit 120 according to the control signal of the controller 140 to observe the power source. Elements are periodically measured or measured only when a request signal is input (S400).

The first pipeline management module 100 is the pipeline management module 100 that is closest to the transmission direction of the measurement data using the communication relay function, and the measurement data including the observation element measurement value and the coordinate values of the first pipeline management module 100. ) To the communication unit 140. In this manner, each conduit management module 100 transmits all measurement data to the last conduit management module 100 (S500). In this case, data may be transmitted in the fluid using ultrasonic waves.

 The last conduit management module 100 transmits the data received from the other conduit management module 100 and the data and coordinate values measured by the last conduit management module 100 to the central control unit 200 through wired or wireless communication networks. In operation S600, the central controller 200 detects whether the pipeline is damaged by comparing the previously stored steady state measurement data with the transmitted data.

In the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described using water and sewage pipes in which water flows in a pipeline, but a moving pipe such as an oil pipeline, a gas pipeline, or a nuclear seawater pipe can be applied to most pipelines that can be completely filled and flowed inside the pipeline. Can be.

So far I looked at the center of the preferred embodiment for the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The scope of the present invention is shown in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing an embodiment of a conduit management system configuration according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a pipeline management module in the pipeline management system configuration of FIG. 1; FIG.

3 is a front view of the pipeline management module shown in FIG. 2;

4 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a plurality of pipeline management modules installed in a pipeline measures an observation element and transmits the measured value to a pipeline management module closest to the transmission direction of the measurement data to manage the pipeline.

5 is a view showing an embodiment of an installation apparatus configuration.

6 is a view showing an embodiment of a state in which the cell base is heated and folded.

7 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a pipeline management method according to the present invention;

Claims (11)

A power generation unit for converting energy generated in the pipeline including vibration energy into electrical energy; A power storage unit for storing the electric energy; A sensing unit measuring at least one of observation elements including at least one of pressure, temperature, pollution degree, and flow rate in a pipeline using the stored electric energy; A communication unit which transmits measurement data of the observation elements measured by the sensing unit to the outside; And A control unit which controls the power generation unit, power storage unit, sensing unit, and communication unit, and performs a communication relay function; Pipeline management system comprising a. The method of claim 1, A cell base in which the power generation unit, the power storage unit, the sensing unit, the communication unit, and the control unit are installed and adapted to be installed in the conduit according to a temperature change; Pipeline management system comprising a further. 3. The method of claim 2, The cell base is, Pipe management system characterized in that it is expanded at room temperature and folded at a high temperature. 3. The method of claim 2, The cell base is, A pipeline management system, characterized in that a plurality is installed in the pipeline at predetermined intervals. 3. The method of claim 2, The communication unit, And an ultrasonic wave to transmit the measurement data to a communication unit installed in a cell base proximate the measurement data transmission direction. The method of claim 5, The communication unit, And an error occurs in the communication unit of the adjacent cell base, and transmits the measurement data to the communication unit of the subsequent cell base according to a control signal from the control unit. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, A central controller which receives the measurement data of the observation elements from the communication unit and detects whether the pipeline is damaged by comparing with the steady state measurement value; Pipeline management system comprising a further. As a pipeline management method performed using a plurality of pipeline management modules spaced apart from each other, (a) converting energy generated in the pipeline including vibration energy into electrical energy by each pipeline management module; (b) storing said electrical energy by each said pipe management module; (c) the pipeline management module using the stored electrical energy to measure observation elements including at least one of pressure, temperature, pollution degree, and flow rate in the pipeline; And (d) transmitting, by the channel management module, the measured data of the measured observation elements to a pipeline management module close to the transmission direction of the measured data using a communication relay function; Pipeline management method comprising a. The method of claim 8, In step (d), If an abnormality occurs in the adjacent pipeline management module, the pipeline management method, characterized in that for transmitting the measurement data to the sequential pipeline management module. The method of claim 8, In step (d), And using ultrasonic waves to transmit the measurement data. The method of claim 8, (e) receiving the measurement data of the observation elements from the final pipeline management module and comparing the steady state measurement data to detect whether the pipeline is broken; Pipeline management method characterized in that it further comprises.

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