An energy-saving and velocity-tracking control design for the pipe isolation tool

The pipe isolation tool demonstrates remarkable advantages in safety and efficiency compared with traditional plugging devices. However, its utilization in plugging operations is limited by demand of operation duration and precise velocity trajectory. In this article, a pipe isolation tool control system is designed for energy-saving and plugging part’s velocity tracking of the pipe isolation tool. To achieve energy recovery and velocity-tracking control, a flywheel and an accumulator are used for energy transformation and storage. A fuzzy proportional integral derivative controller is proposed to improve the ability of the desired velocity trajectory. The proposed control strategy, compared with the conventional pipe isolation tool drive system, is more energy efficient and has more internally stable dynamics on the closed-loop system. The results verify that both energy-saving and velocity-tracking objectives are satisfied for the electrohydraulic control system of the pipe isolation tool.