This study addresses the challenges of non-stationarity and
significant background noise interference in eddy current detection
signals by proposing a noise reduction method based on Improved
Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adapted Noise
(ICEEMDAN). The process commences with the signal being decomposed
using Improved Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with
Adapted Noise into a finite number of Intrinsic Mode Functions
(IMFs). Each Intrinsic Mode Function is then evaluated for the
presence of high-frequency noise using a Power Spectral Density
(PSD) analysis. The high-frequency noise present in the Intrinsic
Mode Functions is then reduced using Normalized Least Mean Squares
(NLMS) before being reconstructed with the remaining Intrinsic Mode
Functions. Subsequently, the reconstructed signals are subjected to
another round of decomposition using Improved Complete Ensemble
Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adapted Noise. The Pearson Product
Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC) is utilised to calculate the
correlation between the Intrinsic Mode Functions within each layer,
retaining those with a strong correlation to further attenuate
noise. Ultimately, the local maxima judgement method selectively
amplifies defect signals by assessing changes in peak and valley
degrees, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the eddy
current detection signal. The experimental results demonstrate that,
in comparison to the use of only the conventional Improved Complete
Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adapted Noise and
Normalized Least Mean Squares denoising methods, the proposed method
increases the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) by 1.08 dB and 2.31 dB,
respectively, and decreases the Mean Square Error (MSE) by 106.9 and
223.9, respectively. The false alarm rate for stainless steel welded
tubes with defects is 1.4%, while the false alarm rate for
stainless steel welded tubes without defects is 0.4%.