A Pipeline Inspection Gauge Positioning Method Based on Distributed Fiber Optic Vibration Sensing

Pipelines play an indispensable role in energy transportation, and ensuring their safe operation necessitates regular pigging operations. These pigging devices, which often operate over tens of kilometers, are at risk of blockage, making the monitoring of their position crucial. Traditional pigging positioning methods rely on manual operation, which can be costly. To address this, a distributed fiber optic vibration sensing-based method offers a lower cost solution for real-time position tracking. This approach combines distributed fiber optic vibration sensing with image segmentation technology to identify specific signal areas generated by the collision between the pigging devices' cup and pipeline weld seams. By utilizing edge detection to capture the propagation of vibration signals, the method precisely determines the collision point position, thus achieving real-time positioning of the pigging devices. We conducted experiments using real-site pipeline data and performed near-real engineering site full-length pipeline testing, achieving over 90% detection and localization accuracy (Acc), underscoring the rationality and effectiveness of our pipeline positioning algorithm.