Urban gas pipeline networks are the lifeblood of modern cities, and their safe and stable operation directly impacts public safety and urban development. As these networks age, problems like overextended service life, micro-leaks, and hidden defects become increasingly prominent. Traditional manual inspection and conventional detection methods struggle with insufficient precision, environmental interference, low efficiency, and untraceable data—shortcomings that no longer meet today’s safety standards and large-scale maintenance demands. The intelligent transformation of gas pipeline management now urgently requires high-accuracy leak detection, full-scenario inspection, digital management, and closed-loop traceability.
To address these industry pain points, Chicheng Electric has developed a high-precision laser methane-ethane inspection vehicle system. Based on cutting-edge laser sensing technology, the system deeply integrates optical detection, intelligent sensing, BeiDou positioning, and cloud platform management to overcome the weaknesses of traditional methods. It delivers an integrated, high-accuracy, full-process intelligent inspection solution for aging urban pipeline retrofits, daily pipeline maintenance, and station hazard screening.
01 PPB-Level Ultra-Trace Detection
Equipped with TDLAS (Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy) and mid-infrared laser absorption spectroscopy, along with a long-path absorption cell and an interband cascade laser, the system precisely identifies the specific infrared spectra of methane and ethane. This breaks through the accuracy bottleneck of traditional equipment. It achieves PPB-level ultra-trace gas monitoring in real time with a response speed of seconds, so even the smallest pipeline micro-leak is captured instantly, leaving no hidden risk undetected.
02 Dual-Gas Discrimination to Eliminate False Alarms
Unlike conventional detectors, the system supports independent detection and simultaneous display of methane and ethane. By analyzing gas composition, it accurately distinguishes natural gas from biogas sources, completely eliminating false alarms caused by gas source confusion. The industrial-grade wide-temperature design ensures stable performance in extreme environments from -40°C to 70°C. Its proprietary anti-alcohol interference algorithm effectively filters out vehicle exhaust and environmental impurities, guaranteeing reliable data even on complex urban roads.
03 Intelligent Pan-Tilt All-Area Scanning
An integrated smart pan-tilt telemetry unit supports 360° unlimited horizontal rotation and a -90° to +90° pitch angle. Managers can remotely control the monitoring angle via a mobile app, flexibly adapting to diverse scenarios such as road pipelines, pipe networks in green belts, underground culverts, and low-altitude station areas. The device automatically captures images at alarm points and supports external camera expansion, enabling leak point monitoring, on-site imaging, and process recording—building a comprehensive three-dimensional inspection system.
04 BeiDou + GPS Dual-Mode Positioning
The built-in BeiDou + GPS high-precision positioning module seamlessly links with the geographic information system. It collects and records full-dimensional data—inspection location, driving trajectory, gas concentration, ambient wind speed, and operating time—in real time. When a gas leak is detected, the system immediately triggers voice and visual alarms, simultaneously locking the leak coordinates and archiving them automatically. This replaces manual paper records with intelligent location data retention.
05 High-Efficiency Inspection at 70 km/h
The system supports multi-range distance adjustment with a maximum detection range of up to 300 meters, suitable for large-scale mobile inspection scenarios. Routine inspection speeds are 0–30 km/h; under extreme conditions, it can operate at speeds of up to 70 km/h, completely solving the problems of slow speed, limited coverage, and high labor demand. It efficiently performs full-area screening of urban arterial roads, long-distance suburban pipelines, and district networks, significantly improving daily inspection coverage while reducing costs.
06 Dual-Precision Leak Source Tracing
The system is equipped with Chicheng’s self-developed dual leak tracing algorithm, combined with BeiDou positioning and a high-precision wind speed sensor. It rapidly estimates the gas dispersion range for large-area initial screening and location. At the same time, it supports a manual inspection mode with an extended sampling probe for close-range verification, forming a dual investigation logic of “wide-area screening + pinpoint close inspection” to precisely lock onto the leak origin.
07 Cloud Data Connectivity and Full Traceability
The supporting smart operation cloud platform connects the entire chain of “field inspection – data transmission – backend management,” allowing inspection data to be uploaded to the cloud and synchronized in real time with one click. Gas concentration, alarm records, positioning tracks, on-site images, and environmental parameters are automatically archived. Managers can view the inspection progress and hazard distribution across the entire area at any time. The digital platform enables cloud-based inspection, closed-loop hazard management, and normalized data traceability.
Core Product Advantages
Ultra-High Detection Accuracy: PPB-level trace detection with second-level response, accurately capturing microscopic leak hazards.
Precise Gas Source Identification: Independent methane-ethane dual-gas detection distinguishes gas sources and eliminates misjudgment.
Strong Environmental Adaptability: Anti-interference against mixed gases, stable operation over a wide temperature range, suitable for various outdoor complex scenes.
Full-Area Intelligent Inspection: Pan-tilt all-area scanning with dual-mode positioning, precise leak location and full process traceability.
Efficient and Convenient Operation: Ready to use without preheating, compatible with multiple vehicle types, flexible deployment, and all-weather operation.
Digital Compliance Management: Full data automatic archiving and intelligent report generation meet industry regulatory requirements.
The Chicheng Electric high-precision laser methane-ethane inspection vehicle system is already successfully deployed by several well-known enterprises, safeguarding gas safety. From coarse manual inspection to intelligent precise traceability, this system empowers gas safety control with cutting-edge laser technology, fills the gap of micro-leak detection, and helps the gas industry realize early hazard discovery, risk warning, and rapid response—building an intelligent line of defense for the safe and stable operation of urban gas pipeline networks.
