Pipeline corrosion sensing device and method
AssigneeUnion Oil Company of California
InventorsGlenn A. Marsh, Robert F. Buhl
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Abstract
The invention provides a sensing device and method to determine irregularities of a pipeline wall arising from corrosion, pitting, gouges, scale and deposits, and dents causing out of round conditions. This sensing device may be carried through a pipeline by a pipeline pig and comprises radial, movable spring-loaded sensing fingers adapted to continuously contact the pipeline inner surface, said sensing fingers preferably being secured to a fluid-tight drum. The sensing fingers are acoustically connected to one or more microphones, which may be confined within the interior chamber of the fluid-tight drum. The microphones, in turn, are electrically connected to a recording device for recording the audio signal the sensing fingers make as they move through the pipeline.
Claims11
A device to determine conditions in or on the interior walls of a pipeline arising from corrosion, pitting, gouges, scratches, deposits, and dents which comprises a pipeline pig suitably arranged with radial, spring-loaded fingers adapted to contact the interior walls of a pipeline, said sensing fingers being acoustically connected to a microphone and said microphone being electrically connected to a recording device.
A device adapted to determine the corrosion on the interior walls of a pipeline which comprises:
- (a) a forward drive cup,
- (b) a rearward drive cup, each drive cup having a circumference slightly greater than the internal diameter of a pipeline and being resilient to provide a fluid-tight seal within said pipeline,
- (c) a central bar securing and spacing said drive cups to provide a chamber section between said drive cups,
- (d) a drum-shaped housing, confined within said chamber section, said housing being coaxial with and secured to said central bar, and having a diameter less than the internal diameter of the pipeline,
- (e) a plurality of radially extending spring-loaded sensing fingers uniformly spaced about the axis of said drum-shaped housing and adapted to contact the interior walls of the pipeline,
- (f) a microphone confined within the interior chamber of said drum-shaped housing in acoustic communication with said sensing fingers, and
- (g) recording means positioned within said chamber section and adapted to record an audio signal from said microphone.
A sensing device for use with a pipeline pig and adaptable to measure corrosion of or deposits on the interior pipeline walls which comprises a drum-shaped housing, a plurality of radially extending sensing fingers uniformly spaced about the circumference of said housing and adapted to continuously contact the interior pipeline walls, a microphone secured within said housing in acoustic communication with said fingers and means to transmit an audio signal from said microphone to a recorder.
A device adapted to determine the corrosion of or deposits on the interior walls of a pipeline which comprises:
- (a) sensing means comprising a plurality of fingers adapted to contact the interior surface of the pipeline walls,
- (b) a microphone in acoustic communication with said fingers, and
- (c) recording means to record an audio signal from said microphone.
A method for detecting the corrosion of or deposits on the interior walls of a pipeline which comprises contacting said interior walls with a plurality of sensing fingers, moving said sensing fingers through the pipeline to generate an audio signal, passing said audio signal through a microphone to generate an electrical signal, and recording said electrical signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.