Development of a Real-Time Monitoring System for Underground Utility Pipelines

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In this study, a system was proposed to detect physical impacts on pipelines, such as those used for natural gas and oil, in real time. Aging pipelines can be damaged by impacts and corrosion. This system was developed to prevent environmental pollution and property damage. Currently, cathodic protection systems are applied to oil and gas pipelines, as well as water mains, to prevent corrosion. A cathodic protection system is a system that applies direct current (DC) for corrosion prevention, and in this study, we measured in real time the electrical changes caused by physical impacts and variations at a constant voltage flowing through the pipeline. Electrical changes arise because physical deformation of the pipeline leads to changes in voltage, current, and resistance due to various factors such as contact resistance, alterations in current flow paths, and induced currents. As a result, it became possible to monitor in real time the electrical changes caused by physical impacts. This system was verified through experiments under conditions identical to those of a cathodic protection system, making it possible to monitor sustainable pipeline management in real time. In future research, by learning the waveform data corresponding to different types of physical impacts, we can anticipate the development of a pipeline damage prevention system using artificial intelligence.