Measuring Pipe Line Vibrations

Many different ways, accelerometers, displacement transducers, load cells, torque cells,

http://content.honeywell.com/sensing/sensotec/loadcellmini.asp

Try this place first...

good luck

laby

There are a number of different ways to accomplish this. If you are only interested in simple monnitoring, then a velocity sensor will work. The problem with these sensors is that they have moving parts, and if displacement is high, damage will occur over time. Probably the best sensor is an accelerometer. Then you have to think about how to transmit the signal. Are you going to "ride" the pipeline and gather the data with a portable instrument on a periodic basis, or will all the info come back to a central location(s) 24/7, in which case you will need power for the sensor. Wireless transmission is probably the best bet.

If you want just to measure it, you should use an FFT analyser with an accelerometer, that will give you the whole spectrum (amplitude for each frequency). I would say that equipement based on accelerometers are easier for non-specialists. But then you will need to interpret the data in order to classify the risk of failure.

We (Doosan Babcock, UK) sell the pipe vibration meter that is also interpreting the data into risk levels: www.pipevibrationmeter.co.uk

If it is for a one-time problem, then it would probably be simpler to use a provider of services to come and do the measurements, along with proposing a solution if you have a problem (we also do that, please use the contacts on the website above, or mine: jneillo@doosanbabcock.com). If the phenomenon is transient, then you will probably have to go for a monitoring solution in order to "capture" it (we also do this!): a set of transducers bonded to the pipework, cabled back to a recording unit (wireless technology would struggled with the required bandwidth).