Article Article
Development of an Ultrasonic Phased Array for Nondestructive Testing of Pipes: Theory and Practice

A linear ultrasonic phased array was studied for nondestructive testing (NDT) of pipes in the oil and gas industry. For the array design, the theoretical sound quality was weighed by calculating the spatially distributed sound pressure for different array parameters. At the same time, several other important factors were also taken into consideration. For example, although a smaller inter-element distance is advantageous for suppressing the undesirable sound-grating lobes, a larger distance is preferable for the benefit of the inspection speed. The practical testing on pipes with artificial notches showed the capability of the designed array. Moreover, the experimental results agreed with the theoretical implications.

References
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