RU2677342C1 - Device for providing information about pipeline and method for installation thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: measurement technology.SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the field of measurement technology and can be used to obtain information about the pipeline. Device is proposed for providing information about at least one pipeline, the temperature of the outer surface of which, during its operation, differs from the temperature of the medium surrounding said at least one pipeline, containing at least one radio frequency tag intended to be located on at least one pipeline or at a distance from it. Device also contains at least one thermoelectric generator connected to at least one radio-frequency tag, designed to be located on at least one pipeline or at a distance from it, so it is possible to supply energy to the at least one radio-frequency tag connected to it.EFFECT: increase in the depth at which information about the pipeline can be obtained, as well as an increase in the amount of information stored on the RF tag.11 cl, 2 dwg

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to devices for providing information about the pipeline, the temperature of the outer surface of which is different from the temperature of the environment surrounding the specified pipeline.

State of the art

Obtaining information about pipelines becomes an urgent task, since pipelines often pass not strictly in a straight line, but have deviations in the horizontal and vertical planes. As a rule, pipelines are placed underground, and at present, the cartographic method is used to obtain information about pipelines located underground, however, the drawings are not always accurate and it is difficult to find specific places of the pipeline through them. External identification marks are also used, however they are short-lived and can be damaged by vandals. In addition, where the binding to ground objects does not provide a sufficient level of accuracy, radio frequency tags are also used, which are located on the pipeline or at a small distance above it. Such a system provides snapping to places of the pipeline in those places where the implementation of snapping to ground objects does not provide a sufficient level of accuracy. To identify this tag, standard readers are usually used to identify tags, as well as to read tag information and write information to the tag.

A system for detecting pipelines is known from US 20070057769 A1. In this solution, a radio frequency (RFID) tag is connected to the pipeline underground, for example, attached at the pipe junctions or to the pipe itself. Subsequently, the pipeline can be detected by interrogating the RF tag with a suitable reader located above the ground.

Due to the fact that the RF tag in this solution is driven by a signal received from the reader, the identification depth of the RF tag is limited by the radius of the reader. Currently, the depth of identification of RF tags reaches 2.5 meters. However, some pipelines occur at depths of 5 meters or more.

Thus, there is a need to create a device for providing information about pipelines, which provides the ability to provide information about pipelines, the location of which from the location of the possible location of the reading devices is greater than in known solutions.

In addition, standard RFID tags have a relatively small amount of information stored on them, as a result of which it is not always possible to store all the necessary information related to the pipeline in the RFID tag. In this regard, there is also a need to increase the amount of information stored in the RF tag.

Disclosure of the invention

This problem is solved by means of a device for providing information about at least one pipeline, the temperature of the outer surface of which during its operation differs from the temperature of the medium surrounding the specified at least one pipeline. The device comprises at least one radio-frequency tag, designed to be located on at least one pipeline or at a distance from it, and also connected with at least one radio-frequency tag, at least one thermoelectric generator, designed to be located on at least one pipeline or at a distance from it, so that it is possible to supply energy to at least one radio frequency tag connected to it.

The technical result of this solution is to increase the distance at which information about at least one pipeline can be obtained due to the fact that the RF tag in this device has its own power source in the form of a thermoelectric generator.

In addition, the technical result also consists in increasing the amount of information stored on the RF tag due to the presence of a thermoelectric generator, since the power of the RF tag provides the ability to store more information on this RF tag than on a RF tag that does not have a power source, such as For example, a thermoelectric generator.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thermoelectric generator is a Peltier element.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the device is used for at least one pipeline having an underground location.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the device is used to provide information about at least one pipeline located at a depth of 10 m underground.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the device is used for at least one pipe made of non-metallic material.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the device is used for at least one conduit made of plastic material.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, at least one RF tag is located on at least one pipeline, and at least one thermoelectric generator is located at a distance of from 0.01 m to 0.5 m from at least one pipeline.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, at least one RF tag is located at a distance of from 0.01 m to 1.0 m from at least one conduit, and at least one thermoelectric generator is located at least at one conduit.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, at least one RF tag is located at a distance of from 0.01 m to 1.0 m from at least one pipeline, and at least one thermoelectric generator is located at a distance of from 0.01 m to 0 5 m from at least one pipeline.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of installing an apparatus for providing information about at least one pipeline according to a previous aspect of the present invention, comprising: providing a device for providing information according to a previous aspect of the present invention; the location of at least one RF tag of the specified device to provide information on at least one pipeline or at a distance from it; and the location of at least one thermoelectric generator connected to at least one radio frequency tag, at least one pipeline or at a distance from it, with the possibility of supplying energy to the connected at least one radio frequency tag.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, according to the method, the arrangement of the at least one radio frequency tag and the at least one thermoelectric generator is carried out during the repair of said at least one pipeline.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

in FIG. 1A-1B show, respectively, a side view and a top view of a device for providing information mounted on a pipeline,

in FIG. 2 illustrates the interaction of the device for providing the information shown in FIG. 1A-1B, with a reader.

