Development of in-pipe robots for inspection and cleaning tasks: Survey, classification and comparison

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the reviews of past research work on various in-pipe robotic systems and their operations. This investigation has been focussed on the implemented methodologies for performing in-pipe cleaning and inspection tasks.

Design/methodology/approach

This work has been concentrated on review of various sensors used in robots to perform in-pipes inspection operation for determining flaws/cracks, corrosion-affected areas, blocks and coated paint thickness. Various actuators like DC motors, servo motors, pneumatic operated and hydraulic operated are discussed in this review analysis to control the motion of various mechanical components of the robot.

Findings

In the current analysis, categorisation of various pipe cleaning robots according to their mechanical structure has been addressed. A lot of information has been gathered regarding the control of in-pipe robots for performing inspection and cleaning tasks.

Originality/value

In this paper, various in-pipe cleaning and inspection techniques have been studied. Necessary information provided regarding different types of in-pipe robots like PIG, wall-pressed, walking, wheel and inchworm. This investigation provides a through literature on various types of sensors like ultrasonic, magnetic, touch, light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, X-ray, etc., that have been used for inspection and detection of flaws in the pipe.

Citation

Deepak, B.B.V.L., Bahubalendruni, M.V.A.R. and Biswal, B.B. (2016), "Development of in-pipe robots for inspection and cleaning tasks: Survey, classification and comparison", International Journal of Intelligent Unmanned Systems, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 182-210. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJIUS-07-2016-0004