Experiments and modeling of fluctuating frictional force of pipeline inspection gauges

Abstract At present, pipeline inspection gauge (PIG) is the main means to ensure the reliability of oil and gas transportation pipelines. Due to the unstable friction between the PIG and the pipeline, the failure and blockage of the PIG often occurs. In this paper, the theoretical modeling and experimental measurement of fluctuating friction on PIG are studied. Firstly, considering the coupling relationship between cylindrical shell and conical shell, the contact radial force model between PIG and pipeline is derived. Based on which, the nonlinear frictional model of PIG is proposed, and the parameters are measured by several experiments. Then an experimental platform is developed to measure the fluctuating friction force of PIG in actual operation, and verify the accuracy of the proposed model. The motion characteristic analysis and dynamics research are carried out, and the PIG creeping phenomenon caused by fluctuating friction is explained. Finally, based on the proposed nonlinear friction model, the influence of parameters is analyzed. The conclusions based on the proposed model and the experiments results can provide technical supports for practical engineering application.