Pipe-flange detection with GPR

BONOMO, NÉSTOR; DE LA VEGA, MATÍAS; MARTINELLI, PATRICIA; OSELLA, ANA

JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICS AND ENGINEERING

IOP PUBLISHING LTD

Año: 2011 vol. 08 p. 35 - 45

1742-2132

This paper describes an application of the ground penetrating radar (GPR) method for detecting pipe flanges. A case history is described in which GPR was successfully used tolocate pipe flanges along an 8 km metal pipeline, using a fixed-offset methodology, from theground surface. Summaries of numerical simulations and in situ tests, performed before thedefinitive prospecting to evaluate the feasibility of detection, are included. Typical GPRsignals are analysed and several examples shown. Constant-time sections of data volumes andmigration are evaluated with the goal of distinguishing flange signals from rock signals inunclear situations. The applied methodology was effective for detecting the pipe flanges inrelatively short times, with accuracies below 10 cm in the horizontal direction and 20 cm in thevertical direction.