Pipeline PIG Data Recording Feasibility of a Programmable SOC based Data Recorder. By: Bruce Hewitt

Outline Why Inspect Pipelines Pipeline Environment Magnetic Flux Leakage Recorder Functions Microprocessor Based Implementation Programmable System on Chip SOC Implementation

Why Inline Inspection To Expose hidden Corrosion and Mechanical Damage that is in a pipeline. Repair Prevents Serious Accidents Extensive Property Damage Serious Environmental Damage

Pipeline Environment -- Pressure -- Navigate Bends at 10km/hr -- Changes in wall thickness -- Valves and Tees

Principle of Magnetic Flux Leakage Leakage Flux Defect Pipe Wall Sensor Head Brush Brush Magnet Magnet MFL Tool – Backing Bar 5

Recorder Function 1 -- Normalization Sensor Input from a linear Hall Sensor – Normalized so that all channels provide the same response to the same magnetic field

Recorder Function 2 – Misalignment Correction Sensors are not perfectly aligned to a heads frame

Recorder Function 3 -- Block Based Compression Premise – Need “Loss-Less” compression and Corrosion is localized Process Blocks of N samples Pass 1 – Calculate histogram of sample variations Pass 2 – Encode the samples that have large variations with more bits Pass 3 – Encode the samples that have smaller variations with fewer bits

DSP/Micro Controller Based Implementation Recorder Processing Functions Recorder Storage

System on Chip -- SOC

Custom FPGA Component for Data Recorder

Custom FPGA Resources

SOC Based Implementation

Benefits & Possibilities Higher Compliance Tools – Smaller Electronics Package Inspect Longer Lines – Power needed for Data Processing reduced by 50% for 36 inch tool Improve Reliability – Remove 1 level of interconnect Improve Defect Detection and Characterization – Can Support higher sample rates Smaller Traps – Consider a single body tool

Thank You