Pipeline inspection

摘要

The present application provides techniques and/or systems for inspecting a pipe, or rather measuring one or more characteristics of a pipe, using radiation. A carriage, mounted to the pipe, may provide a mechanism for propelling a radiation source and a detector along the pipe. The detector is configured such that it can receive radiation that has traversed both a wall of the pipe and an obstacle, such as a pipe support. In this way, portions of a pipe that are traditionally difficult to inspect may be inspected easily with minimal human intervention.

主权项

1. A pipe inspection apparatus comprising:
a carriage configured to be mounted to a pipe and configured for movement along the pipe, the carriage comprising:
a substantially c-shaped member configured for rotation relative to the pipe about an axis of rotation extending in a direction parallel to an axial direction of the pipe;an ionizing radiation source coupled to the c-shaped member; anda radiation detector coupled to the c-shaped member and positioned substantially diametrically opposite the ionizing radiation source relative to the pipe, the radiation detector extending beyond the c-shaped member in the axial direction to facilitate positioning a support beam to which the pipe is mounted between a portion of the radiation detector and the pipe and to facilitate an examination of a portion of the pipe in contact with the support beam, the support beam extending in a direction substantially transverse to the axial direction of the pipe.