The implementation of the invention

In the materials of this application, the term "providing information about the pipeline (s)" means at least one of the following: the location, or location, of the pipeline or pipelines, the recognition of the pipeline or pipelines, including the identification of identification numbers, as well as the reading of information related to a pipeline or pipelines with a corresponding RF tag or corresponding RF tags. The information to be read may, for example, contain information about the material of the pipeline or pipelines, the volumetric flow rate in the pipeline and the product transported in the pipeline. When using the terms “radio frequency tag”, “thermoelectric generator”, “pipeline”, it means both the possibility of using one radio frequency tag, one thermoelectric generator and one pipeline, respectively, and the possibility of using many of each of them.

In FIG. 1A-1B illustrate an apparatus for providing information about a pipeline 3 located underground, according to one embodiment of the present invention. The specified device is used for a pipeline, the temperature of the outer surface of which differs from the temperature of the medium surrounding this pipeline, to ensure that there is a temperature difference between the surface of the pipeline and the environment surrounding the pipeline. This can be achieved, for example, due to the fact that substances, for example, water, gas, oil products, etc., are transported in the pipeline, the temperature of which differs from the temperature surrounding the pipeline environment.

It should be noted that the proposed device can be used not only for pipelines having an underground location, but also for any pipelines located in other environments, optionally underground, for example, for above-ground or above-ground pipelines located in the air. In addition, the device for providing information in this embodiment is used to provide information about a pipeline made partially or completely from non-metallic materials, for example, a plastic pipeline, however, in other embodiments, the proposed device can also be used for pipelines made partially or completely from metallic materials, such as steel, cast iron, non-ferrous metals.

The device for providing information according to the embodiment of FIG. 1A-1B comprise an RFID tag 1 located on conduit 3, for example, attached to it by mechanical means. The RF tag 1 may be a prior art RF tag. In general, such RFID tags include an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, modulating and demodulating an RF signal, etc., as well as an antenna for receiving and transmitting a signal. However, other suitable radio frequency tags may be used in this device to provide information. In other embodiments, the RFID tag may be attached to the conduit by other suitable means, for example, by gluing. In addition, in other embodiments, the RFID tag may be located at some distance from the pipeline, for example, at a distance of from 0.01 m to 1 m from the pipeline when positioned above, below, or to the side of it. It should be noted that regardless of whether the radio-frequency tag is located on the pipeline or at a distance from it, by means of the proposed device, an increase in the distance at which information about this pipeline can be obtained is provided.

The RF tag in this device has its own power source in the form of a thermoelectric generator 2 connected to the RF tag 1, and, therefore, is active, because it can send a signal to the surface of the earth, which will be detected by a reader 4 located at a distance L from the device to provide information equal to, for example, 3-10 meters or more, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In other words, a power source in the form of a thermoelectric generator provides the ability to send a signal with a radio frequency tag, the power of which is enough to cover a much greater distance than the reading distance of a standard RF tag with a reader without a power source. Thus, the proposed device for providing information about pipelines provides the ability to provide information about pipelines located at depths greater than in known solutions.

It should be noted that, although in this embodiment, the device for providing information in FIG. 1A-1B are shown containing only one RF tag 1, one skilled in the art will appreciate that, according to other embodiments, the information providing device may also comprise a larger number of RF tags 1, for example, the required number of RF tags required to obtain complete information about the subject at least one pipeline, including determining the location of parts of the pipeline and / or the location of the entire pipeline, as well as determining any parameters s characteristics or pipe received directly from the conduit connected to the RFID tag or calculated based on such parameters or characteristics. In addition, in other embodiments, the RFID tags may not be located on at least one pipeline, but at a distance from it, for example, at a distance of 0.01 m to 1.0 m from at least one pipeline, with the provision of information about at least one pipeline due to the presence of a temperature difference between the surfaces of thermoelectric generators connected to RF tags. Also, a person skilled in the art may understand that the proposed device for providing information can be used to provide information about more than one pipeline.

The thermoelectric generator 2 can be made in the form of a Peltier element, one side of which is designed to be in contact with the outer surface of the pipeline 3, to provide information about which the proposed device is intended, and the second side of which is designed to be in contact with the environment surrounding the specified pipe 3 , to ensure energy production due to the temperature difference between the outer surface of the pipeline 3 and the environment.

