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Battery-powered FPGA-based embedded system for ultrasonic pipe inspection and gauging systems
1Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai 400094, India.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|April 4, 2023
Summary
A novel, water-immersible, battery-powered embedded system using a field programmable gate array (FPGA) enables ultrasonic pipe inspection in harsh environments. This system operates for over five hours, suitable for petrochemical and nuclear industries.
Area of Science:
- Embedded Systems Engineering
- Non-Destructive Testing
- Materials Science
Background:
- Harsh operating conditions in petrochemical and nuclear industries necessitate robust pipe inspection tools.
- Existing systems may lack the necessary water-immersion capabilities and long-term battery operation for continuous monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and develop a novel, water-immersible, battery-powered, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based embedded system.
- To evaluate the system's suitability for ultrasonic pipe inspection and gauging in challenging environments.
Main Methods:
- Development of a compact, stand-alone, IP67-grade FPGA embedded system powered by lithium-ion batteries.
- Utilized onboard Double Data Rate (DDR) RAM for storing 256 MBytes of A-scan data.
- Experimentation conducted using an in-house developed inspection head with focused immersion transducers within SS and MS pipes.
Main Results:
- The developed system operated continuously for over five hours on battery power.
- The IP67-grade modules demonstrated capability for floating within pipes during flow.
- Successful data acquisition under water-immersed conditions was achieved.
Conclusions:
- The battery-powered, water-immersible FPGA embedded system is a suitable tool for ultrasonic pipe inspection in harsh conditions.
- The system's design supports expansion to 256 channels for more demanding applications.
- This technology offers significant potential for the petrochemical and nuclear sectors.
