Plant Integrity Limited

Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6GP, United Kingdom

Telephone +44 (0)1223 893994 Telefax +44 (0)1223 893944 e-mail pi@twi.co.uk
Web: www.plantintegrity.com

Pi

Long Range
Guided Wave
Ultrasonic Testing

CONTENTS

Page

Preface

Principles of long range guided wave ultrasonics

Teletest system
The Teletest Focus Unit
Teletest Muti-Mode Tools
System overview
Propagating the guided waves
Multimode inspection
Collecting and displaying data - Teletest Software

5
5
6
7
8
10
10

Appendix:
Teletest Focus

15
16

Comparison with other NDT methods

Methods
General
Access costs
Testing Costs
Cost Summary

18
18
18
21
21
22

Teletest Operating Envelope

23

Evidence of Performance

29

Teletest field applications

32

Power industry

54

Special applications

56

On-going Research and development

59

Summary

66

PREFACE
Long range ultrasonic testing (LRUT) is arguably the most significant development in the field of nondestructive testing to have taken place over the last two decades. It is being used increasingly,
primarily in the oil and gas industries, for the inspection of pipes and pipelines in order to detect
corrosion.
LRUT was first introduced as a commercial technique under the trade name Teletest by Plant
Integrity Limited (Pi) - a wholly owned subsidiary of The Welding Institute (TWI) - in 1997.
This booklet is designed to:

Provide a simple explanation of the technique and its underlying principles.

Outline work undertaken to validate the technique.

Give information about the many applications of Teletest in the upstream (exploration and
production), midstream (pipelines) and downstream (process plant) sectors of the oil, gas and
petrochemical industries and in the power generation industries.

LRUT has tremendous potential for further development by improving the sensitivity and productivity
of current applications and also taking the technology into totally new applications. Research activities
being undertaken by TWI and Pi are described in Section 10.

PRINCIPLES OF LONG RANGE GUIDED WAVE ULTRASONICS

Ultrasonic testing (UT) is used extensively as a non-destructive testing (NDT) technique for detecting
defects in a wide range of structures and components, both during manufacture and in service.
Conventional UT uses so-called bulk waves with ultrasound frequencies in the MHz range. Pulses
travel along a narrow beam and echoes are detected from defects in the beams path. The test range
is generally measured in millimetres or centimetres.
Plate waves, also known as Lamb waves, can be generated at lower ultrasound frequencies (in the
kHz range). They can travel in pulses that penetrate the whole plate thickness over distances of many
metres. The plate must be thin enough for waves on opposite surfaces to interact. If the waves on the
two surfaces are in phase, Asymmetric (A) plate waves are produced. If the waves are out of phase,
Symmetric (S) plate waves are produced (Fig.1).

Asymmetrical
wave
Asymmetrical
wave
Figure1 Plate waves
Direction of propagation

Symmetrical
wave
Symmetrical
wave

The velocity of plate waves may vary with frequency. When this occurs, they are described as being
dispersive. Therefore, a pulse of plate waves, containing groups of different frequencies, will broaden
as it travels - the lower frequency components travelling more slowly.
Guided waves are a special case of plate waves travelling in a wave guide, commonly a pipe. The
particle displacements are similar, but because the pipe acts as a wave-guide, the pulses can travel
over even longer distances, exceeding 100m under some conditions. Figure 2 illustrates the principal
wave modes that can be generated in pipe.

Longitudinal

Torsional

Fig.2 Guided waves in pipes

Flexural

The variation of velocity with frequency, wave mode, pipe diameter and wall thickness is illustrated by
means of dispersion curves. A simplified illustration showing four wave modes only is shown in Fig.3.
These are for a specific pipe diameter and wall thickness. Other diameters and thicknesses will have
their own families of dispersion curves.

