Investigation of the position detection approach for deeply buried steel pipelines based on the electromagnetic method

Abstract Electromagnetic pipeline location detection technology has been widely adopted in engineering practice due to its operational simplicity and result reliability. However, when the pipeline burial depth exceeds 10 m, the position accuracy of detection decreases rapidly with increasing depth. To address the technical challenge of insufficient detection accuracy in electromagnetic methods for steel pipelines buried deeper than 10 m, this study proposes a calibration method for electromagnetic wave attenuation coefficients. This method enables accurate determination of attenuation coefficients for electromagnetic waves at different frequencies propagating through the soil medium surrounding the pipeline. Furthermore, a specialized pipeline location detection device incorporating three three-component fluxgate sensors has been developed. Based on the magnetic field data acquired by the detection device and the calibrated electromagnetic wave attenuation coefficients, a computational model for determining both pipeline burial depth and horizontal distance between the pipeline and the detection device has been established. By employing the grid search method with this model, both burial depth and horizontal distance can be effectively derived. The computational model has been rigorously validated through finite element simulations and experimental tests. Results demonstrate that the proposed method can accurately detect the location of steel pipelines buried at depths ranging from 10 to 60 m, with an error margin within 3%. The research provides a promising method for accurate detection of deeply buried steel pipelines and reliable technical support for the safe operation of pipelines.