Pipeline Inspection Using a Low-cost Wifi Based Intelligent Pigging Solution

Abstract

This study presents a low-cost smart pipeline inspection gauge (PIG) designed for pipeline defect (leakage) detection, and for quick data access and recovery for the purpose of analysis, utilizing locally sourced materials and off-the- shelf sensors and electronics. The PIG’ electronic circuit is designed to house the sensors and allow for easy reception and transfer of pressure measurements to the pipeline manager’s laptop via a WiFi module. A pressure sensor, a motion sensor, a wireless communicator, and an Arduino Microcontroller are utilized in the development of this PIG. The PIG was tested experimentally by being put through stationary, no load-no defect, and no load-defect tests respectively. The PIG was kept still during the stationary tests but was conveyed within a 160 mm diameter Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) conduit with a length of 6.7 m for both the no load-no defect and no load-defect tests, using a 0.125 Hp direct current (DC) motor, with a gearbox attachment to pull from one end to the other. Using a WiFi module and the PuTTY program, the pressure values were retrieved. The test results revealed that P1 (front pressure) values were higher than P2 (rear pressure) values for the no load tests. P1 readings ranged from 1213 to 1214 Pa, with an average of 1213.86 Pa for the no load-no defect tests. The average P2 value was 1094.24 Pa, with a range of 1094.24 Pa to 1094.75 Pa. The pressure values for the no load-defect cases began at 1226.8 Pa and steadily decreased for the first 1.5 minutes, then remained at an average of 1214.2 Pa for the next 20 seconds until they arrived at the first defected point, where a value of 1216.1 Pa was recorded. The PIG traversed the pipeline until it had caught all of the pressure pulses at the defective sites. The higher pressure pulses (spikes) observed at the points of defects created along the pipeline in the experimental results from the no load-defect tests indicates that the Smart PIG was capable of detecting the created defects and demonstrated that the low-cost Smart PIG can be used to detect leakages on a pipe and can also be deployed in real life situations.