The formulas below describe the operation of Peltier elements.

Formula for calculating thermo-EMF:

E = α * (T1 – T2), (1)

where α is the coefficient of thermo-EMF, T1 is the temperature of the hot side, T2 is the temperature of the cold side.

The formula for calculating the current strength:

I = E / (R-r), (2)

where E is the thermo-EMF, R is the external resistance, r is the internal resistance.

 Moreover, the temperature difference on different sides of the thermoelectric generator 2 can be from 1 to 300 ° C to ensure its operation. The thermoelectric generator 2 is connected to the RF tag 1 and provides power to the RF tag 1. In this case, the thermoelectric generator 2 can be made either integrally or in the same housing with the RF tag 1, or connected to the RF tag with the ability to power the RF tag 1. To a specialist In the art it is understood that, depending on the amount of energy required to power the RF tag 1, the device for providing information may comprise a thermoelectric generator p required power, e.g. thermoelectric generator from the voltage values U = 5 V and current I = 100 mA, or other. In other embodiments, the device for providing information may comprise more than one thermoelectric generator.

In other embodiments, the thermoelectric generator may be located at some distance from at least one pipeline, for example, at a distance from 0.01 m to 0.5 m, so that a temperature difference is provided on different sides of the thermoelectric generator, and the thermoelectric generator can supply energy to at least one radio frequency tag connected to it. For example, if there is a layer or layers of thermal insulation material or other material around the pipeline, the thermoelectric generator can be located in one of these layers or at the boundary between them. It can be understood by a person skilled in the art that in this case it is also possible to ensure that there is a temperature difference between the surfaces of the thermoelectric generators used to provide power to the RF tags connected to them.

Returning to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A-1B, due to the presence in the proposed device of a thermoelectric generator 2, made, for example, in the form of a Peltier element, which, due to the temperature difference between the outer surface of the pipeline 3 and the surrounding medium 3, is capable of generating energy, the power of the RF tag 1 is provided. the ability to send a radio frequency tag 1 signal to the surface containing identification and other information related to the radio frequency tag, and identification of pipelines Yes, information about which you need to receive. Identification and other information may, for example, include location information, information about the type of pipeline, information about the junction of pipes in the pipeline, information about the branching of the pipeline, information about the mutual configuration of several pipelines, information about the material of the pipeline or pipelines, the volume flow rate in the pipeline, about the product transported in the pipeline, and any other information. Moreover, due to the power supply of the RFID tag, even when the RFID tag is located at great depths, for example, at a depth of about 5 to 10 meters or more, the necessary power of the signal sent by the RFID tag can be achieved, so that this signal can be read on the surface land using known readers without the need for modification of known readers. Readers can, for example, read data from an RF tag, and can also correlate them with GPS coordinates for more accurate RF tag information.

Therefore, the proposed technical solution allows you to increase the distance at which you can get information about the pipeline. In the case of placing the pipeline underground, this solution provides an increase in the depth at which information about it can be obtained, for example, to identify and / or localize it, due to the fact that a radio frequency tag with its own power source is used, i.e. an active radio frequency tag, which itself can send a signal to the earth's surface, which will be detected by the reader.

Thus, it is possible to ensure high accuracy of localization and identification of pipelines, as well as to accelerate and simplify the search for pipelines, as a result of which it is possible to achieve, inter alia, increased safety of operation of pipelines due to the possibility of faster and more accurate access to them due to the fact that eliminated the error in determining the location of the pipeline, arising, for example, when searching for a pipeline using a map. Thus, for example, it is possible to timely and more quickly carry out pipeline repair work. In addition, with the help of this device it is possible to facilitate obtaining information about specific points of the pipeline, such as pipe joints or branches, for example, to provide faster replacement of a particular section of the pipeline, without the need for unnecessary excavation of the pipeline, which may be necessary in case of inaccurate localization of these points.

The radio frequency tag and / or thermoelectric generator can or can be embedded in the pipe material, for example, in the pipe wall. The RFID antenna, if necessary, can be brought out from the pipe wall to increase the signal strength.

Example 1

A device for providing information about two pipelines, which contains a radio frequency tag located on one of the pipelines, and a thermoelectric generator located at a distance of 0.02 m from the pipelines.

Example 2

A device for providing information about the pipeline, which contains a radio frequency tag located at a distance of 0.4 m from the pipeline, and two thermoelectric generators located on the pipeline, while the pipeline is located at a depth of 10 meters underground.

