Ultrasonic multi-skip tomography for pipe inspection
- TNO, Stieltjesweg 1, P.O. Box 155 2600 AD Delft (Netherlands)
The inspection of wall loss corrosion is difficult at pipe supports due to limited accessibility. The recently developed ultrasonic Multi-Skip screening technique is suitable for this problem. The method employs ultrasonic transducers in a pitch-catch geometry positioned on opposite sides of the pipe support. Shear waves are transmitted in the axial direction within the pipe wall, reflecting multiple times between the inner and outer surfaces before reaching the receivers. Along this path, the signals accumulate information on the integral wall thickness (e.g., via variations in travel time). The method is very sensitive in detecting the presence of wall loss, but it is difficult to quantify both the extent and depth of the loss. Multi-skip tomography has been developed to reconstruct the wall thickness profile along the axial direction of the pipe. The method uses model-based full wave field inversion; this consists of a forward model for predicting the measured wave field and an iterative process that compares the predicted and measured wave fields and minimizes the differences with respect to the model parameters (i.e., the wall thickness profile). Experimental results are very encouraging. Various defects (slot and flat bottom hole) are reconstructed using the tomographic inversion. The general shape and width are well recovered. The current sizing accuracy is in the order of 1 mm.
- OSTI ID:
- 22263767
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1581, Issue 1; Conference: 40. annual review of progress in quantitative nondestructive evaluation, Baltimore, MD (United States), 21-26 Jul 2013, 10. international conference on Barkhausen noise and micromagnetic testing, Baltimore, MD (United States), 21-26 Jul 2013; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Ultrasonic inspection of seamless drill casing and linepipe
1-D profiling using highly dispersive guided waves