Detection Technology for Oil Pipeline Plugging Based on Decompression Wave Method

Oil pipeline could be clogged by congealed oil products, due to low temperature. Thus, the distinct pressure difference around the plugged pipe section can be used to detect pipeline clogging, and the decompression wave of water hammer is put forward to identify plugged position of oil pipeline. The detailed theory is given below: when the pipeline is completely plugged, increase the pressure of pipeline, making it a pressure vessel, and then pressure relief has been implemented at the starting point of the pipeline. Now, a decompression wave is sent out from the head of the pipeline. It then bounds back to the pipeline head when it encounters the stemming on its way to down stream section. Therefore, the pipeline head can acquire twice decompression wave information. Then collect the pressure signals at the head of pipeline and acquire the abrupt information of pressure signals by using wavelet transform method. Accordingly, the two-way time which decompression wave takes to pass by the sensor is recorded. The last step is locating of line plugging by means of combining decompression wave velocity. The method is cost effective, easy for operation and no need of complex equipments, etc. It is superior compared with the existent pipeline plugging detection method, which has wide application potential.