Example 3

A device for providing information about three pipelines, which contains two RF tags located at distances of 0.03 m and 0.07 m from the pipelines, and four thermoelectric generators, two of which are located on one of the pipelines, and two others are located at distances 0 , 01 m and 0.3 m from pipelines. The pipeline is located at a depth of 7 meters underground.

Example 4

A device for providing information about a pipeline having an external layer of thermal insulation material 0.2 m thick, which contains four radio frequency tags, two of which are located on the pipeline, and two at distances of 0.01 m and 0.02 m from the pipeline, and two thermoelectric generator, one of which is located on the pipeline, and the other at a distance of 0.01 m from the pipeline.

The devices for providing information from the above examples 1-4 provide the opportunity to increase the distance at which you can get information about the pipelines and the ability to increase the amount of information stored on RF tags

The installation method of the information providing apparatus shown in FIG. 1A-1B, includes providing a device for providing the information described above, in particular, a device comprising at least one RF tag 1 and connected to at least one thermoelectric generator 2 configured to power the RF tag 1. Next, the method includes the location of the RF tag 1 directly on the pipe 3, for example by mechanical attachment, gluing, or any other suitable method, or not at some distance from water pipe 3, for example, essentially above the pipeline. In addition, the method includes the location of the thermoelectric generator 2, in particular, the Peltier element, on the pipe 3 or at a distance from it, with the possibility of supplying energy to the connected RF tag 1. The location of the thermoelectric generator 2 on the pipe 3 can be performed in such a way that one side of the thermoelectric generator 2 is located in contact with the outer surface of the pipe 3, and the second side of the thermoelectric generator 2 is located in contact with the surrounding pipe gadfly 3 medium, so that a temperature difference between opposite working planes of the thermoelectric generator 2 is provided.

It should be noted that the location of the RF tags and the corresponding thermoelectric generators can be carried out both during the initial laying of the pipeline, for example, in an underground position, and during further repair of the pipeline.

It should be noted that, although the present invention is disclosed with reference to a specific application, in particular the provision of information about a pipeline lying deep underground, it will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the present invention can also be used in any other field where radio frequency reading is required tags at a great distance, there is no possibility of replacing batteries, and a temperature difference is provided to ensure the operation of the thermoelectric generator to ensure I am self-powered by an RFID tag.

The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the description for illustrative purposes, and covers all possible modifications and alternatives that fall within the scope of the present invention defined by the claims. It should be noted that certain features of the invention, which are described for clarity in the context of individual embodiments, may also be implemented in combination in one embodiment. On the other hand, various characteristic features of the invention, which are described in the context of one implementation option, can also be implemented separately or in any suitable combination.

Claims (16)

1. A device for providing information about at least one pipeline, the temperature of the outer surface of which during its operation differs from the temperature of the environment surrounding the specified at least one pipeline containing at least one radio frequency tag, designed to be located on at least one pipeline or at a distance from it, characterized in that it also comprises at least one thermoelectric generator connected to the at least one radio frequency tag and arranged to be located on the at least one pipeline or at a distance from it, so that it is possible to supply energy to the at least one radio frequency tag connected to it. 2. The device according to claim 1, in which at least one thermoelectric generator is a Peltier element. 3. The device according to claim 1, used for at least one pipeline having an underground location. 4. The device according to claim 3, used to provide information about at least one pipeline located at a depth of 10 m underground. 5. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 1-4, used for at least one pipeline made of non-metallic material. 6. The device according to claim 5, used for at least one pipeline made of plastic material. 7. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 1-6, in which at least one RF tag is located on at least one pipeline, and at least one thermoelectric generator is located at a distance of from 0.01 m to 0.5 m from at least one pipeline. 8. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 1-6, in which at least one radio frequency tag is located at a distance of from 0.01 m to 1.0 m from at least one pipeline, and at least one thermoelectric generator is located on at least one pipeline. 9. The device according to any one of paragraphs. 1-6, in which at least one RF mark is located at a distance of from 0.01 m to 1.0 m from at least one pipeline, and at least one thermoelectric generator is located at a distance of from 0.01 m to 0, 5 m from at least one pipeline. 10. A method of installing a device for providing information about at least one pipeline according to any one of paragraphs. 1-9 containing providing a device for providing information according to any one of paragraphs. 1-9, the location of at least one RF tag of the specified device to provide information on at least one pipeline or at a distance from it and the location of the at least one thermoelectric generator connected to at least one radio frequency tag, at least one pipeline or at a distance from it, with the possibility of supplying energy to the connected at least one radio frequency tag. 11. The installation method according to p. 10, according to which the location of at least one radio frequency tag and at least one thermoelectric generator is carried out during the repair of the specified at least one pipeline.

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