PULSE-ACOUSTIC METHOD OF DETERMINING THE LOCATION OF AN IN-PIPE CLEANING TOOL IN A MAIN PIPELINE Russian patent published in 2019 - IPC G01S15/08 F16L55/48 

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: use to determine location of in-pipe cleaning equipment in main pipeline. Summary of invention consists in the fact that generation and sending from a predetermined point of measurement on a main pipeline pulse acoustic probing signals, receiving an acoustic echo pulse reflected from an in-tube projectile, measurement of time interval τ from the moment of sending the probing pulse to the moment of receiving the echo pulse and determining the distance R from the measurement point to the in-tube projectile from the condition R=V^,τ/2, where V is sound velocity in main pipeline environment, wherein before generating acoustic probing signals, further measuring the acoustic noise spectrum in the main pipe, the carrying frequency of the acoustic probing signals is selected outside the frequency spectrum of the main pipe acoustic noise, generation and reception of acoustic signals is carried out using acoustic transmitters and receivers, respectively, installed on main pipeline, after receiving reflected echo pulses determine time τ their delay relative to probing signal by correlation and threshold processing of received echo signals.

EFFECT: possibility of increasing efficiency of measuring the location of an in-tube projectile in a main pipeline while maintaining the required accuracy of measuring the position of the projectile in the pipe and eliminating the need to open the pipe for said measurements.

4 cl, 2 dwg