Engineers from the Higher School of Automation and Robotics of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport (IMMiT) at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) have developed a robot for diagnosing main pipelines. This was reported in the press service of the university.
One of the authors of the project, Associate Professor Oleg Shmakov, stated that previously, diagnostics were carried out after gas was supplied. If there were defects in the pipeline, this could provoke an accident, including at compressor stations.
The development of a technology that would allow for rapid primary diagnostics of the pipeline during its construction is very much in demand and relevant.
About the new robot from SPbPU
The new diagnostic complex is a robotic platform. It is capable of moving through a pipe with a diameter of up to 1400 mm for a distance of up to 60 km at an inclination of up to 30°. Currently, St. Petersburg scientists are developing an algorithm for automatic defect detection based on data obtained from the robot's sensors.
The development is energy-efficient and can operate at temperatures down to -40°C. The first prototype is already undergoing pilot industrial operation.
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