TRANSPORTATION MEANS

Description

The invention relates to an unmanned autonomous vehicle, UAV, for inspection of fluid transportation means, in particular for inspection of a fluid transportation pipeline .

Fluids such as gas or oil can be transported over a huge distance via a fluid transportation means such as pipelines. Fluids are normally transported under high pressure, e.g. 100 to 120 atmospheres. For different reasons it may happen that the transported fluid is leaking from the respective pipeline network. With increasing age of the pipeline leaking of fluid may occur due to corrosion or inadequate maintenance of the pipeline. It is possible that thieves are drilling holes into the fluid transportation pipeline to steal the transported fluid such as gas or oil. Oil theft from pipelines has become so widespread that even undersea pipelines are being manipulated. Here, criminals drill into oil and gas pipelines for different reasons. One reason is to steal oil to sell to small refineries which rely on stolen oil to maintain crude supply. Another reason is to deliberately cause an oil leak and then ask for pollution compensation from the company or the local government. Different technologies have been proposed for inspection of fluid transportation means such as pipelines . Conventional systems in use for pipeline security include for example acoustic pipeline monitoring and leak detection systems. An acoustic pipeline monitoring system can consist of multiple sensors which are located along the pipeline and a central station where the data is processed. A disadvantage of such a system is the necessity of power supply and communication between the sensors and the main station. Further fiber optics based distributed sensors are also in use for the purpose of monitoring pipelines. In this conventional system distributed fiber optics sensors are deployed along a pipeline. Information from the sensors is used to detect a leakage by means of sound or vibration or a local temperature change in the pipeline. However, all conventional pipeline security systems and leak detection systems for pipelines have limitations with regard to the minimum noise and minimum leak volume that can be detected by the respective system.

As a result, periodic inspection of the pipeline by trained personnel flying in helicopters is still the most popular and sometimes the only reasonable way to inspect pipelines. These conventional air-born inspection solutions for pipelines require a pilot or at least a person who can constantly navigate the helicopter. Actually, this conventional way of pipeline inspection is very cost- intensive and unreliable. For instance, under bad weather conditions, the helicopter used for pipeline inspection may not take off so that an inspection of the pipeline is not possible. Further, the helicopter used for pipeline inspection consumes a lot of gas itself and can cause a lot of noise thus disturbing the environment.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus allowing an effective, reliable, sustainable and environmental friendly inspection of fluid transportation means.

This object is achieved by an unmanned autonomous vehicle comprising the features of claim 1.

Accordingly, the invention provides an unmanned autonomous vehicle, UAV, for inspection of fluid transportation means, said unmanned autonomous vehicle comprising a navigation system adapted to localize automatically said fluid transportation means and to navigate said unmanned autonomous vehicle automatically along said fluid transportation means for its inspection.

In a possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention the navigation system comprises a metal detector, in particular a magnetometer, adapted to localize a conductive fluid transportation means and/or a conductive fluid transported by said fluid transportation means. In a further possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention the navigation system further comprises a compass or a gyroscope to control a moving direction of said unmanned autonomous vehicle . In a further possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention the unmanned autonomous vehicle comprises an inspection system adapted to inspect said fluid transportation means on the basis of sensor data provided by sensors of said inspection system. In a further possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention the inspection system comprises an inspection camera adapted to provide video data of the surface of the fluid transportation means . In a further possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention, the inspection system comprises a laser-based spectrometer for providing spectrometric data of a fluid leaking from said fluid transportation means.

In a further possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention the unmanned autonomous vehicle comprises a local data evaluation system adapted to evaluate data provided by the inspection system to detect an event during transportation of said fluid by said fluid transportation means.

In a further possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention the unmanned autonomous vehicle comprises a communication system adapted to provide a wireless communication link with a remote data evaluation system.

In a further possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention the unmanned autonomous vehicle comprises a vehicle driving system adapted to move said unmanned autonomous vehicle along said fluid transportation means under control of said navigation system of said unmanned autonomous vehicle in air, in water or on land.

