A Review on Pipeline In-Line Inspection Technologies

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Materials Science
• Robotics

Background:

• Pipelines are critical infrastructure for energy, municipal, and industrial sectors, vital for economic security.
• Effective pipeline integrity management relies on advanced in-line inspection (ILI) technologies.
• Current ILI methods face challenges in complex environments, accuracy-efficiency trade-offs, and cost.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the current research status of pipeline in-line inspection (ILI) technologies.
• To analyze the principles, applications, advantages, and limitations of major ILI systems.
• To identify future research directions for improving pipeline safety monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive review of domestic and international research on pipeline ILI.
• Detailed analysis of four key technological systems: electromagnetic, acoustic, optical, and robotic.
• Evaluation of operational principles, application scenarios, and performance characteristics.

Main Results:

• Significant progress in defect detection accuracy and environmental adaptability of existing ILI technologies.
• Identified limitations include challenges in complex environments, accuracy-efficiency trade-offs, and high equipment costs.
• Key ILI technologies reviewed are electromagnetic, acoustic, optical, and robotic systems.

Conclusions:

• Future research should focus on intelligent algorithm optimization for multi-physics collaborative detection.
• Miniaturized and integrated designs for inspection devices are crucial for future development.
• Scenario-specific development for specialized environments and multidisciplinary integration will enable efficient, precise, and low-cost pipeline safety monitoring.