In-Line Inspection Tool with Eddy Current Instrumentation for Fatigue Crack Detection

Abstract

Eddy current transducer with sensing coils placed orthogonally and connected in differential mode was introduced to evaluate fatigue cracks in clad pipeline circumferential welds. A dedicated embedded electronic hardware was developed to drive the transducer and measure the electrical complex impedance of the coils, and was specifically designed for operation under autonomous in-line inspection tool. In the laboratory experiments, an automated inspection was performed with the goal to evaluate transducer’s detectability, and different scanning speed was tested to reproduce in service situation. The results have confirmed that the introduced eddy current transducer is a potential solution for fatigue crack detection in clad circumferential weld root, while the hardware developed presented a reasonable SNR reaching the data rate required to be incorporated in an autonomous in-line inspection tool.

Pipeline In-Line Inspection Method, Instrumentation and Data Management

“…Due to the limitation of the detection principle and pipeline characteristics (such as size, medium property, etc. ), the detection equipment and functions need to be designed according to the actual detection object as well [ 23 ]. In addition, current pipeline integrity evaluation and health management methods employ these historical data to identify and evaluate high-risk pipeline [ 24 ], while condition-based maintenance can be carried out.…”

A Phased Array Ultrasound Roller Probe for Automated in-Process/Interpass Inspection of Multipass Welds

“…Automated NDT systems for inspection of welds and joints is becoming increasingly popular offering higher consistency, speed and repeatability when compared to human operators [8]. In many industrial sectors, ultrasonic testing (UT) is the primary choice for inspection of welded joints when compared to other NDT methods, such as radiography and eddy current testing, owing to its non-hazardous application, capability to perform bulk inspection due to deep penetration, and better detection capability of different defect types [9,10].…”

Pulsed Multifrequency Excitation and Spectrogram Eddy Current Testing (PMFES-ECT) for Nondestructive Evaluation of Conducting Materials

“…Eddy current testing (ETC) has been used as a nondestructive testing method in the aerospace [1], petrochemical [2] and shipbuilding industries. It is used for surface inspection [3], quality inspection [4] and thickness measurements [5], among other things.…”