Petrochemical applications employ a wide variety of NDT techniques, but there is a need for a simple, real time diagnostic tool for in-service inspections. The complexity of advanced techniques results in a shortage of qualified technicians who can quickly detect subsurface defects over large areas. Traditional ultrasonic testing (UT) on pipes is very tedious because phased-array UT (PAUT) is very time consuming and automated UT (AUT) is expensive and requires the removal of any coatings that might be applied to the pipe before inspection. We will be reporting on recent results utilizing a real-time portable imaging device to find internal damage for oil and gas applications. Less training is required than for phased array systems. We will describe results showing how UT prove-up for tank bottoms gets much simpler and faster with the system, including through fiberglass coating plates. We will also be reporting on a recently developed curvature correction lens that captures more of the scattered ultrasound, effectively flattening a pipe which images are generated, resulting in a new diagnostic tool for detecting subsurface corrosion in pipes. For example, microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) was quickly found. These and other results will be described in this paper.

Related Publications