Abstract
The inspection of a pipeline from the inside becomes more and more widespread. An inspection tool, called “Geometry Pig”, carries a variety of sensors, among which a strapdown inertial system provides essential geometric information on the pipeline. In this paper the inspection pig is described as a surveying tool, which delivers information on centre line, shape and features of the pipe. After some background information it is explained, why the inertial system is the optimal instrument to deliver some structural parameters of the pipeline. The interaction between data evaluation and measurement procedure is discussed in view of the very few possibilities to vary the procedure. One of them is a forced rotation about the forward axis. Analogies are shown to traditional surveying procedures. Finally some results of actual surveys are presented. A positioning accuracy of 1:2500 is achieved with respect to tie points.
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Knickmeyer, E.H. The Rolling Pig or How does a surveyor creep through a pipeline?. Bulletin Géodésique 68, 71–76 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00819383
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00819383