SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING OF CONDITION OF PIPELINES IN REAL TIME AND PIPELINE PROVIDED WITH SUCH A SYSTEM Russian patent published in 2004 - IPC

FIELD: acoustic monitoring of the condition of pipelines for detection of various defects in them. SUBSTANCE: the system has a metal pipe provided with a protective coating, and is provided with a great number of acoustic receivers installed in separate cases at a distance one from another along the pipeline in an acoustic contact with the surface of the mentioned metal pipe, unit for analysis of output signals of the receivers and means of remote switching of the receivers made for selective delivery of the output signal of any receiver to the unit for analysis of output signals of the receivers. In addition, the system has a great number of piezoelectric acoustic radiators, each of them is installed in the same case with the respective receiver with formation of a separately matched piezoelectric transducer, unit for generation of exciting signals of radiators and means of remote switching of the radiators made for selective delivery of the exciting signal from the unit for generation of exciting signals to any radiator, the separately matched piezoelectric transducers are installed on the surface of the mentioned metal pipe in a helical line and the mentioned protected coating of the pipe covers the separately matched transducers in such a way that they form built-in structural members of the mentioned pipe provided with a coating. The given group of inventions comprises also a pipeline containing the mentioned monitoring system and the respective method for monitoring of the pipeline. EFFECT: provided a highly sensitive detection of pipeline defects without violation of normal service of the pipeline, and with the use of small-sized and inexpensive transmitters. 18 cl, 4 dwg