In a further possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention, the unmanned autonomous vehicle is an aerial unmanned autonomous vehicle having a navigation system which comprises an altimeter adapted to measure a flying altitude of said unmanned autonomous vehicle over ground.

In a further possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention the aerial unmanned autonomous vehicle comprises a vehicle driving system which comprises a pilotless low weight plane or helicopter.

In a further possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention the unmanned autonomous vehicle is a submarine and said navigation system comprises an ultrasonic unit adapted to measure a swimming altitude of said unmanned autonomous vehicle over sea ground. The invention further provides a method for inspecting fluid transportation means comprising the steps of:

localizing automatically said fluid transportation means by an unmanned autonomous vehicle and navigating said unmanned autonomous vehicle automatically along the localized fluid transportation means for its inspection.

The invention further provides a fluid transportation pipeline comprising at least one marker adapted to be localized an unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention. In a possible embodiment the marker comprises a conductive wire adapted to be detected by a magnetometer of said unmanned autonomous vehicle.

In an alternative embodiment the marker comprises reflectors formed by ultrasonic reflectors adapted to reflect an ultrasonic signal received from an ultrasonic signal source of said unmanned autonomous vehicle processing said reflected ultrasonic signal to localize said fluid transportation means.

In a further possible embodiment the marker comprises reflectors formed by optical reflectors adapted to reflect an optical signal received from an optical signal source of said unmanned autonomous vehicle processing the reflected optical signal to localize said fluid transportation means.

This fluid transportation pipeline is adapted to transport gas, oil, chemical products or water.

The following possible embodiments of the apparatus and methods for inspecting fluid transportation means are described with reference to the enclosed figures in more detail .

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a possible embodiment of an unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a simple flow chart of a possible embodiment of a method for inspecting fluid transportation means according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 shows a diagram for illustration the operation of an unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention;

Fig. 4 shows a possible embodiment of an unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention;

Fig. 5 shows a further possible embodiment of an unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention;

Fig. 6 shows a further possible embodiment of an unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention;

Fig. 7 shows a possible embodiment of a fluid transportation pipeline which can be localized by an unmanned autonomous vehicle according to the present invention.

As can be seen from fig. 1, the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 according to the present invention can comprise different components for inspection of fluid transportation means FTM such as a fluid pipeline. The unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 comprises a navigation system 2 adapted to localize automatically said fluid transportation means FTM to navigate said unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 along said fluid transportation means for its inspection. The navigation system 2 comprises in a possible implementation a metal detector, in particular a magnetometer, adapted to localize the conductive fluid transportation means FTM. In an alternative embodiment the navigation system 2 comprises a metal detector, in particular a magnetometer, adapted to localize a conductive fluid transported by said fluid transportation means FTM. The metal detector can detect any conductive body formed e.g. by metals. A magnetometer detects ferromagnetic objects but with sufficiently higher accuracy and sensitivity. Normally, a fluid transportation means FTM such as a pipeline is formed by a metal- containing construction which can be detected by a magnetometer of the navigation system 2. Due to the high sensitivity of a magnetometer, ferromagnetic objects can be detected even at a larger distance, for example at a distance of dozens of meters. If the fluid transportation means FTM is constructed by a not metal containing material which can be not detected by a magnetometer the magnetometer can be adapted to localize a conducted fluid F transported through said fluid transportation means FTM. For example, if the fluid transportation means FTM is a pipeline made of a not detectable material the fluid F that is transported through the pipeline can contain detectable material .

In a possible embodiment the detectable material within the transported fluid F may be added to the transported fluid F such that the magnetometer of the navigation system 2 can detect the transported fluid within in the fluid transportation means FTM.

In a possible embodiment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 the navigation system 2 of the vehicle can comprise a compass or a gyroscope to control a moving direction of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1. In further possible embodiments the navigation system 2 further comprises an altimeter adapted to measure a flying altitude of said unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 over ground. The data provided by the compass, altimeter and magnetometer allows to define a pilotless vehicle position of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 with respect to the fluid transportation means FTM with high accuracy an to navigate automatically the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 along the fluid transportation means FTM at a low altitude of less than 100 meters. Absence of a complex navigation system such as GPS or INS modules and position control systems allow an overall vehicle weight decrease, hence either a decrease of costs or an increase of useful load for operating range.

