Numerical Simulation of Robotic Inspection–Induced Flow Field Disturbance in Bends and Tees
Publication: Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 14, Issue 1
Abstract
The analysis of pipeline flow fields and forces during inspection robot operation is the basis of most pipeline robot studies. In this study, the low-Reynolds-number -epsilon model was used to numerically simulate the status of the pipeline flow field for an inspection robot operating in a pipe tee and pipe bend, which constituted the experimental group. A pipeline with no robot was set as the control group. The velocity, dynamic pressure, and static pressure of the pipelines were analyzed. A comparison of the results of the experimental and control groups revealed minor changes in the velocity and dynamic pressure of the pipeline flow field when the robot was operating; furthermore, the static pressure was found to increase significantly in the experimental group. Therefore, the presence of an inspection robot increases the load of the pipeline. This conclusion has significance for guiding the working state analysis of inspection robots in complex pipeline environments.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
Funding from the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 14 • Issue 1 • February 2023
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 31, 2021
Accepted: Sep 6, 2022
Published online: Oct 31, 2022
Published in print: Feb 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Mar 31, 2023
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