6.0

L(0,2)

L(0,1)

F(1,3)

Vgr
(m/s)
Group
velocity

4.0

T(0,1)

2.0

0.0
0.00
0.0

0.02

0.04

0.06

Frequency (MHz)
Frequency (kHz)

0.08

0.10
100

Fig.3 Dispersion Curves

It can be seen that the Torsional T(0,1) wave is non-dispersive. Its velocity is constant irrespective of
frequency.
The Longitudinal L(0,1) wave is highly dispersive with wide variations in velocity with frequency.
The Longitudinal L(0,2) wave cannot exist at frequencies below about 20 kHz. However, at
frequencies above about 40 kHz, the velocity becomes nearly constant with changing frequency. That
is the wave becomes non-dispersive.
There is a vast range of flexural waves. Only the dispersion curve for the Flexural F(1,3) mode is
shown. This wave can only exist at frequencies above ~ 25 kHz. Like the L(0,2) wave, it becomes
almost non-dispersive at frequencies above about 50 kHz.
As will be seen later, dispersion curves such as those shown are used to select optimum frequencies
for testing pipes of given diameters and thickness. The strategy is to use wave modes that are nondispersive at the test frequency.
Dispersive waves are undesirable because the pulse widens as it travels along the pipe and variation
in the velocity of the wave makes it difficult to determine the exact position of any reflector along the
pipe.

Because their velocity is influenced by wall thickness, guided waves exhibit their most important
characteristic for NDT; that of being sensitive to changes in wall thickness. They are therefore
sensitive to corrosion or erosion, whether it is on the inside or outside surface of the pipe. They are
also sensitive to cracks provided that they present a significant planar reflection transverse to the axis
of the pipe.
This characteristic is based on the physical phenomenon that whenever ultrasound velocity changes
at a boundary, a small proportion is reflected. The effect can be caused equally by an increase in wall
thickness, at a pipe girth weld for example, or a decrease in wall thickness at an area of corrosion or
erosion (Fig.4)

Fig.4 Guided wave reflection at corrosion

TELETEST FOCUS SYSTEM

Teletest was the first commercially available system to utilise long-range ultrasonic testing for
detecting corrosion in pipelines. TWI developed the technology in response to requests from Industrial
Members in the Oil, Gas and Petrochemical industries. These companies required an NDT method
capable of detecting corrosion in pipes and pipelines at areas inaccessible for inspection by
conventional NDT methods, i.e. insulated and sleeved pipework, or pipelines running under roads or
elevated on pipe racks, etc. The original Teletest equipment has been replaced by a system with
greatly enhanced capability and the flaw detector is sold under the Teletest Focus trade mark.
The basic system consists of:

A low frequency flaw detector, the Teletest Focus unit.

Transducer ring or tool that wraps around the pipe.
A lap-top computer that contains the software for controlling the system
Cable connector between Teletest Focus unit and tool.
Umbilical between Teletest Focus unit and laptop.

The Teletest Focus Unit

The Teletest Focus Mark 3 unit (Fig.5) contains the electronics to operate the transducers in
sequence in accordance with the inspector's input. The received signals are converted into digital
data that can be processed and recorded by computer. The unit is powered by an internal Li-ion
battery with sufficient capacity to allow inspections to be completed at more than 25 locations. The
distance between the unit and the tool is kept to a minimum to reduce outside signal interference, but
the digital data can be transmitted via communication cable up to 100m to the computer. The unit
controls and collects 24-channels of ultrasonic data. It is designed for:

Longitudinal operation
Torsional operation
Multi-Mode operation
Focusing operation

Fig.5 Teletest Focus unit

Teletest Muti-Mode Tools

Teletest has been designed as a modular system. Tools are built up using the appropriate number
of modules (for example 36 for testing 12" pipe). Each module has five individual transducer elements
as shown in Fig.6. Three are orientated parallel to the pipes axis to generate longitudinal waves and
two are orientated circumferentially to generate torsional waves. This gives Teletest Multi Mode
capability. This is an important feature of Teletest because for some pipes and flaw types
longitudinal testing is most sensitive, whereas, in other situations, torsional testing is more
satisfactory. The Multi Mode capability enables the optimum wave mode to be adopted. This is
discussed further in a section dealing with Multi Mode inspection.

Fig.6 Transducer multi-mode module

The modules are forced into contact with the pipe by means of a lightweight inflatable collar Figure 7
shows a collar that has been populated with multi-mode modules. The collar is assembled around the
pipe by a rapid clamping mechanism shown in Fig.7. Modules can be quickly removed from the
collars and re-fixed in another collar for use on a different pipe diameter. Unlike conventional UT, a
liquid couplant between transducer and pipe surface is not applied. There merely needs to be
sufficient, evenly distributed pressure of the transducer on the test surface. This is achieved by the air
pressure which is supplied and controlled by an on-board pump, built into the Teletest Focus unit.

