Ultrasonic inspection of pipes made for energy applications is one of the NDT methods extensively used by pipe manufacturers. Due to high production rates, from 50 to 200 ft./min, the inspection is performed by equipment designed to operate in automatic mode, and in most cases performing the inspection at or close to the production speeds. In today's competitive market there are many types and designs of automated UT equipment and choosing the right one is not always easy. This presentation offers a step-by-step guide to the performance evaluation of automated UT equipment, focusing on compliance with API requirements, including the design as well as the performance evaluation. Therefore this presentation may be of use for equipment acquisition as well as for auditing the NDT capability. With adequate changes of the specifics, the concepts presented can be applied to other NDT methods and equipment such as automated Magnetic Flux Leakage systems.

Related Publications