Improving the Design Approach to Developing Through-Metal Communications for Use in Subsea Pipeline Robots

Vital inspection and repair operations on subsea pipelines usually involve pipe-bore robots, which must be controlled and monitored from outside the pipe. In many situations cables cannot be connected to the in-pipe robot and duplex wireless communication through pipe-wall is the only solution. Wireless power transmission (WPT) through pipe-wall has been considered to facilitate the required duplex communication. In WPT through subsea pipe-walls the conductive media (i.e.: stainless steel and seawater.) will significantly reduce the power transfer efficiency (PTE) of the system. This paper proposes a coil geometry optimisation methodology to boost PTE of these wireless communication systems. The proposed technique, in addition to increasing the PTE improves the overall system's signal to noise ratio by reducing the coil antenna's internal resistance.