Pipeline pig tracking.

摘要

This invention relates to the tracking of a pipeline pig during its movement through a pipeline carrying gas, for instance.

The pig is tracked by detecting energy emission resulting from impact of the moving pig with at least two previously identified features which are located within the pipeline at known spaced intervals.

The energy emission takes the form of vibrational signals which are sensed by a geophone 1 which is coupled externally to the wall or associated equipment of a gas pipeline 2. An electrical output proportional to the vibration is amplified by a preamplifier 5 and is then filtered by a unit 6 to remove unwanted frequency components of the signal. The filtered signal is fed to a chart recorder 7. The unfiltered preamplified signal is fed to an audioamplifier 9 where the signal is amplified to audible levels.