Innovations in Pipe Inspection Technology

Laser Profiling for Pipe Inspection

Written by Venay Sehgal Bhatia | Oct 9, 2015

The ROVVER X Laser Profiler gives inspection crews the ability to analyze the ovality, alignment, diameter and capacity of a pipe using projected laser light. The profiler projects a ring of light on the pipe wall, and then software extracts the profile from the camera video and trends it over the length of the pipe to build a geometric profile. The captured profile data is readily analyzed to verify proper pipe installation, plan relining projects, determine remaining pipe life, monitor erosion/corrosion, quantify defects and analyze partial collapses.

Laser profiling is widely used as a quality control criterion for new pipe installations. State departments of transportation such as the Florida DOT and Arizona DOT mandate contractors to use laser profiling to inspect the installation of new culverts under highways before they complete the project.

Laser profiling applications also include measuring pipes scheduled for rehabilitation, as these measurements can show contractors where pipes are undersized or oversized. With typical CCTV inspection, old pipes are visually inspected and engineers often estimate pipe distortion. A laser profile provides more detailed information about the pipe’s circumferential profile, allowing for a more accurate pipe liner design.

The ROVVER X laser profiler is a slim probe attachment that snaps on to the front of your existing ROVVER X pan/tilt camera head in seconds and integrates seamlessly with WinCan’s laser module. The seamless integration makes adding this functionality to your existing workflow painless and affordable.

(source-1; source-2)