Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop a robot for non-destructive testing of the pipelines to improve its reliability and reduce the loss of products due to cracks, corrosions, etc.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, an inline inspection robot was developed for crack and corrosion detection in the pipeline. The developed robot consists of ultrasonic sensors to avoid obstacles, a visual aid with high resolution to view real time images and colour sensors for corrosion detection. The Autodesk inventor software was used for the drafting and solid modelling of the robot. A dummy pipe of 500 mm diameter and 2,000 mm length with induced cracks and corrosion was fabricated to test the robot. The colour sensors placed at each side of the robot were used to detect corrosion in the dummy pipe whilst the image processing was done to analyse the crack, as well as the type and depth of corrosion present in the dummy pipe.

Findings

The results obtained show the ability of the developed robot to detect cracks and determine the crack growth in the pipeline in addition to its ability to determine corrosion.

Practical implications

Hence, the study provides a diagnostic tool for detecting pipeline defects and analysing the extent of defects to determine the fatigue rate and the useful life of the pipeline.

Originality/value

The novelties of this study is based on the fact that it was designed to avoid obstacles and check for cracks, leakage and corrosion in pipelines autonomously. It has visual aid that makes it possible to see the interior of the pipe. This makes it easier to identify the defect and the location of the defects before a catastrophic failure. The device is also equipped with sensors, which can detect defects and send the signal to a control system, as well as a Bluetooth device so the operator can have real time information about the state and integrity of the pipelines. The system is also integrated with a Bluetooth device, which permits its compatibility with Android and other mobile applications. Thus, the enabled user can send a command to query the state of the pipeline at any location with the feedback received in the form of short message service. Hence, this study offers contribution in the development of an independent (self-governing) system with the capability to autonomously detect defects in pipe walls and effectively communicate feedback to the authorised users. The prototype model for the evaluation of pipeline integrity will bring about a more proactive way to detect pipeline defects so that effort can be geared towards its restoration before it becomes a major problem, which will subsequently affect productivity and incur losses.

中文翻译：

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开发用于检测管道缺陷的在线检测机器人

目的

本研究的目的是开发一种用于管道无损检测的机器人，以提高其可靠性并减少由于裂缝、腐蚀等造成的产品损失。

设计/方法/方法

在这项研究中，开发了一种在线检测机器人，用于管道中的裂纹和腐蚀检测。开发的机器人由用于避开障碍物的超声波传感器、用于查看实时图像的高分辨率视觉辅助设备和用于腐蚀检测的颜色传感器组成。Autodesk Inventor 软件用于机器人的绘图和实体建模。制造了一个直径为 500 毫米、长度为 2,000 毫米、带有诱发裂纹和腐蚀的假管来测试机器人。放置在机器人每一侧的颜色传感器用于检测假管中的腐蚀，同时进行图像处理以分析裂纹以及假管中存在的腐蚀类型和深度。

发现

获得的结果表明，开发的机器人除了具有确定腐蚀的能力外，还具有检测裂纹和确定管道中裂纹扩展的能力。

实际影响

因此，该研究为检测管道缺陷和分析缺陷程度以确定管道的疲劳率和使用寿命提供了一种诊断工具。

原创性/价值

这项研究的新颖之处在于它旨在自动避开障碍物并检查管道中的裂缝、泄漏和腐蚀。它有视觉辅助，可以看到管道的内部。这使得在发生灾难性故障之前更容易识别缺陷和缺陷位置。该设备还配备了传感器，可以检测缺陷并将信号发送到控制系统，以及蓝牙设备，因此操作员可以获得有关管道状态和完整性的实时信息。该系统还集成了蓝牙设备，可与 Android 和其他移动应用程序兼容。因此，启用的用户可以通过短信服务形式收到反馈，发送命令查询任意位置的管道状态。因此，本研究为开发独立（自治）系统做出了贡献，该系统能够自主检测管壁缺陷并有效地将反馈传达给授权用户。用于评估管道完整性的原型模型将带来一种更积极主动的方式来检测管道缺陷，以便在它成为一个主要问题之前努力进行修复，这将影响生产力并造成损失。这项研究为开发独立（自治）系统做出了贡献，该系统能够自主检测管壁缺陷并有效地将反馈传达给授权用户。用于评估管道完整性的原型模型将带来一种更积极主动的方式来检测管道缺陷，以便在它成为一个主要问题之前努力进行修复，这将影响生产力并造成损失。这项研究为开发独立（自治）系统做出了贡献，该系统能够自主检测管壁缺陷并有效地将反馈传达给授权用户。用于评估管道完整性的原型模型将带来一种更积极主动的方式来检测管道缺陷，以便在它成为一个主要问题之前努力进行修复，这将影响生产力并造成损失。