Fig.7 Carbon Fibre Collar populated with multi-mode modules (left) and rapid clamp
mechanism (right)
A user needs sufficient multi-mode modules for the largest diameter pipe of interest. The appropriate
number can then be selected for any pipe of smaller diameter.

System overview
Figure 8 shows the complete Teletest Focus system, with the populated tool clamped around the
pipe and connected to the unit which is in turn connected to the controlling ruggedised lap-top pc via a
PCMCIA communication unit.

Tool: with populated modules

and inflated collar

Test pipe

Teletest Focus unit

Laptop PC

PCMCIA
or USB
Communication unit

Fig.8 Complete Teletest Focus system

Propagating the guided waves

The individual transducer elements are removable and can be readily replaced. Teletest uses
piezoelectric transducers to generate and receive the ultrasonic signals.
The transducer elements are forced against the pipe as described above. The direction of
vibration/oscillation of the transducer is parallel to the pipe surface and ultrasound is generated in the
pipe by a shear deformation of the transducer crystal between the transducer block and the external
wall of the pipe, as shown in Fig.9.

Fig.9 Method of generating

ultrasound in the pipe

The frequency of the oscillation must be low enough and therefore the wavelength of the ultrasound
long enough for the waves to affect the internal and external surfaces of the pipe simultaneously. For
this to happen, the frequency is in the 10-100kHz range.
To limit the number of wave modes generated the transducers are mounted in a ring. Each transducer
oscillating on its own would generate a flexural wave, but if oscillating in unison the ring generates an
axisymmetric wave. Acoustic coupling with the pipe must be the same for all transducers if this is to
occur. Moreover the number of transducers in the ring has to be carefully chosen.

Fig.10 Propagation of
axisymmetric guided waves

If a single ring of transducers were employed the wave would propagate in both directions (Fig.10).
This would be unsatisfactory, since any reflected signals from each direction would be superimposed
and the operator would be unsure whether a reflector was in the forward or backward going direction.

To overcome this problem two or more rings of transducers are employed (see Fig.11). The rings are
spaced a quarter wavelength apart. There is a time delay between the triggering of the two rings such
that the ultrasound travelling in the forward direction from the two rings is additive whereas that going
backwards from one ring is cancelled out by ultrasound generated by the second.

Fig.11 Transducers oscillating

out of phase

In practice a third ring is added when generating longitudinal waves in order to cancel out completely
the undesirable dispersive L(0,1) mode. For torsional wave generation two rings are sufficient
because the only wave mode is T(0,1) and this is non-dispersive. Thus, the Teletest Multi Mode
system uses five rings.
After firing a pulse of ultrasound, the transducers are stationary for several milliseconds as they wait
to receive any reflected pulse. The transmitted waves, whether longitudinal or torsional, are
axisymmetric.
If the reflector is itself axisymmetric, e.g. a pipe flange or a circumferential weld, the reflected signal
will also be axisymmetric.
However, an asymmetric reflector, e.g. localised corrosion, causes mode conversion from the
axisymmetric wave (longitudinal or torsional) into a flexural wave (see Fig.12).

Fig.12 Reflected wave modes

Teletest uses this feature to distinguish between symmetrical features (welds and flanges) as
opposed to localised corrosion areas.

The Teletest Focus transducer rings are divided into eight octants. As well as recording the total of
the received signals, the unit records the difference between the signals received by the top and
bottom pair of octants to give V, the vertical flexural component.
Similarly the difference between the signals received by the right and left hand pairs of octants is
recorded to give H, the horizontal flexural component.
Finally, if the flexural response is partly horizontal and partly vertical, as it would be for a flaw at, for
example, the 2 oclock position, then the equivalent flexural response

2
2
H + V is calculated. If the

flexural response is small compared to the symmetrical response the indication will be interpreted as
a weld or flange, whereas reflectors giving strong flexural responses are will be interpreted as
corrosion or other types of flaw.
For all applications where the position of the welds is unknown, it is absolutely essential to be able to
distinguish welds from corrosion. This ability is one of the strengths of the Teletest system.

