An ultrasonic detector has a housing containing a transducer, a battery or other power supply, and any other necessary electronics. At a front end of the housing is a socket into which one of a plurality of interchangeable probes can be inserted. At the rear end of the housing, there is a handle by which an operative can hold the detector in use. On the inside of the housing, extending at least partially into the handle, is an elongate chamber within which at least one probe can be stored. A cover of the handle closes a rear end of the probe storage chamber and can be removed to expose a portion of the probe storage chamber and allow a probe to be inserted or removed.

A method and system are described for the continuous remote monitoring of the position and advance speed of a pig device inside a pipeline suitable for transporting a pressurized fluid, wherein the pipeline consists of a plurality of pipe sections joined to each other by welding. The method comprising the following steps: continuous acquisition and registration, by a plurality of measurement stations equipped with vibroacoustic sensors discretely located along the pipeline, of vibroacoustic signals due to hydraulic pressure transients, and/or to the vibrations generated by the pig device in movement in the contact/friction phases on the welding seams, and/or to other physical variations of the pipeline; analysis and processing, by a centralized control unit, of the vibroacoustic signals registered by the measurement stations to reveal, identify and reference the hydraulic/acoustic transients produced by the pig device during contact/friction with the weldings and/or with other variations in the internal section of the pipeline; continuous calculation of the linear position and advance speed of the pig device in relation to the time lapse between the vibroacoustic signals registered by at least two measurement stations installed along the pipeline.

A pressure sensor includes a single mode fiber, a Bragg grating, and a polarization controller to generate additional polarization states from an input polarization state of light injected into the fiber. The sensor utilizes logic to detect a uni-axial pressure applied to the fiber that shifts a reflection wavelength of a first Bragg grating polarization state relative to a Bragg reflection wavelength of a second polarization state orthogonal to the first polarization state.

A sensor carrier module for use in a pipeline pig may include a plurality of skids arranged about an axis of the sensor carrier module, and a flexible section. Each skid typically includes an upstream end, a downstream end, and at least one sensor between the upstream end and the downstream end. Each sensor may be configured to sense a parameter of a wall of a pipeline. The flexible section may be attached to the downstream ends of the skids and to a flange. The flexible section may include wheels configured to roll along the interior surface of the pipeline as the sensor carrier module passes through the pipeline, and a force system to apply a radial force that urges the wheels to interface with the interior surface of the pipeline.

A device is produced as a small sphere with neutral buoyancy, within which there is, at least, one hydrophone that is connected to a signal processor, which stores the information on a memory card and that is powered by at least one battery. This signal processor has a clock module, through which the sailing time elapsed for each audio signal received by the hydrophone is recorded in the memory. Therefore, based on the sailing time, the exact position of the detected anomalies or leaks can be ascertained. The device is complemented by a series of external synchronisation systems, laid out every certain distance, by which the position error that could be accumulated by the device is neutralised. Thus, a simple device is attained, which is cheap, solid, durable and highly effective.

The disclosed technology provides ways to suppress or eliminate the effects of roadnoise when performing acoustic leak detection in a wellbore environment. In some aspects, a method of the technology includes steps for receiving acoustic training data, wherein the acoustic training data comprises signals representing acoustic tool contact with a wellbore surface, and generating a suppression model based on the acoustic training data, wherein the suppression model is configured to suppress roadnoise received at a hydrophone array disposed within the wellbore. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

The system utilizes conductivity equipment as well as a camera, pressure sensor, and acoustic hydrophone within a probe deployed via cable into a pipe to be inspected. The probe completes an electric circuit back to ground when the probe is adjacent a defect through which electric currents can pass, thus producing varying electric current. The camera, incorporated into the electric probe, is utilized for both inspection and navigation through the pipe by providing a close-circuit video data feed. The pressure sensor detects alterations in the pressure and flow field of the fluidic region in the area of a leak. The acoustic hydrophone listens for the sound leaks in a pressurized pipeline. The inspection device is tethered to a cable and inserted a measured distance into the pipeline, typically with the pipeline under pressure, via a launch tube. Multi-sensor data versus pipeline position is thus obtained.

A method for operation of an acoustic tool, having a plurality of acoustic sensors, may include receiving acoustic waves from an acoustic source located at a depth in a borehole. A selected location (e.g., central location) of the acoustic sensor array may be positioned substantially at the depth of the acoustic source based on a symmetricity of an upper and lower section of a frequency-wavenumber (f-k) transform pattern with respect to a selected wavenumber. A radial distance from the acoustic source to the acoustic tool may be determined based on a theoretical f-k transform pattern used as a mask to filter measured data in the f-k domain.

A sensor carrier module for use in a pipeline pig may include a plurality of skids arranged about an axis of the sensor carrier module, and a flexible section. Each skid typically includes an upstream end, a downstream end, and at least one sensor between the upstream end and the downstream end. Each sensor may be configured to sense a parameter of a wall of a pipeline. The flexible section may be attached to the downstream ends of the skids and to a flange. The flexible section may include wheels configured to roll along the interior surface of the pipeline as the sensor carrier module passes through the pipeline, and a force system to apply a radial force that urges the wheels to interface with the interior surface of the pipeline.

Self-leveling inspection system methods and devices for use in inspecting buried pipes or other cavities are disclosed. A camera head may include an image sensor, an orientation sensing module, and an image processing module with programming to adjust an image or video provided from the image sensor, based at least in part on information provided from the orientation sensor.