Exceeding the speed limit or motion surges during the inspection run may lead to a failure or inspection data quality downgrade.

Due to this reason, the operating conditions of gas pipelines may be challenging for in-line inspection. For instance, decreasing the operating pressure in the gas transmission line due to increased consumption may lead to a higher gas speed. Thus, the in-line inspection service providers faced the challenge of controlling the tool speed in gas lines.

LIN SCAN developed Speed Control Units to ensure the velocity of the inspection tool does not exceed the operating limitations regardless of the actual flow velocity in the pipeline. SCU may be installed on tools with a diameter of 20” and above.

The unit is an electronically controlled motor-operated by-pass valve gradually opening when the tool velocity reaches the critical value and closing in case the speed is reduced.

The SCU must be re-active to speed changes in online mode. Thus, we can ensure that our inspection tools preserve their speed within acceptable limits at all times during the run.

We can also utilise SCU in liquid environments. High product speed is no longer an issue for in-line inspection.