A review on pipeline inspection robot

Abstract

Pipelines deteriorate gradually over a period of time due to various factors. The limitation in these pipeline systems is that they are affected by various factors such as environmental conditions, corrosion, cracks etc. Maintenance and repair of these systems are labor-intensive and expensive. This can be solved by designing a pipeline inspection robot that would reduce human labor. Such robots will also be helpful in pipeline inspection in hazardous and in accessible environments. This paper aims to review the different types of pipeline robots based on various characteristics such as accuracy in inspection, size and adaptability to shape, flexibility, vertical mobility, scalability, cost, speed, design complexity, impact on the pipe and motion efficiency. Based on the literature survey, a design is proposed.