Creates a digital shield for underground pipelines

Creates a digital shield for underground pipelines

What are the safety threats of underground pipelines?

What are the difficulties in protecting underground pipelines?

In China, there have been 888 gas pipeline accidents with identified causes in the past five years, of which 723 were caused by third-party construction damage, accounting for 81% of the identified gas pipeline accidents;

In the USA, approximately 67% of underground pipeline accidents are caused by external damage;

In Europe, underground pipeline accidents caused by external forces account for 27%, exceeding the number of accidents caused by pipeline corrosion.

Overall, external damage has become a major threat to pipeline safety.

Especially for underground pipelines buried by non excavation methods, accurate positioning is difficult and location information is severely lacking.

How to protect underground pipelines laid by non excavation methods?

The new pipeline positioning technology - inertial measurement (gyroscope mapping) positioning technology brings us good news. Accurate positioning (centimeter level positioning accuracy) enables to accurately avoid underground pipelines, significantly reducing pipeline accidents caused by external forces; Protecting the asset of the underground pipeline operation and maintenance party.

The city story of trenchless pipeline protection

    On January 1, 2021, in response to the problem of accurate positioning of trenchless pipelines , the 《Technical Regulations for Three Dimensional Trajectory Inertial Positioning Measurement of Underground Pipelines》, led by Guangzhou GZPI and participated by Guangzhou Datie Ins Tech company, was officially implemented, establishing industry standards for the application of inertial measurement technology in the positioning of underground pipelines. In April 2022, the Guangzhou HURCC issued the 《Guidelines for the Storage of Underground Pipeline Completion Information》, which stipulates in Article 6 that "before the pipeline is put into operation, it is encouraged to use pipeline detection high-tech (such as pipeline gyroscopes) for completion measurement to ensure the accuracy of the results". In September 2024, the policy will be further strengthened, and inertial measurement (gyroscope measurement) technology will be stipulated as a necessary condition for the positioning measurement of all trenchless pipelines.

    In February 2023, the Hefei city of AnHui province issued the 《Supplementary Regulations on Completion Measurement Technology for Underground Pipelines in Hefei City》, which stipulates in Article 6: "When non excavated pipelines have one of the following conditions, inertial positioning method should be used for completion measurement: 1. burial depth greater than 5 meters; 2. lack of geophysical measurement conditions due to electromagnetic interference or geological conditions.

    As early as ten years ago, Shanghai city made it a necessary requirement to have an inertial gyroscope measuring instrument in the qualification management of underground pipeline measurement.

With the continuous development and utilization of underground space, the protection of underground pipelines has become an increasingly important issue. Accurate positioning information, like an invisible digital shield, can significantly reduce the damage to underground pipelines caused by external forces. Inertial measurement technology is increasingly valued by management, construction, and underground pipeline asset owners, and its application will become more and more widespread. Let's work together to build a digital shield for the protection of underground pipelines!