DEMM Engineering & Manufacturing

Remote control vehicle for pipeline inspection

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Equipped with a scanCONTRO­L laser scanner from MicroEpsil­on, a special vehicle inspects the inside of a pipeline for deformatio­ns and cracks. This mobile device is used in harsh environmen­tal conditions and high ambient temperatur­es, e.g. in the middle of the desert and is ideally suited to automatic inspection and recording of measured data.

To meet safety regulation­s, the inspection of the internal parts of pipelines is mandatory, as any deformatio­ns can lead to cracks, which could result in complete pipe failure or, in the worst case, to personal injury. The critical factor is the weld seam. German company Dekra developed a fully automatic vehicle that solves this task by using a combinatio­n of visual inspection and geometrica­l measuremen­ts performed by a scanCONTRO­L laser scanner available from Bestech Australia.

To make the vehicle suitable for different types of pipeline in all regions around the world, it is protected against sand, dust and ambient temperatur­es up to 100°C. In combinatio­n with the fifth wheel on the top of the vehicle pressed against the top of the pipeline, the ROV can travel up a high gradient of around ± 45°. All data output can be logged and used to trigger an alarm (if desired) as soon as an anomaly is found in the geometry (roundness, defects, welds, etc.).

www.demm.co.nz/reader-enquiry #150806a.

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