Principle

Features
Benefits Version 2.2
 vLocDM2 Receiver

 Current is measured above

ground using the non intrusive
DM receiver
 Traditional cable and pipe
locators are not able to detect
near DC so magnetometer
sensors are used to detect the
signal.
 Measurements are taken at
regular intervals along the
pipeline
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Current Attenuation Analysis
The current must attenuate and not “come back”.
Percentage change – Severe, Moderate, Minor
The readings are about the sections of pipeline
between the readings (the only tool that can tell
you something about the pipeline section without
having to be right on top of the problem area).
Do not take each reading literally, look at groups
of readings.
Make sure the depth of cover looks reasonable.
Bends, T’s, Depth changes, structures can affect
measurements.
What can ACVG data tell us?
It is a micro tool that pinpoints coating defects and
can find:
Large coating defects
Small Coating defects
Severity of the coating defect
Possible interference areas
Shorted casings
CP cable breaks
Position of Anodes
Pipe coating in a good condition is
shown as very little loss of
current.

Pipe coating in poor condition is

shown as a rapid loss of in
current.

Mixture of good and poor coating

which is shown as greater current
loss over the section of pipe with
poor coating.
The effect of a short or contact
with another service is a sudden
current loss.

The effect of a poorly coated steel

shield in contact with the pipeline
is to show reduced current in a
measurement section.

This effect is either a section of

perfect coating or ground
conditions that are shielding the
signal - dry or rocky ground.
Summary (cont.)
Combining data and tools are crucial to proper
identification of possible external corrosion.
Other items in the indirect inspections such as depth of
cover and foreign crossings should be included in the
analysis at indications to look for Third Party Damage.
If one tool shows an indication and the others do not, it
should be verified as to why this occurred and not ignored.
Coating is not perfect. Therefore if you find nothing you
need to find out why the tools didn’t work, resolve the
issues and resurvey where necessary.
All local conditions must be considered before deciding
what indications are monitored, scheduled and immediate.
 vLocDM2
 Identifies Areas of Coating Damage
 By identifying pipe to soil
contacts
 Helps prioritise Workload
 Helps categorise faults
 Helps map CP current flow
 Maximises CP effectiveness by
minimising CP current

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vLocDM2
Pipeline Defect Mapper / Long
distance locating system
Super slim removable foot
Lighter, smaller
 vLocDM2 Receiver

Keypad & Display Impact

protection Carbon fiber Reinforced
Antenna assembly

Magnetometers
Set within housing

Holux GPS Holder

Accessory/External GPS &

Charging Sockets

Rechargeable/AA Battery
Internal 1000 record data logging Pack (removable)

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 vLocDM2 Receiver Display
Megfoot
Bluetooth indication Battery Status
GPS Active Active (Internal)
Location Mode
(Peak, Broad Peak, Null)

Depth to centre
of pipe Data log number

Distance from last

Analogue display
reading
of signal response
Digital Display
of signal response
Gain Setting dB Line direction indicator

Frequency
Frequency
select
Location mode select
On / Off control Gain control
(reduce gain) Gain control
Information (increase gain)
Depth/current measurement
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 vLocDM2 Receiver

 Colour dot matrix display for clarity and

flexibility
 Rechargeable batteries or replaceable
alkaline, back-up, battery pack
 Robust and shock resistant packaging
 Magnetometer sensors for very low
frequency measurements
 External GPS
 Internal or external data logging

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 vLocDM2 Receiver Data Logging

 Datalogging
 1000 internal records
 Current profiling
 A-frame ACVG data logging
 Real time on screen graphing
 USB external connector

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 vLocDM2 Receiver Review Data Logging

 Review mode enables: Review is possible of:

 Review of data at all points  DM current data profiles
 Removal of erroneous data points  A-frame data files

Creent profile review screen

 vLocDM2 Receiver

 At each measurement point the following data is displayed

 DM Current (This is the low frequency mapping current)
 Locate current
 Depth to centre of pipe
 Distance, as the crow flies, from last reading

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 Internal Bluetooth
Connection
Typically 3m accuracy GPS Sub meter GPS (optional)
(standard accessory)
Bluetooth connection to
Bluetooth connection to
external high accuracy
“Holux” GPS GPS such as Tri-Global
Enables low accuracy for Trimble system.
fault locating and on Enables high accuracy
screen real time route survey with
graphing Differential GPS and
Also enables “walk back Post Processing.
feature”

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 vLocDM2 “Walk Back Feature”

 Walk back feature enables the user to

 Quickly walk back along a pipeline to a point of interest
without having to take further measurements.
 Plan the start of A-frame fault pinpointing with easy
planning.

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3 Party Software
rd

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Holux GPS to Google Earth Sample
 Bluetooth GPS
 vLocPro2 Receivers
 Bluetooth Connectivity
 Connects to most GPS receivers
 ESRI SHP files (SHP, DBF, SHX)
 CSV generic text file format (CSV)
 Google Earth KML file format (KML)

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 vLocDM2 Transmitter

 DC power possible from 12 to 60V DC

 Either power from 12V vehicle or transformer rectifier
output
 AC supply from 100 to 240V AC
 Robust ,ergonomic case with large handle for easy
transportation

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 vLocDM2 Transmitter

 100mA to 3A Constant Current Signal mapping current.

 Near DC or Ultra Low Frequency outputs
 Ultra low frequency for faster, more repeatable and consistent
results
 Selection of locate frequencies: 98Hz, 128Hz, 512Hz or 640Hz
 Multiple output mode
 LCD providing
 Applied current
 Operating frequency (s)
 Output current
 Over temperature alarm
 Voltage limit alarm
 Power Limit

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 vLocDM2 Transmitter

 Near DC Constant Current Transmitter Applies signal at

CP Station
 Current flows from Anode Bed to defects on pipeline in
the same way as the CP current
 At defects current enters pipe and flows back to the
transmitter

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 vLocDM2 Graphing

 Results are plotted on a graph to identify the areas that

have current pickup
 Areas with current pickup indicate defect areas.
 The larger the step the harder the CP system has to
work to protect the pipeline.

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 vLocDM2 Graphing Comparison

 Using Near DC ensures changes in current are only

caused by coating defects.
 Using higher frequencies masks faults and makes
interpretation more difficult
 Using higher frequencies reduces range because of
signal capacitance loss

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 vLocDM2 Pinpointing Defects

 At a defect the current enters the pipe

 Increased current density at defect creates voltage in
surrounding soil.
 Measuring the soil potential along the defect area
pinpoints the defect to within a few inches/cm.
 The PDM uses an A-frame accessory to measure the
soil potentials.

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vLocDM2 Using in Russia

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login data in Excel
Chart generated from Excel
Maxim, Germany
Typical pipeline defects
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QUERIES ?????