Design and Development of a Pipeline Inspection Robot

Abstract

Since pipelines have become an important asset to the economic development of almost any country, maintaining and conserving them is a must. Some of the methods used to maintain them are as simple as inserting a tube with a camera to find the defective part of the pipeline or continuous digging to assess and find the problem. However, most methods currently used involve taking risks to reach inaccessible areas in a pipeline. The proposed semi-autonomous pipe inspection robot is designed to navigate through tight areas inside a pipe, with the ability to adapt to different pipe sizes and report the state of the pipe and the nature of any problem found. This robotic system adapts easily to the cylindrical shape of a pipe and runs on DC geared motors that provide the required torque for the robot to ascend vertically if needed. In addition, this particular robot does not only work by user command but can also be configured to run specific autonomous tasks. The sensor data collected is stored on a router acting as a web server that can be monitored by the user and accessed in addition to the live-feed provided by the IP camera mounted on the robot. The robot’s design and control interface provide easy and safe access to tight and distant areas of a piping system. This robot has proven to solve risky, time-consuming and expensive maintenance procedures.