Multimode inspection
In the past, most inspections were carried out with a single wave mode, longitudinal or torsional.
However, this has proved to be unsatisfactory. Some types of flaw are more readily detected by
longitudinal waves, whilst, for some situations, torsional waves give a less noisy response. For this
reason, Pi emphasise the great advantage of the Teletest Multi-Mode system. Figure 13 shows a
Multi-Mode module.

Fig.13 'Multi-Mode' transducer

module with 2 transducers
exciting the torsional mode and
3 the longitudinal mode

Collecting and displaying data - Teletest Software

The inspection is carried out under control of the ruggedised lap-top PC loaded with the Teletest
software. This is written under Microsoft.net and is designed to simplify the task of the inspector and
to enable him/her to collect and report the data as rapidly as possible. The software incorporates
dispersion curves for all the common pipe schedules. Using these, it selects the nominal optimum test
frequencies for both excitation modes (longitudinal and torsional). The tests are then performed at
these frequencies and at up to six frequencies on either side of the nominal optimum.
The test data are collected by the laptop computer. Since the umbilical between the Teletest unit
and laptop can be up to100m long, the data can be analysed in the comfort of a portable office, a
truck for example. The reflections are displayed as signals in amplitude versus distance format,
known as the 'A-scan' display. This is similar to conventional ultrasonics, but with a time-base range
measured in tens of metres rather than centimetres. The built-in dispersion curves enable the timebase to be calibrated in metres. The Teletest software displays the A-scans in both the forward and
backward directions the A-scan illustrated in Fig.14 shows the data from the backward travelling
wave.

10

Fig.14 Teletest Ascan display

Before the signals on the A-scan can be interpreted, Distance Amplitude Correction (DAC) curves are
plotted on the display. It has been found that the signals from girth welds in the pipe that decay away
gradually with distance makes ideal reflectors with which to set the DAC. From experience, it is known
that the reflection from a girth weld with normal cap and root profile is 14dB (a factor of 5) less intense
than the reflection from the pipe end (i.e. total reflection). This is the blue line in .14. Furthermore,
experience also shows that an area of thinning which has resulted in a loss of cross-sectional area of
9% in the pipe wall will produce a signal that is a further 12dB less intense than the signal from the
girth weld. This 26dB level is used as a threshold for evaluating signals and is the green line in the
A-scan.
The Teletest operator uses the A-scan display for interpretation purposes. At the end of an
inspection the software can automatically generate a report in a Microsoft Word template. Separate
templates exist for specific situations - road crossings for example. The templates can be customised
to suit the inspection companys own formats.
To record signals in the report, the test operator simply selects relevant signals in the A-scan with the
screen cursor. The program automatically measures the peak of the signal as a value above or below
the 14dB DAC curve, then measures the distance of the leading edge of the signal from the centre
line of the transducer ring. An offset may be entered which allows distance to be measured from a
known datum point rather than from the ring.
The Teletest report also contains information about the test that was entered into the User
Information page of the setting up program. For example pipe identification, test location and pipe
size. The next three pages are samples from a report. The report template also includes some
standard text for the benefit of the end-user describing the technique and the Teletest system. The
report is normally generated from one of several processed data files gathered at each test location,
so that it may be the result of observations taken from other processed data files taken with different
test parameters, for example at a range of test frequencies.

11

Teletest Inspection Report

TEST DETAILS
This report contains the findings of a Teletest inspection on the following:
Pipe Inspected:
Location:
Date of Test:
Procedure:
Equipment:
Test carried out by:

From Tanks to Plant

Test Location 1
18/01/2007 18:39
OPS002
Version 1.0.0.3186
Ashley Jolley

PIPE DETAILS
co nditio n: pipe _S tand ar dName! =Other

Material:
Manufacturing Standard:
Nominal Size:
Outer Diameter:
Nominal Wall Thickness:
Observed Pipe Condition:
Pipe Orientation:
Test Direction:

Ferritic steel
ANSI/ASME B36.10M 'Welded
Wrought Steel Pipe'
8 in
8.625 in
7.04 mm Schedule 30
Heavily Pitted, Viscous Contents
Horizontal
Both

DATUM

co nditio n: d atum_ Orienta tion=Horiz on tal

Datum Position for Measurements:

