Project Overview

This project develops and validates a drone-compatible, non-invasive & non-contact monitoring approach for detecting pipeline coating disbondment and ice/moisture accumulation using passive, low-cost microwave resonant sensors. The core concept is to integrate printed passive resonant "tags" on externally coated steel pipelines with non-contact RF interrogation, enabling rapid inspection without wired power, batteries, or direct physical access.

The work focuses on designing sensor geometries that exhibit measurable resonance shifts in response to coating separation, moisture ingress, and ice formation, followed by rigorous laboratory validation under controlled dry, wet, iced, and freeze–thaw conditions. An VNA-based RF interrogation chain, coupled with calibrated antennas and automated measurement pipelines, is developed to quantify resonance frequency, and phase response with high repeatability.

Building on laboratory validation, the project evaluates UAV-representative interrogation feasibility, including link-budget analysis, antenna configuration, standoff distance constraints, and operational considerations relevant to drone-based inspection. The project incorporates a clear go/no-go decision point based on sensing robustness and interrogation reliability, ensuring disciplined progression toward demonstration-level validation.

The anticipated outcome is a scalable, non-invasive sensing framework that improves pipeline integrity monitoring in cold and moisture-prone environments, reduces inspection cost and risk, and supports future field deployment, partner pilots, and technology transition within the energy infrastructure ecosystem.