Development of the untethered in-pipe inspection robot for natural gas pipelines

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce the robot developed for inspection of 16” natural pipelines, applying a novel mechanism. To travel along various obstacles such as vertical pipes, elbows and branches, this system consists of several modules with articulated bodies connected by active joint modules. And the robot contains battery modules and wireless communication modules so that it can work as a standalone system without cables connected from control station. Additionally, the robot is designed to work in the pressurized pipe up to maximum 5Mpa and to overcome adverse environment like steel dust, water and mud.