Patent ID: 9128019
Filing Date: 2015-09-08
Classification: F17D,G01B,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method for detecting a condition of a pipeline along a length of the pipeline, said method comprising the steps of: identifying at least one portion which is to be tested along the length of the pipeline; measuring for said at least one portion a condition of a pipe wall using a pipeline wall condition detection apparatus to measure defects; measuring a condition of a protective coating, if one is provided, on said at least one portion; representing said at least one portion as a grid of cells, the grid being selected to represent a particular length and circumference of the pipeline; assessing a level of pitting in at least one of the cells and providing a value of a depth of a measured pit in at least one of the cells; assessing the condition of the protective coating, if one is provided, by allocating a value to a percentage of coating failure at the at least one cell; determining characteristics of soil in a vicinity of the at least one portion by measuring one or more parameters of a soil condition and processing the measured one or more parameters to generate a representative soil type; repeating the assessment steps of the level of the pitting and the condition of the protective coating, if one is provided, for at least one further cell in the grid; and utilizing measurement information gathered in the aforementioned steps to provide an indication of the condition of the pipe wall and the condition of the protective coating, if one is provided, along the length of the pipeline and the soil condition along the length of the pipeline based on the measurements taken with respect to said at least one portion.