Device for inspecting a pipe, in particular with regard to clandestine tapping
AssigneeSociete des Transports Petroliers Par Pipeline Trapil
InventorsMarc Radisson, Stephane Benichou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for inspecting a pipe, includes a scraper carriage, substantially cylindrical about an axis coinciding with an axis of the pipe and which is inserted into the pipe and propelled by a liquid transported by the pipe, and a measurer carried by the carriage. The measurer includes a first crown, carrying a first set of ultrasound transducers, arranged on a first circle centered on the axis and of diameter substantially equal to an inside diameter of the pipe, alternating a transmitting ultrasound transducer and a receiving ultrasound transducer, arranged so that a wave transmitted by a transmitting ultrasound transducer is reflected, by a wall of the pipe facing it, towards a counterpart receiving ultrasound transducer.
Claims14
A device for inspecting a pipe, the device comprising:
- a scraper carriage, substantially cylindrical about a carriage axis substantially coinciding with an axis of the pipe which is inserted into the pipe and propelled by a liquid transported by the pipe;
- a measurer carried by the carriage comprising a first crown, carrying a first plurality of ultrasound transducers, arranged on a first circle centered on the carriage axis and of a diameter substantially equal to a diameter of the pipe;
- and
- wherein the plurality of ultrasound transducers comprises alternating groups of transmitting ultrasound transducers and groups of receiving ultrasound transducers,
- each group of transmitting ultrasound transducers comprising a first transmitting transducer offset from a second transmitting ultrasound transducer by an angle less than 1 degree measured about the carriage axis;
- each group of receiving ultrasound transducers comprising a first receiving ultrasound transducer offset from a second receiving ultrasound transducer by the angle less than 1 degree;
- the first transmitting ultrasound transducer being arranged so that a first wave transmitted thereby is reflected by a wall of the pipe towards the first receiving ultrasound transducer;
- and
- the second transmitting ultrasound transducer being arranged so that a second wave transmitted thereby is reflected by the wall of the pipe towards the second receiving ultrasound transducer.
A method comprising:
- controlling a plurality of ultrasound transducers coupled to a carriage having a carriage axis to emit waves, the plurality of ultrasound transducers comprising groups of transmitting ultrasound transducers each comprising a first transmitting ultrasound transducer offset from a second transmitting ultrasound transducer by an angle less than 1 degree measured about the carriage axis;
- transmitting from a first transmitting ultrasound transducer of the group of transmitting transducers a first wave that is reflected by a wall of the pipe towards a first receiving ultrasound transducer of a group of receiving ultrasound transducers comprising the first receiving ultrasound transducer and a second receiving ultrasound transducer offset by the angle less than 1 degree measured about the carriage axis;
- transmitting from a second transmitting ultrasound transducer of the group of transmitting transducers a second wave that is reflected by the wall of the pipe towards the second receiving ultrasound transducer;
- measuring the first wave and the second wave reflected by the pipe to form measurements;
- and
- analyzing the measurements to a characteristic of the pipe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.