Fluid Pipeline Leak Detection and Location with Miniature RF Tags

• US 20140306809A1
• Filed: 03/28/2014
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Original Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Inventors: McIntyre, Timothy J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,651,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.42
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/005 using pigs or moles G01M3/246, G01M3/2823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/2807 for pipes G01M3/2892, G01M3/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/00 Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion G06K1/00; pattern recognition G06F18/00; arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding G06V10/00; character recognition, recognising digital ink or document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00

Abstract

Sensors locate troublesome leaks in pipes or conduits that carry a flowing medium. These sensors, through tailored physical and geometric properties, preferentially seek conduit leaks or breaches due to flow streaming. The sensors can be queried via transceivers outside the conduit or located and interrogated inside by submersible unmanned vehicle to identify and characterize the nature of a leak. The sensors can be functionalized with other capabilities for additional leak and pipeline characterization if needed. Sensors can be recovered from a conduit flow stream and reused for future leak detection activities.

Claims

1. A system for detecting and locating a breach in a conduit that is carrying a fluid medium, the system comprising:

a plurality of uniquely identifiable Radio Frequency (RF) tags for introducing into the conduit at an upstream point;

a first transceiver, said first transceiver for being disposed on the outside of the conduit and proximate to the upstream point;

a second transceiver, said second transceiver for being disposed on the outside of the conduit and proximate to a downstream point, the downstream point located downstream of the upstream point in the direction that the medium is flowing; and

wherein all of said uniquely identifiable RF tags communicate individually with said first transceiver and only said uniquely identifiable RF tags that pass through the conduit without encountering a breach communicate individually with said second transceiver.

2. The breach detection system as recited in claim 1 and further comprising a pipeline inspection gauge (pig) having a third transceiver for introducing into an upstream point of the conduit for locating any uniquely identifiable RF tags that have encountered a breach in the conduit.

3. The breach detection system as recited in claim 1 and further comprising a timing device for measuring the differential time it takes for a particular uniquely identifiable RF tag to communicate with said first transceiver and then communicate with said second transceiver.

4. The breach detection system as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of uniquely identifiable Radio Frequency (RF) tags further includes a sensor pod that also surrounds a sensor for measuring a fluid medium parameter chosen from the group consisting of flow velocity, bulk flow rate, turbidity, pH, and temperature.

5. The breach detection system as recited in claim 4 wherein said sensor pod further includes ballast that tailors the buoyancy of said sensor pod in the fluid medium.

6. The breach detection system as recited in claim 5 wherein the ballast is configured to provide neutral buoyancy.

7. The breach detection system as recited in claim 5 wherein the ballast is configured to provide positive buoyancy.

8. The breach detection system as recited in claim 5 wherein the ballast is configured to provide negative buoyancy.

9. The breach detection system as recited in claim 5 wherein the ballast is configured to provide increased buoyancy over time.

10. The breach detection system as recited in claim 5 wherein the ballast is configured to provide decreased buoyancy over time.

11. A method of detecting and locating a breach in a conduit carrying a fluid medium comprising the steps of:

a. locating a first transceiver on the outside of the conduit at a location that is proximate to an upstream point;

b. locating a second transceiver on the outside of the conduit at a location that is proximate to a downstream point, the downstream point being located downstream of the upstream point in the direction that the fluid medium flows;

c. introducing a plurality of uniquely identifiable Radio Frequency (RF) tags into the fluid medium at the upstream point;

d. communicating with said plurality of uniquely identifiable Radio Frequency (RF) tags with said first transceiver at a first time;

e. communicating with the uniquely identifiable Radio Frequency (RF) tags that pass through the conduit without encountering a breach with said second transceiver at a second time that is later than the first time; and

f. comparing the communications of steps d) and e) to determine if any of the plurality of uniquely identifiable Radio Frequency (RF) tags that were present at the upstream point are not present at the downstream point.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising the step of:

g. introducing a pipeline inspection gauge (pig) having a third transceiver into the conduit to locate any uniquely identifiable RF tags that have encountered a breach in the conduit.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the introducing step includes introducing at least one sensor pod that surrounds one of the uniquely identifiable Radio Frequency (RF) tags and a sensor that measures a fluid medium parameter chosen from the group consisting of flow velocity, bulk flow rate, turbidity, pH, and temperature.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the sensor pod sensor pod includes ballast that tailors the buoyancy of said sensor pod in the fluid medium.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the ballast is configured to provide neutral buoyancy.

16. The method recited in claim 14 wherein the ballast is configured to provide positive buoyancy.

17. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the ballast is configured to provide negative buoyancy.

18. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the ballast is configured to provide increased buoyancy over time.

19. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the ballast is configured to provide decreased buoyancy over time.

20. A conduit inspection system comprising:

a plurality of uniquely identifiable Radio Frequency (RF) tags that are introduced into a fluid medium within a conduit so that one or more of the plurality of uniquely identifiable Radio Frequency (RF) tags becomes lodged within a breach in the conduit; and

wherein a transceiver communicates with said one or more of the uniquely identifiable Radio Frequency (RF) tags that are lodged in the breach so that the location of the breach may be determined.