buried pipe nde technology - international atomic energy ... · pdf fileburied pipe nde...

Steve Kenefick NDE Principal Project Manager

IAEA/EPRI International Technical Meeting on Aging Management of

Buried and Underground Piping and Tanks for Nuclear Power Plants

October 13-15, 2014

Charlotte, NC

Buried Pipe NDE Technology

2 © 2014 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Overview

• Buried pipe NDE technology methods

for wall loss

• Technology limitations

• NDE technologies

• NDE delivery technology


Buried Pipe NDE Methods

In-line In-line & Outside Pipe

Outside pipe

Remote field testing

Ultrasonics Guided wave

Magnetic flux leakage

Electromagnetic techniques

Radiography

Saturated Low Frequency Eddy

Current

Electromagnetic acoustic transducer

Remote visual

Laser profilometry

In-line Delivery Methods

- Robotic Crawlers - Flow through - Pull through


Buried Pipe NDE Technology Capabilities

(General)

Method Volumetric Measures

Thickness

Change in

Thickness

Ultrasonics X X X

Remote Field Testing (RFT) X X X

Guided Wave X X

Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) X X

Radiography X X

Saturated Low Frequency Eddy

Current

X X

Laser Profilometry / Structured

White Light

X

Visual X


Ultrasonics


Ultrasonic Principals

Energy generated by transducer into the

material

Energy travels in the material until

reflected, refracted, or attenuated

Reflected energy converted to electrical

pulse that can be processed and

displayed


Manual Applications

• Hand held single or dual element probes

– Spot thickness readings

– Scanning and recording specified

thickness (generally minimum or

maximum)

• Encoded manual or automated

• Phased array


In-line Ultrasonic Technology

• Ultrasonic tool inserted into piping system

• Moved through piping by fluid flow

– Fluid circulated behind tool and removed

in front of it

– Bi-directional tool (one access point)

– Single direction tool (launcher and

retriever)

• Robotically driven


In-line Launch and Retrieval Stations


Ultrasonic Electromagnetic Acoustic

Transducer (EMATS)

• EMATs – another way to generate ultrasonic energy

• Probes are in close proximity to examination surface


Ultrasonic Display

Corrosion damage

around pipe support and

resulting C-scan display


Ultrasonic Phased Array C-scan

Display

Scanned a 500-mm by 635-mm area of a corroded pipe

• ~80K measurements (some drop out)


Ultrasonic B-scan and D-scan Displays

Inner Surface

Outer Surface


Electromagnetics

Remote Field Testing (RFT)


RFT Sensor and Energy Flow

Courtesy of Russell NDE Systems Inc

• Uses Two coils

– Exciter (transmitter or send)

– Detector (receiver or pick-up)

– Coils typically separated by 2 to

3 pipe diameters

• Magnetic field inside the tube is

near zero, while external field is

strong

• Calibration on like material is

important


RFT Analysis Software

• RFT measures

– “Time-of-flight” (phase shift)

between coils which indirectly

relates to the wall thickness

– Signal strength (amplitude)

between coils


RFT Deployment

• Sensors can operate ~1-inch from

the metallic pipe surface allowing

for examination through scale,

tubercles, sand, deposits, and

liners

• RFT tools can be operated in a

tethered, guide-wire, autonomous,

or free-swimming form


Electromagnetics – SLOFEC


SLOFEC

Combination of eddy current and

magnetic field

• Superimposed DC magnetism

increases eddy current depth of

penetration

• Uses eddy current sensors to

detect flux leakage

• Density of magnetic lines increase

where wall thinning is present


SLOFEC

• In-line pipe inspections technique

for ferromagnetic materials

– Detection and resolution of

pitting

– Differentiates between inside

and outside surface

discontinuities

– Tolerate coatings and liftoff from

pipe surface

– Measure change in wall

thickness


SLOFEC

Loss-of-material on the far surface alters the magnetic flux, which in turn alters the eddy currents

• Loss-of-material on the

near surface directly

interrupt the flow of eddy

currents.

• These two responses alter

the phase angle of the

eddy current


Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL)



In-line pipe inspections of ferromagnetic materials

• Detection and resolution of pitting

• Measures changes in wall thickness

• Cannot differentiate between ID and OD flaws

• Fast scan speeds

Photo curtsey of Microline Technology Corp



• Magnetic lines of flux flow between the magnetic poles

– Areas of corrosion or cracking interrupt this flow

• Flux lines are monitored with various sensor types placed

between the magnet poles

• Data is recorded and subsequently analyzed to identify and

characterize damage

Courtesy of Inline Devices – A Mears Group Company


MFL Field Application

Courtesy of Inline Devices – A Mears Group Company

Extensively used to

examine transmission

pipelines


Other


Pulsed Eddy Current

• Probe generates multiple frequencies in the material

– Measurements are made in the time domain

– Features near the inspection coils will be seen first

and more distant features will be seen later in time

Wall LossSignal

WallLoss


Radiography

RT Techniques

• Double wall

– Qualitative assessment

– Detects localized pitting

– Can exam piping of larger

diameter

• Tangential

– Provides quantitative

thickness measurement

– Limited to small diameter

piping (< ~8” diameter)


3D Optical Scanner Technology

• Technology developed in conjunction with

pipeline industry

• Offers rapid characterization of accessible

corrosion

• Technology now commercially available


EPRI Buried Pipe NDE Guidance Report

EPRI Report 1025220: Buried Pipe

Nondestructive Evaluation Reference

Guide—Revision 2*

– Basic theory

– Technology selection guidance and

limitations

– Overview of techniques, equipment, and

applications

– Summary of remote delivery technology

* Revision 3 scheduled to published end of the year


EPRI Buried and Underground Pipe NDE

Reports

Nondestructive Evaluation: Buried Pipe Nondestructive

Evaluation Reference Guide—Revision 2 (1025220)

Nondestructive Evaluation: Buried Pipe NDE Reference

Guide—Revision 2, Addendum 1 (3002000447)

Nondestructive Evaluation: Assessment and

Development of Buried Pipe NDE Technology

(3002000463)

Buried Pipe Direct Examinations Through Coatings

(1025228)

Nondestructive Evaluation: Buried Pipe In-Line NDE

Depth Sizing Procedure (1025231)



Reports

Intermediate Diameter Buried Piping Instrumented Vehicle-

-Evaluation (1022926)

Remote Field Technology Assessment for Piping

Inspection Including Buried and Limited Access

Components (1021153)

Catawba Field Trial of EPRI’s Large Diameter Buried Pipe

Instrumented Vehicle (1016676)

Buried Pipe Guided Wave Examination Reference

Document (1019115)

Guided Wave Analysis Tools for Buried Pipe (3002000466)

Guidelines for Obtaining Credit for Buried Pipe Guided

Wave Examinations (3002000468)



Reports

Nondestructive Evaluation: Guided Wave Analysis Tools

(1025212)

Nondestructive Evaluation: Guided Wave Status Report

(1022929)

Nondestructive Evaluation: Further Developments of

Guided Wave Examination Application 2009 Status

Report (1019116)

Nondestructive Evaluation: Further Developments of

Guided Wave Examination Application (1016675)

Nondestructive Evaluation: Buried Pipe Structural Health

Monitoring (1025213)


EPRI Tank Reports

Nondestructive Evaluation: NDE for Tanks and

Containment Liners (3002000462)

Inspection Methods for Tanks and Containment Liners

(1025215)

Inspection Methodologies for Buried Pipes and Tanks

(1021561)


Together…Shaping the Future of

Electricity

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