Wi-Fi can be used to communicate in gas pipes, claim researchers at the University of Missouri-Rolla.
"We found that we could communicate over a little less than a mile [1.6km] with a 24in. [0.6m] pipe," said Professor Kelvin Erickson, chair and professor of electrical and computer engineering at UMR.
The project was to study IEEE 802.11 radio links as a way to remove trailing data cables from pipe inspection robots.
“As the existing natural gas pipeline ages, it is critical that these pipelines be periodically inspected for corrosion, cracking, and other problems that can eventually cause a failure of the pipeline,” said Erickson.
“For larger transmission lines, passive flow-powered platforms -- also known as pigs -- are used to carry an array of inspection sensors. However, in smaller, lower-pressure distribution mains, ‘pigs’ are inappropriate and so robotic devices are currently under development for the inspection and repair of these pipelines. Secure, reliable communication is needed to support these robotic devices.”
Following the research the university is proposing dual use for gas pipes.
"The 1.2 million miles of natural gas distribution and transmission pipelines that crisscross the United States could be used to build wireless networks," said Erickson.
www.umr.edu