RU2148205C1 - Device for revealing and recording position of inwards projecting defects and obstacles in pipeline - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: pipeline transport; main lines. SUBSTANCE: device is designed for revealing defects and obstacles obstructing movement of cleaning and diagnostic means in pipe line, determining their sizes and location. Device has hermetically sealed container installed in housing on which flexible collars are fitted to overlap completely inner section of pipeline. Housing accommodates also tandem-connected path control transducers, electronic unit placed inside container, fault transducer whose stationary part is secured on device housing and movable part is installed on changeable disk hinge- secured on device housing coaxially with collars. Impact recording electronic unit has series-connected meter pulse shapers, path meters, metered path comparator unit, on-line storage unit, storage unit and timer. Metered path values are conveyed to metered path comparator unit and the largest value is stored in on-line storage unit. With fault transducer operating, data from on-line storage unit and from timer is transmitted to storage unit. Device has calibrating disks installed in device housing between collars in several rows at different distances from each other. Definite number of metal plates is mounted on disks. Plates are made as separate truncated sectors of circle or equilateral trapeziums. Plates on each disk differ in height. Plates are mounted on calibrating disks in ascending order of height, with height increasing with in distance between disk and front part of device. Distance between preceding and following disks is either equal to or greater than height of part of plate of preceding disk projecting from disk. EFFECT: enhanced reliability of operation. 1 dwg

Description

 The invention relates to pipeline transport, in particular to the operation of trunk pipelines, and is intended to identify defects protruding into the pipeline and obstructing the movement of treatment and diagnostic tools in the pipeline, their size and locating the detected defects.

 A device for monitoring the condition of the flow cross section of the main pipeline, containing a sealed container with spring elements, in which there is a recording unit with a writing tip and a tape drive mechanism, the recording unit is made in the form of two interconnected hydraulic cavities with pistons, the piston of one of the cavities is connected to a writing tip, and the pistons of the other cavity through traction are connected with spring elements mounted on the container body with the possibility of moving in the longitudinal th direction [1].

 The disadvantage of this device is the inability to determine the location of the identified defects in long (over a dozen kilometers) pipelines, as well as to identify obstacles located in any sector of the circumference of the examined pipe. The device does not have the ability to independently (without a separate carrier) move through the pipeline and determine the actual flow area of the pipeline.

 It is also known a device for examining the inner surface of pipelines, containing a sealed container, flexible cuffs, rigidly fixed to the container body and completely overlapping the internal section of the pipeline, serially connected path sensor (odometer) and an electronic unit located inside the container. Mechanical probes, radially located in the front of the container relative to the longitudinal axis, abut their free ends against the inner surface of one of the cuffs of the device. The probe is attached end to the outer surface of the container on the hinge and pressed against the inner surface of the pipeline using a special clamping spring. The system of operation of the electronic unit of the device provides for the conversion of changes in the output signals of the sensors into a special code and its further registration [2].

 The disadvantage of this device is the complex design of the device and the measuring system for identifying and determining internal pipe defects.

 Closest to the claimed device is a device for detecting and registering the location of defects and obstructions protruding into the movement of the cleaning and diagnostic tools in the pipeline, containing a sealed container mounted in a housing on which elastic cuffs are mounted that completely overlap the internal section of the pipeline, a path sensor connected in series and placed Inside the container is an electronic unit. The device is equipped with a removable disk, rigidly fixed in front of the housing coaxially with the cuffs of the device, a shock sensor mounted inside the container and transmitting a signal to an electronic unit for recording shock, which is equipped with meter pulse pulses connected in series, a path counter, a random access memory unit, buffer registers , current converters and a block of sign-synthesizing indicators, and is also equipped with a block for selecting the shock number and a counter for the number of strokes. One output of the beat number selection block is connected to one of the inputs of the random access memory, and the other output is connected to the input of the number of strokes counter, the outputs of which are connected to the corresponding inputs of the converter.

 The device is also equipped with calibration disks mounted on the device’s body between the cuffs in several rows at a distance from each other, on which metal plates are mounted in the form of separate truncated sectors of a circle or equilateral trapezoid.

 The height of the plates on each disk differs from one another, these plates are mounted on the device’s disks in the order of their height as the disk location is removed from the front of the device, and the distance between the previous and subsequent disks is equal to or greater than the height of the plate protruding from the disk of the previous disk [3].

 The disadvantage of this device is the possibility of damage to the disk in contact with obstacles due to hard fastening it in front of the case, which can lead to an emergency.

 The objective of the invention is to increase the reliability of the device.

 This object is achieved in that the device for detecting and registering the location of defects and obstacles protruding inward in the pipeline contains a sealed container mounted in a housing on which elastic cuffs are mounted that completely cover the internal section of the pipeline, series-connected path sensors and an electronic unit located inside the container, defect sensor, the fixed part of which is fixed on the device body, and the movable part is mounted on a removable disk, articulated fixed to the device case coaxially with the device cuffs. Moving along with the flow of the pumped product through the pipeline, the removable disk, pivotally mounted on the device’s body, is rotated by a certain angle upon contact with a defect, and a defect sensor is triggered, which transmits information about the defect to the electronic unit to register the path traveled by the device.

 The electronic unit contains sequentially connected meter pulse shapers, path counters, a unit for comparing the values of the path counters, a random access memory (RAM) unit, a memory unit (RAM) and a timer connected to the memory unit, and the values of the path counters are transmitted to the value comparison unit track counters, large values of which are stored in RAM, and when defect sensors are triggered, information from the RAM unit and timer is transmitted to the memory unit.