In a preferred embodiment the unmanned autonomous vehicle, UAV, 1 comprises a small vehicle size allowing the vehicle to fly at extremely low altitudes inaccessible for conventional man-piloted vehicles and unmanned vehicles with standard navigation systems.

In a possible embodiment the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 is an aerial unmanned autonomous vehicle and the vehicle driving system 3 comprises a pilotless low vehicle plane or helicopter. The pilotless unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 can have an operating range from 10 to 200 kilometers at a speed from 50 to 150km/h and a payload ranging from 1 to 240 kilograms. Such parameters allow to perform pilotless vehicle monitoring at the whole interval between compressor stations of a pipeline system where compressor stations are located typically at a distance of about 100 to 150 kilometers.

As can be seen in fig. 1 the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 further comprises an inspection system 4 adapted to inspect the fluid transportation means FTM on the basis of sample data provided by sensors of the inspection system . The inspection system 4 can comprise an inspection camera adapted to provide video data of the surface of the fluid transportation means FTM.

In a further possible embodiment the inspection system 4 can comprise a laser-based spectrometer for providing spectrometric data of a fluid F leaking from the fluid transportation means FTM. Laser-based spectrometer allows the detection of gaseous fractions of gases such as hydrocarbons in the pipeline environment. The spectrometer can be tuned in a possible embodiment to some predefined species detection, e.g. for detection of methane gas.

As shown in fig. 1 the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 can comprise in a further embodiment a local data evaluation system 5 adapted to evaluate data provided by the inspection system 4 to detect - an event during transportation of the fluid F through that fluid transportation means FTM. This event can for example be a leaking of a fluid F from the fluid transportation means FTM.

In a further possible embodiment the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 can further comprise a communication system 6 adapted to provide a wireless communication link with a remote data evaluation system at a central station.

The vehicle driving system 3 of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 is adapted to move autonomously the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 along the fluid transportation means FTM under control of the integrated navigation system 2 of the UAV. In a possible embodiment the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 is transported in air over ground. In an alternative embodiment the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 is transported by the vehicle driving system 3 in water over sea ground. In a further possible embodiment the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 is transported by the vehicle driving system 3 over land.

Different types of unmanned autonomous vehicles 1 are shown in figs. 4, 5, 6. In the embodiment as shown in fig. 4 the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 is an aerial unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 where the vehicle driving system 3 is a pilotless low-weight helicopter.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 5 the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 is formed by a submarine having a driving system for propagating the vehicle through water. The unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 shown in fig. 5 can be used to inspect underwater pipelines.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 6 the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 comprises a vehicle driving system 3 for transporting the vehicle 1 over land. Combinations of the embodiments shown in figs. 4, 5, 6 are possible, for instance an amphibious unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 allowing to transport the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 in water and over land. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4 the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 is an aerial unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 within a navigation system 2 which can provide an altimeter adapted to measure a flying altitude of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 over ground. In the embodiment shown in fig. 5 the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 is a submarine and the navigation system 2 can comprise an ultrasonic unit adapted to measure a swimming altitude of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 over sea ground.

Fig. 2 shows a flow chart of a possible embodiment of a method for inspecting fluid transportation means FTM performed by an unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 according to the present invention. In a first step SI fluid transportation means FTM such as a pipeline are localized by an unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 by its integrated navigation system 2. In a further step S2 the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 can be navigated along the localized fluid transportation means FTM for its inspection. Navigation of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 along the localized fluid transportation means can be performed autonomously under control of the navigation system 2 on the basis of data received from a magnetometer, altimeter, a compass and/or a gyroscope.

