Remote Monitoring of Fluid Pipelines

1 . A pipeline including a system for monitoring fluid flowing through the pipeline, comprising:

a conduit defining an interior; and

at least one sensor assembly arranged in said interior, each of said at least one sensor assembly including an energy generating system and at least one flow measuring device coupled to said energy generating system to be powered thereby, said at least one flow measuring device providing information about flow of fluid in said conduit.

2 . The pipeline of claim 1 , wherein said at least one sensor assembly comprises a plurality of sensor assemblies spaced apart from one another along a length of said conduit.

3 . The pipeline of claim 1 , wherein said energy generating system includes a rotatable element which is rotated upon flow of fluid over said element and an energy generating arrangement coupled to said rotatable element and arranged to generate energy upon rotation of said element.

4 . The pipeline of claim 3 , wherein said energy generating arrangement comprises a rotor coupled to said rotatable element and a coil arranged around said rotor such that rotation of said rotor relative to said coil and which is caused by rotation of said rotatable element causes generation of energy.

5 . The pipeline of claim 3 , wherein said energy generating system further comprises an energy storage system coupled to said energy generating arrangement and said at least one flow measuring device for storing energy generated by said energy generating arrangement and providing stored energy to said at least one flow measuring device.

6 . The pipeline of claim 1 , wherein said interior of said conduit has a substantially uniform cross-section and said at least one sensor assembly is arranged in said interior at a location at which said conduit has the substantially uniform cross-section.

7 . The pipeline of claim 1 , wherein said at least one flow measuring device comprises at least one pair of first and second ultrasonic transceivers spaced apart from one another, said first ultrasonic transceiver being arranged to transmit ultrasonic signals to said second ultrasonic transceiver, said second ultrasonic transceiver being arranged to receive transmitted ultrasonic signals from said first ultrasonic transceiver and transmit ultrasonic signals to said first ultrasonic transceiver, said first ultrasonic transceiver being arranged to receive transmitted ultrasonic signals from said second ultrasonic transceiver.

8 . The pipeline of claim 7 , further comprising a processing unit coupled to said first and second ultrasonic transducers and arranged to monitor transmission and receptions of ultrasonic waves from and to said first and second ultrasonic transducers and derive information about a speed of flow of the fluid in said conduit.

9 . The pipeline of claim 1 , further comprising a control unit coupled to said at least one flow measuring device and an antenna coupled to said control unit, said control unit being arranged to receive the information about flow of fluid in said conduit from said at least one flow measuring device, said control unit including or being associated with a telematics or communications unit which is arranged to generate a signal for transmission by said antenna to at least one remote location which is indicative of the information.

10 . The pipeline of claim 9 , further comprising additional sensors for monitoring said conduit or a fluid flowing through said conduit, said control unit being coupled to said additional sensors and arranged to receive information about said conduit or the fluid from said additional sensors, said control unit being arranged to generate a signal for transmission by said antenna to the at least one remote location which is indicative of the information.

11 . The pipeline of claim 1 , wherein said antenna is arranged on an outer surface of said conduit when said conduit is exposed or arranged apart from said conduit when said conduit is underground.

12 . The pipeline of claim 1 , further comprising at least one vibration transducer arranged in contact with a wall defining said conduit to measure vibrations in said wall, further comprising a control unit coupled to said at least one flow measuring device and to said at least one vibration transducer, and an antenna coupled to said control unit, said control unit being arranged to receive the information about flow of fluid in said conduit from said at least one flow measuring device and information about measured vibrations from said at least one vibration transducer, said control unit including or being associated with a telematics or communications unit which is arranged to generate a signal for transmission by said antenna to at least one remote location which is indicative of the information.

13 . The pipeline of claim 1 , wherein said at least one vibration transducer is arranged to excite vibrations in said conduit.

14 . A sensor assembly for monitoring fluid flowing through a pipeline, comprising:

an energy generating system which generates energy based on flow of the fluid; and

at least one flow measuring device coupled to said energy generating system to be powered thereby, said at least one flow measuring device providing information about flow of fluid in said conduit.

15 . The assembly of claim 14 , wherein said energy generating system includes a rotatable element which is rotated upon flow of fluid over said element and an energy generating arrangement coupled to said rotatable element and arranged to generate energy upon rotation of said element.

16 . The assembly of claim 14 , wherein said energy generating system further comprises an energy storage system coupled to said energy generating arrangement and said at least one flow measuring device for storing energy generated by said energy generating arrangement and providing stored energy to said at least one flow measuring device.

17 . The assembly of claim 14 , further comprising at least one vibration transducer arranged in contact with a wall defining said conduit to measure vibrations in said wall, further comprising a control unit coupled to said at least one flow measuring device and to said at least one vibration transducer, and an antenna coupled to said control unit, said control unit being arranged to receive the information about flow of fluid in said conduit from said at least one flow measuring device and information about measured vibrations from said at least one vibration transducer, said control unit including or being associated with a telematics or communications unit which is arranged to generate a signal for transmission by said antenna to at least one remote location which is indicative of the information.

18 . A method for monitoring fluid flowing through a pipeline including a conduit defining an interior, comprising:

arranging a plurality of sensor assemblies in an interior of the conduit spaced apart from one another along a length of the conduit, each sensor assembly including an energy generating system and at least one flow measuring device coupled to the energy generating system to be powered thereby;

obtaining information about flow of fluid in the conduit from each sensor assembly;

generating a signal indicative of the obtained information; and

transmitting the signal by means of an antenna to at least one remote location.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising;

providing a control unit coupled to each flow measuring device to obtain the information about the flow of fluid; and

providing a telematics or communications unit to generate the signal and direct the transmission of the signal via the antenna.

20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

measuring vibrations in a wall of the conduit;

deriving information about a state or condition of the conduit from the measured vibrations; and

generating a signal indicative of the derived information; and

transmitting the signal by means of the antenna to at least one remote location.