Pipeline inspection gauges (PIGs) carry out automatic pipeline inspection with nondestructive testing (NDT) technologies like ultrasound, magnetic flux leakage, and eddy current. The ultrasonic straight beam allows technicians to determine the wall thickness of the pipeline through the time of flight diffraction (TOFD), providing the pipeline reconstruction and allowing the detection of several defects like dents or corrosion. If the pipeline is of a long distance, then the inspection process is automatic, and the fluid pressure pushes the PIG through the pipeline system. In this case, the PIG velocity and its axial alignment with the pipeline cannot be controlled. The PIG geometry, the pipeline deformations, and the girth welds cause a continuous chattering when the PIG is running, removing the transducers perpendicularity with the inspection points, which means that some echoes cannot be received. To reduce this problem, we propose a novel method to design a sensor carrier that takes into account the angularity and distance effects to acquire the straight beam echoes. The main advantage of our sensor carrier is that it can be used in concave and convex pipeline sections through geometric adjustments, which ensure that it is in contact with the inner pipe wall. Our improvement of the method is the characterization of the misalignment between the internal wall of the pipeline and the transducer. Later, we analyzed the conditions of the automatic pipeline inspection, the existing recommendations in state-of-the-art technology, and the different mechanical scenarios that may occur. For the mechanical design, we developed all the equations and rules. At the signal processing level, we set a fixed gain in the filtering step to obtain the echoes in a defined distance range without saturating the acquisition channels. For the validation, we compared through the mean squared error (MSE) our sensor carrier in a straight pipe section and a pipe elbow of steel versus other sensor carrier configurations. Finally, we present the design parameters for the development of the sensor carrier for different pipeline diameters.

This work aimed to design a tensile horizontal machine that performs mechanical testing for suspension clamps, transmission line accessories, and overhead conductors with the following features: the suspension clamps device will be a permanent part of the structure, requiring a minimal setup; and it will accept overhead conductor specimens with lengths of up to 12 m and also be able to perform testing for pieces that require the plate-fork fastening option. Analytical and numerical calculations are performed according to the AISC-360-16 standard and static structural module of ANSYS software, respectively, to compare results.

Pipeline integrity is crucial for ensuring the safe and efficient transportation of hydrocarbons. One of the essential methods for maintaining pipeline integrity is periodic inspection using Pipeline Inspection Gauges (PIGs). These PIGs traverse extensive pipeline networks, collecting critical data related to inertial navigation and inspection technologies, such as geometric, ultrasonic, or magnetic flux inspection. Following an inspection, data is downloaded for post-processing to identify and accurately locate pipeline anomalies. Accurate positioning of indications is crucial for effective repair or maintenance of the identified pipeline section. Thus, ongoing efforts aim to improve the precision of indication positioning. This study introduces an innovative method and model for deriving pipeline trajectory characteristics to enhance positioning accuracy. The method is based on distance sampling of odometers, improving the PIG displacement measurement by implementing multiple odometries. Using the method described in this work can compensate for odometer slip, since the distance measurement error was reduced from 15.67% to 1.38%. The model simulates (three and four) odometer trajectories in curvature and calculates the curvature along the pipeline based on odometer data. The curvature model is evaluated with real data obtained from a test circuit, demonstrating that the proposed method and model technique can yield trajectory characteristics such as curvature detection; we can differentiate linear sections from bend sections in the test circuit. However, the curvature measurement error remains considerable due to odometer slippage. Therefore, future work proposes using additional odometers to improve measurement accuracy.