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.

在艾伯塔省生产的石油产品需要安全有效地运送到其他市场 诸如精炼之类的目的。管道正在成为越来越喜欢的解决方案，因为它们构成较小 人类生命的直接风险比铁路等其他模式。但是，管道操作员检测到至关重要 诸如泄漏诸如主动泄漏之类的问题并在造成环境破坏之前将其修复。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瑕疵，这可能 可能导致泄漏。涵盖了加拿大的检查是一家开发了最先进的猪的公司 系统并成功地为Shell和Enbridge等主要客户部署了它。通常，猪会旅行A 管道部分收集有关该段轮廓的信息。此数据在内部存储 在猪的记忆中。遍历该细分市场后，收集了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 管道瑕疵。长期需要解决一些技术挑战，以改善 系统的功效。特别是，可视化软件当前不提供实时渲染 长管线段的数据。分析师必须等待很长时间，从而损害敏捷性 过程。该建议旨在启动研究重点的研究 纠正此类问题的系统。例如，一种解决方案是压缩由 猪由于通常大多数数据与管道的部分有关，这些数据不太可能发展严重 裂缝。这可以减少将数据传输到笔记本电脑以及处理的数据量所需的时间 通过可视化软件。另一个互补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。结果 该领域的长期研究可能会改善管道安全，从而使环境受益 作为加拿大的经济。