Modeling and Calculation of Dent Based on Pipeline Bending Strain

The bending strain of long-distance oil and gas pipelines can be calculated by the in-line inspection tool which used inertial measurement unit (imu). the bending strain is used to evaluate the strain and displacement of the pipeline. during the bending strain inspection,the dent existing in the pipeline can affect the bending strain data as well. this paper presents a novel method to model and calculate the pipeline dent based on the bending strain. the technique takes inertial mapping data from in-line inspection and calculates depth of dent in the pipeline using bayesian statistical theory and neural network. to verify accuracy of the proposed method,an in-line inspection tool is used to inspect pipeline to gather data. the calculation of dent shows the method is accurate for the dent,and the mean relative error is 2.44%. the new method provides not only strain of the pipeline dent but also the depth of dent. it is more benefit for integrity management of pipeline for the safety of the pipeline. © 2016 qingshan feng et al.