System for obtaining information relating to a pipe, and associated method

• US 8,307,725 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Soletanche Freyssinet (VINCI SA)
• Original Assignee: Soletanche Freyssinet (VINCI SA)
• Inventors: Stubler, Jerome, Hovhanessian, Gilles, Basile, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Raevis, Robert R
• Application Number:
  US12/989,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20110036148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 73/865.8
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/005 using pigs or moles G01M3/246, G01M3/2823 take precedence

Abstract

The invention proposes a system for obtaining information relating to a pipe (4) conveying a flow of fluid (28), and/or relating to the fluid. This system comprises a module (1;30) comprising means (10) of acquiring data, subsequent analysis of which makes it possible to obtain information relating to the pipe and/or the fluid, and means (11) of storing the data which said data acquisition means acquire, the self-contained module being arranged to be pushed by the fluid flow after being introduced into the pipe. It also comprises a mechanical link (2) which is connected to the self-contained module and accessible from outside the pipe.

Claims

1. A system for obtaining information relating to a pipe conveying a flow of fluid, and/or relating to the fluid, the system comprising:

a module which is self-contained in terms of data storing and energy supply, comprising an acquisition unit for acquiring data, subsequent analysis of which makes it possible to obtain information relating to the pipe and/or the fluid, and memory for storing the acquired data, the self-contained module being arranged to be pushed by the fluid flow after being introduced into the pipe, and

a tether which is connected to the self-contained module as the self-contained module is moved along the pipe and accessible from outside the pipe, said tether having no properties for transmitting the data which the self-contained module acquires to outside the pipe, and having no properties for supplying energy to the self-contained module from outside the pipe.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the self-contained module includes a signal transmitter and/or a signal receiver.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the self-contained module includes a detector for measuring the tensile stress between the self-contained module and the tether.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the self-contained module includes a detector for detecting a position of a side of the module relative to at least one internal wall of the pipe.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the self-contained module is configured to move its own position relative to the pipe in the direction of the height and/or width of the pipe.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the self-contained module includes at least one of:

an inertial unit, a pressure sensor, a speed sensor, and a magnetometer.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the self-contained module includes an internal clock, which is synchronized with an external clock outside the pipe and used as a time reference.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the self-contained module is arranged so that after it is introduced into the pipe, the fluid flow offers variable resistance to said module as a function of speed relative to the fluid.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the self-contained module includes an on board current generation system.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the tether is arranged so that when it is inside the pipe, the fluid flow offers variable resistance to said tether as a function of speed relative to the fluid.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the length of the tether is of the order of ten kilometers.

12. The system according to claim 1, also including a unit for pushing and/or pulling the tether into and/or out of the pipe, arranged to overcome the stresses resulting from friction of the tether inside the pipe.

13. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a detector for measuring the length of the tether which is introduced into the pipe when the self-contained module is pushed by the fluid flow, and/or a detector for measuring the length of the tether, when the tether is extracted from the pipe by traction.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the on board current generation system is a rechargeable battery.

14. A method of obtaining information relating to a pipe conveying a fluid flow, and/or relating to the fluid, the method including the following steps:

introducing into the pipe a module which is self-contained in terms of data storing and energy supply, comprising an acquisition unit for acquiring data, subsequent analysis of which makes it possible to obtain information relating to the pipe and/or the fluid, and memory for storing the acquired data, a tether which is accessible from outside the pipe, the tether being connected to the self-contained module as the self-contained module is moved along the pipe, the tether having no properties for transmitting the data which the self-contained module acquires to outside the pipe, and having no properties for supplying energy to the self-contained module from outside the pipe; and

acquiring the data using said acquisition unit and storing said data using said memory, while the self-contained module is pushed by the fluid flow.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the information which is obtained about the pipe relates to detection of a leak in said pipe, and/or characteristics of said pipe.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the characteristics of said pipe include at least one of diameter, ovality, internal fouling, internal furring, discontinuity of an internal surface of said pipe, coherence of surrounding ground, opening of joints, profile in plan and/or elevation, the presence of a magnetic element, internal pressure, and speed of fluid flow within said pipe.