locating and managing underground pipelines

INERTIAL NAVIGATION TECHNOLOGY FOR 3D MAPPING, LOCATING AND MANAGING UNDERGROUND PIPELINES

Over the last two decades, significant advances have been made in the quality and application of inertial navigation technology targeted at mapping underground pipe and duct assets.

Inertial navigation technology can provide solutions on several levels. Utility owners may prescribe it to obtain accurate as-built data of existing and new built for their GIS platform. Likewise, Utility owners can use it as a due diligence tool to verify as-built accuracy of pipes and duct they acquire from third parties. Contractors, on the other hand, can use it to reduce installation risk by verifying the shape of an existing data duct prior to pulling in a power or data cable.

Background

20 CR | Jan - Feb 2020 art Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to store network related data, including XYZ. However, the quality of XYZ data that will eventually populate the GIS platform is often inaccurate because of:

1. Ageing or lack of information 2. Depth is often unknown. 3. Referenced to no longer existing aboveground landmarks. 4. The original data was non-digital. 5. A multitude of scales and coordinate systems used, making exchange of data very inefficient. 6. Inability to map infrastructure installed by means of Trenchless Technologies, such as river crossings, underneath buildings, etc. The main problem is often that there is no accuracy label attached to data stored in GIS platforms and as a result all data quality is reduced to the lowest common denominators. Low accuracy data significantly increases the risk of future damage.

The risk is therefore high that costly GIS platforms become populated with inaccurate and low value XYZ data, yet the value of a GIS platform is directly related to the quality of the data contained in it.

There are three efficient moments in a pipe’s life-cycle, at initial installation, during maintenance, or during rehabilitation. Obtaining accurate as-built date directly following initial installation is by far the easiest and thus most economical moment.

The reason for this is that the pipe is accessible, segment lengths are reasonable, and the pipe is clean or empty of cables. However, reality is that accurate as-built requirements, particularly for trenchless installation (HDD, tunneling), typically lack from the specifications, so the as-built is often not more than the as-planned or ‘as-wished’.

Introduction to Inertial Navigation Technology Inertial Navigation Probes typically contain a range of inertial sensors such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, and magnetometers. Traditionally, inertial navigation was developed for the airline, marine and defense industries, but today they can be found in applications such as GPS systems and Smart Phones.

The object of an inertial navigation probe is to frequently measure the angular rate of change of its core axis (i.e. changes in Heading (azimuth), Pitch (inclination), and Roll. Distance is measured to give length to the resulting vector angles so that a 3-dimensional profile can be created.

Measurement accuracy is dependent on several factors. First and foremost, the quality of the probe and the data processing software. Second, the level to which the probe is aligned inside the pipe.

The better the alignment, the more accurate the result. Using centralizing spacers is recommended to obtain optimal alignment, but not always operationally possible. For example, an aging waste water pipe tends to have many ill-fitting lateral connections and joints that may hinder the centralizers from passing smoothly. In those cases, it is operationally more efficient to run the probe along the invert of the pipe.

Market Positioning

Inertial Navigation based solutions are an accurate and valuable addition to the array of mapping technologies available today. True, they can only be used when an empty or water-logged pipe or duct is available, but within that segment they are by far the most effective technology.

Most non-gyroscopic mapping systems require personnel to trace the path of a pipeline, using either a beacon system or ground-penetrating radar to map the utilities. However, none of these systems get the exact measurement of the pipe’s centerline. Moreover, beacon-based systems can measure to a limited depth and are highly susceptible to electromagnetic interference, rendering them virtually useless in densely piped areas or near railways and power lines.

Operational aspects

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