Free-Form Laser Profilometry for Pipeline Inspection and 3D Cylindrical Reconstructions

Inspection of pipeline infrastructure is an essential part of pipeline integrity management to prevent from leakage and flow reduction is of great importance in water, gas, and oil distribution. However, current methods are limited in low resolution and low accuracy that fail to 3D reconstructions of pipelines. In this work, a theoretical laser propagation model based on a free-form laser profilometry method is established, and a fully functional laser system that incorporates a conic mirror within an integrated optical system containing all the elements necessary to retrieve the displacement information. The developed optical device exhibit high resolution, high accuracy, and high acquisition speed comparing with current technologies. Furthermore, the device can be completely sealed to be protected from the pipeline environment. This work paves the path towards autonomous laser scanners for underwater pipeline inspection.