Improving the Performance of a Pipeline Crack Detection Embedded System

提高管道裂纹检测嵌入式系统的性能

• 批准号: 486313-2015
• 负责人: Krishnamurthy, Diwakar
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Engage Grants Program
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=585515
• 关键词: Improving; Performance; Pipeline; Crack; Detection

Petroleum products produced in Alberta need to be safely and efficiently transported to other markets for purposes such as refining. Pipelines are becoming an increasingly preferred solution since they pose lesser direct risk to human lives than other modes such as rail. It is crucial however that pipeline operators detect problems such as leaks proactively and fix them before they cause environmental damage. Typically, pipeline operators use embedded computer systems called smart pigs to detect minute imperfections, which could potentially lead to leaks. Encompass Inspections Canada is a company that has developed a state-of-the-art pig system and successfully deployed it for major clients such as Shell and Enbridge. Typically, the pig travels a section of the pipeline collecting information about the contours of the segment. This data is stored internally in the pig's memory. After traversing the segment, the device is collected and its data is transferred to a field laptop. Visualizing software on the laptop is used to provide graphical views of the location and dimensions of pipeline imperfections. Several technical challenges need to be addressed in the long-term to improve the efficacy of the system. In particular, the visualization software currently does not provide real-time renderings of the data for long pipeline segments. Analysts have to wait for a long time thereby compromising the agility of the process. This proposal aims to initiate research that focuses on optimizing the performance of the entire system to redress such problems. For example, one solution is to compress the amount of data transmitted by the pig since typically most of the data pertains to portions of the pipeline that are unlikely to develop serious cracks. This can reduce the time needed to transfer the data to the laptop and also the amount of data handled by the visualization software. Another complementary solution is to use parallel processing techniques, e.g., processing using the laptop's Graphic Processor Units (GPUs), to speed up data visualization. Outcomes of long term research in this area is likely to improve pipeline safety thereby benefitting the environment as well as the economy of Canada.

艾伯塔省生产的石油产品需要安全有效地运输到其他市场 精炼等目的。管道正成为越来越受欢迎的解决方案，因为它们造成的影响较小 与铁路等其他运输方式相比，对人类生命造成的直接风险。然而，至关重要的是，管道运营商必须检测到 主动解决泄漏等问题，避免造成环境破坏。通常，管道 操作员使用称为智能猪的嵌入式计算机系统来检测微小的缺陷，这可以 可能会导致泄漏。 Encompass Inspections Canada 是一家开发了最先进生猪的公司 并成功为壳牌、安桥等大客户部署。通常，猪会旅行 收集有关该段轮廓的信息的管道部分。该数据存储在内部 在猪的记忆里。遍历该段后，收集设备并将其数据传输到字段 笔记本电脑。笔记本电脑上的可视化软件用于提供位置和尺寸的图形视图 管道缺陷。从长远来看，需要解决一些技术挑战，以改善 系统的功效。特别是可视化软件目前不提供实时效果图 长管道段的数据。分析师必须等待很长时间，从而影响敏捷性 的过程。该提案旨在启动专注于优化整个系统性能的研究 系统来解决此类问题。例如，一种解决方案是压缩传输的数据量 清管器，因为通常大多数数据都涉及管道的部分，这些部分不太可能发展成严重的问题 裂缝。这可以减少将数据传输到笔记本电脑所需的时间以及处理的数据量 通过可视化软件。另一种补充解决方案是使用并行处理技术，例如 使用笔记本电脑的图形处理器单元 (GPU) 进行处理，以加快数据可视化速度。结果 该领域的长期研究可能会提高管道安全性，从而也有利于环境 作为加拿大的经济。