The six million DM pig - not bionic, but ultrasonic
15 Jan 2000
A new generation of on-line inspection tools for oil and gas pipelines can detect the slightest cracks, with greater sensitivity than is offered by conventional `pigs'. This is the claim of German co-developer and pipeline service company Pipetronix.
The company initiated a joint research project with the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing, Saarbrucken, its Technology Development Group and Karlsruhe Research Centre.
The 8m long pig, which cost DM6m to develop, contains two hermetically sealed pressure vessels wherein lie the electronics. A third section houses 896 ultrasonic sensors which inspect the pipe's full inner circumference.
Rudolph Neumann from the Fraunhofer Institute said: `Findings are stored in an on-board data memory. Reliable operation is guaranteed in harsh environments - from Siberia at -40 degreesC to the Gulf of Mexico at 60 degreesC.'
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