Fig. 3 shows a diagram for illustrating the operation of an unmanned autonomous vehicle 1. As can be seen in fig. 3 in the shown example fluid transportation means FTM are provided for transporting fluid F such as gas or oil. The fluid transportation means FTM in the shown example is located underground surface GS. Although the fluid transportation means FTM are not directly visible to a sensor of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1, the navigation system 2 of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 can still detect the position and direction of the fluid transportation means FTM on the basis of data or signals provided for instance by a magnetometer of the navigation system 2. The navigation system 2 can comprise a pipeline position detector such as a magnetometer which emits electromagnetic signals and receives a signal response from the surrounding medium. The metal-containing pipeline FTM reflects this signal with higher intensity than soil so that the magnetometer within the navigation system 2 of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 can detect this difference and locate the origin of maximal response.

The signal received from the altimeter of the navigation system 2 prevents a collision of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 with ground surface GS and keeps the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 at an allowed predetermined altitude over ground. The orientation system of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 can perform vehicle location control in order to position the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 as close as possible to the transportation means FTM to keep or change, if needed, the moving direction of the UAV1. Information data about the moving direction is provided by a compass or gyroscope of the navigation system 2. The pipeline detection and monitoring equipment of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 performs predefined operations to perform a general inspection and detect leakages of fluids or intrusions.

In a further embodiment the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 can be equipped with tools allowing video monitoring and/or pipeline environment analysis. The inspection system 4 can be equipped with a highly sensitive video camera allowing for video control at sufficient illumination and further laser-based spectrometers allowing detection of gaseous fractions of hydrocarbons leaking from the fluid transportation means FTM. The unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 of the present invention is a pilotless vehicle which can move along the fluid transportation means FTM such as a pipeline autonomously without remote control.

In a further embodiment the data provided by the inspection system 4 can be transmitted via the communication link 6 to a remote a data evaluation system at a central station.

In a possible embodiment the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 comprises a local integrated evaluation system 5 which can evaluate the data provided by the inspection system 4. In this embodiment the local integrated evaluation system 5 can in a possible implementation detect an event or abnormality of the fluid transportation means FTM and notify the event via the communication system 6 of the UAV to the remote in control for further evaluation.

Fig. 7 shows a further embodiment of an unmanned autonomous vehicle UAV according to the present invention. In this embodiment the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 adapted to inspect fluid transportation means being a pipeline which is made of material that is not detectable by a magnetometer. In this embodiment the fluid transportation pipeline may comprise conductive wires 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 7-4 integrated in the pipeline tube which can be detected by a magnetometer of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1. In alternative embodiments the fluid transportation means FTM can comprise other kinds of markers adapted to be detected by the UAV such as reflectors placed along the fluid transportation means FT . The reflectors can in a possible implementation be optical reflectors which reflect an optical signal received from an optical signal source of the UAV, wherein the reflected optical or electromagnetic signal is processed by a processing unit of the UAV to localize the fluid transportation means FTM. The reflectors can also be ultrasonic signal reflectors which reflect an ultrasonic signal received from an ultrasonic signal source of the UAV. The reflected ultrasonic signal can be evaluated by a processing unit of the UAV to localize the position and direction of the fluid transportation means.

The unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 according to the present invention provides a cost-effective, reliable, sustainable and even environmental friendly way to monitor perimeter objects for fluid transportation, for instance a fluid transportation pipeline. The unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 according to the present invention makes it possible to detect events such as third-party intrusion and a fluid gas leak from a pipeline or a storage facility. The unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 according to the present invention tackles unwanted thefts from pipelines and other events during the transport of fluids F through the fluid transportation means FTM. Proper monitoring of the fluid transportation means FTM using the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 according to the present invention prevents fluid loss and unwanted ecology impact and even a destruction of the fluid transportation means FTM. Further possible embodiments of an unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 are possible, in a possible implementations of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 can be transported through the pipeline, i.e. within the flow of the transported fluid F. In this embodiment the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 can perform an inspection of the fluid transportation means FTM from within.

The navigation system 2 of the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 can navigate the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 along the fluid transportation pipeline, for instance by using data provided by a magnetometer. The magnetometer can for instance navigate the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 along a wire 7-i integrated for this purpose in a not detectable tube material of the fluid transportation means. In a further possible embodiment the unmanned autonomous vehicle 1 is not only provided for inspection of the fluid transportation means FTM but also for repairing leaks in the fluid transportation means FTM.