 In order to be able to register defects and obstacles encountered in the movement of cleaning and diagnostic tools in the pipeline in height and width, the device is equipped with calibration discs installed in the device’s body between the cuffs in several rows at different distances from each other, on which a certain number of metal plates are mounted, representing their shape, individual truncated sectors of the circle or equilateral trapezoid, and the height of the plates on each disk is different from each other, and these plates are mounted on the calibration disks in increasing order of their height as the location of the disk moves away from the front of the device, and the distance between the previous and subsequent disks is equal to or greater than the height of the plate protruding from the disk of the previous disk.

 The drawing shows the design of the device and a block diagram of its electronic part. The device comprises an airtight container 1 installed in the housing 2, on which elastic cuffs 3 are fixed, overlapping the internal section of the pipeline 4, sequentially connected path sensors 5 and 7 and measuring wheels 6 and 8. An electronic unit 9 is located inside the container 1. The device is also equipped with a sensor defects 10, the fixed part 11 of which is fixed on the housing 2 of the device, and the movable part 12 is mounted on a removable disk 13, pivotally mounted on the housing 2 of the device. The electronic unit 9 contains series-connected formers of meter pulses 14 and 16, track meters 15 and 17, a unit for comparing the values of the track meters 15 and 17 - 18, a RAM unit 19, a memory unit 20, and a timer 21 connected to the memory unit. The values of the path counters 15 and 17 are transmitted to the unit for comparing the values of the path counters 18, the large values of which are stored in the RAM unit 19, and when the defect sensor 10 is triggered by an impact on the obstacle 25, information from the RAM unit 19 and the timer 21 is transmitted to the memory unit 20.

 To record the height and width dimensions of defects and obstacles encountered when the device is passed through the pipeline, it is equipped with calibration disks 22 mounted on the device body 2 between the cuffs 3 in several rows at different distances from each other, on which a certain number of metal plates are mounted 23 representing in their shape separate truncated sectors of the circle or equilateral trapeziums, moreover, the height of the plates on each disk differs from each other in height, and these plates are mounted s on the calibration disks in increasing order of their height as the disk location is removed from the front of the device, and the distance between the previous and subsequent disks is equal to or greater than the height of the plate portion of the previous row protruding from the disk.

 When the device moves, the measuring wheels 6 and 8 roll along the inner surface of the pipeline 4, while with each revolution of the wheels 6 and 8, the sensors of the path 5 and 7 give signals that are counted in the counters of the path 15 and 17 after the formation of pulses in the formers 14 and 16. Values the counters of the path 15 and 17 are transmitted to the unit for comparing the values of the counters of the path 15 and 17 - 18, in which the values of the counters of the path 15 and 17 are periodically made. And the greater value of the readings of one of the counters is stored in the RAM block 19. When the sensor is triggered defects 10 information from the RAM unit 19 and the timer 21 is recorded in the memory unit 20.

 As the device moves in the pipeline in the memory unit 20, data from RAM 19 is recorded every 10 seconds and every 10 meters of the distance traveled by the device, data from timer 21 is recorded.

 When advancing the device, the calibration plates 23 mounted on the disks 22 record the presence of dents, local tapering, other pipe elements protruding inward in the pipeline, and their maximum height and width, i.e., when the device moves when it encounters a defect or obstacle, the calibration the plates are folded in the direction of movement of the device along the corresponding obstacle to the height and width. The height and width of the obstacle are determined by the deformation of the plates.

 The decoding in the information registered in the memory 20 is carried out on a personal computer as the survey is conducted and the device is removed from the pipeline according to a special program.

The application of the invention will allow:
- increase the reliability of the device due to the fact that the removable disk is pivotally mounted on the device;
- to prevent damage to the removable disk in contact with an obstacle, as eliminates shock loads on the device when moving it;
- increase the safety of work.

Literature
1. USSR author's certificate N 909405, cl. F 17 D 5/00, 1982

 2. UK patent N 1299321, CL F 17 D 5/00.

 3. RF patent N 2088839, cl. F 17 D 5/00, 1997

Claims (1)

 A device for detecting and registering the location of defects and obstacles protruding inward in a pipeline, comprising a sealed container mounted in a housing on which elastic cuffs are mounted that completely cover the internal section of the pipeline, a path sensor connected in series, and an electronic unit located inside the container, a removable disk located coaxially with cuffs of the device, transmitting a signal to an electronic unit for recording shock, which is equipped with series-connected forms by an electronic pulse body, a path counter, a random access memory unit, calibration disks mounted on the device’s body between the cuffs in several rows at a distance from each other, on which metal plates are mounted in the form of individual truncated secrets of a circle or equilateral trapezoid, and the height of the plates on each the disk is different from each other, these plates are mounted on the device’s disks in the order of increasing their height as the disk location is removed from the front of the device, and the distance between the previous and subsequent disks is equal to or greater than the height of the protruding part of the plate of the previous disk, characterized in that the defect sensor is used as an impact sensor, the fixed part of which is fixed to the device body, and the movable part is mounted on a removable disk, hinged to the device case , the latter additionally has a path sensor installed, and the electronic unit additionally contains series-connected meter pulse shapers, a path counter, a unit the values of the path counters, the storage unit and a timer connected to the storage unit, the values of the path counters being transmitted to the unit for comparing the values of the path counters, the greater value of which is stored in the online storage unit, when the defect sensor is triggered, information from the online storage unit and the timer transmitted to the storage unit.