MEMS-based Aided Inertial Navigation System for Small Diameter Pipelines
Abstract
Pipeline Inspection Gauges (pigs) have been used for many years to perform various maintenance operations in oil and gas pipelines. Different pipeline parameters can be inspected during the pig journey. Although, pigs uses many sensors to detect the required pipeline parameters, matching these data with the corresponding pipeline location is considered a very important parameter that needs to be estimated.
High-end, tactical-grade Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) are used in pigging applications to locate the detected problems of pipeline using other sensors, and to reconstruct the trajectories of the pig. These IMUs are accurate; however, their high cost and large sizes limit their use in small diameter pipelines.
Calibration would improve the accuracy of the uncertainties that exist in sensor errors behavior. However, intensive calibration would also increase the cost of using IMUs. Therefore, another way to improve the accuracy is used by augmenting IMU with aided sensors (i.e. odometers).
This thesis describes a new methodology for the use of low-cost IMUs using an extended Kalman filter (EKF) and the pipeline junctions to increase the navigation parameters’ accuracy and to reduce the total RMS errors even during the unavailability of Above Ground Markers (AGMs). The results of this new proposed method using micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) based IMU revealed that the position RMS errors were reduced by approximately 85% of the standard EKF solution. Therefore, this approach will enable the mapping of small diameter pipelines, which was not possible before.
Description
Keywords
Engineering--Industrial, Engineering--Petroleum, Geotechnology
Citation
Sahli, H. (2016). MEMS-based Aided Inertial Navigation System for Small Diameter Pipelines (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26878