Position:
Flow Direction:

Pipe support behind tool

3.4m Behind Tool
Backwards

12

and

Seamless

Teletest Inspection Report

RESULTS
Features identified in the valid test length are:
Distance From Datum
-24.785m
-10.335m
-0.092m
7.017m
8.665m
9.908m
11.191m
12.291m
14.013m
18.833m
19.581m
28.572m
29.927m
38.29m
39.427m
40.436m
47.599m
49.152m

Anomaly Description
Weld
Anomaly (minor)
Pipe Support
Anomaly (minor)
Weld
Anomaly (minor)
Pipe Support
Anomaly (minor)
Anomaly (minor)
Weld
Pipe Support
Pipe Support
Pipe Support
Weld
Pipe Support
Anomaly (minor)
Weld
Anomaly (minor)

13

Comments

Teletest Inspection Report

Summary (Cluster) Plot of Indications Reported

14

Sample Teletest Inspection Report

APPENDIX:
Test Information
Test Frequency: 30 kHz

Distance from datum

7.017m
9.217m
11.004m
14.013m
18.841m
28.791m
38.295m
39.756m
47.555m
49.152m

Wave Mode: Longitudinal

Indication Type
Anomaly (minor)
Weld
Pipe Support
Anomaly (minor)
Weld
Pipe Support
Weld
Pipe Support
Weld
Anomaly (minor)

15

Test Direction: Both

Comments

Teletest Focus
As explained above, the modules in a Teletest Focus tool are grouped in eight octants around the
tools perimeter. The unit triggers the octants separately so that the tool acts as a phased array.
Furthermore, the power to each octant can be adjusted to compensate for any variation in coupling.
The phasing of the firing of the transducer modules enables ultrasound to be focused at a
predetermined position both along and around the pipe. Thus, when a normal screening test has
identified the longitudinal position of a flaw which might normally be deemed marginal, ultrasound can
be focused at the position and the focal point can then be swung around the pipe in eight steps. This
means that it is possible to determine both the circumferential position and the circumferential extent
of a flaw. From the latter information, it is possible to estimate the flaws depth and to distinguish
between a long shallow flaw and a narrow deep one, both having similar total cross sectional areas.
This is obviously a significant advantage since the narrow deep flaw is potentially more detrimental.

Fig.15 Normal
A-scan

Figure 15 shows a normal A-scan. There is an anomaly, designated #88, at a distance of -15.42m
from the tool. It is a small horizontal flexural signal, and was chosen to focus on for the purposes of
anomaly clarification. In the above A-scan this anomaly represents a cross sectional area change of
approximately 3%.
Figure 16 shows a focus scan with the focal point at a longitudinal position of -15.42m and at an angle
of 45 from top dead centre. The polygon plotted inside the polar plot, on the bottom right hand side of
the screen, shows the amplitude of each octant relative to all of the others. The maximum amplitude is
displayed as contact between the gray polygon and the black circle. The red dot on the outside of the
black circle indicates the circumferential position of the A-scan being displayed in the main window.
In Fig.17 the circumferential position has been rotated to show the maximum amplitude signal. This
was located exclusively at the 225 position. Signals in all the remaining seven octants were
negligible.

16

Fig.16 Focus
scan at 45

Thus using the focusing technique the size of the anomaly can be more accurately determined. In this
example the small anomaly, first identified in Fig.15, is concentrated in just one octant. This indicates
that the anomaly is more severe than the initial scan suggests.

Fig.17 Focus
scan at 225

17

COMPARISON WITH OTHER NDT METHODS

The Teletest long-range ultrasonic test system provides a means of inspecting long lengths of pipe
(tens of metres) from a single location.
From this one location, the, pipe can be inspected in each direction in turn.
Thus the length of pipe tested from that point is twice the range over which it is possible to transmit
ultrasound in the pipe.
This range varies according to the pipe condition, contents, configuration, surrounding insulation or
wrapping, etc, but typically is of the order of 30m.
Thus 60m can be tested from one access point. Furthermore the system inspects 100% of the pipe
wall. Major cost savings can therefore be achieved compared to other NDT methods. This section
provides some cost comparisons.
The comparisons are made for inspecting 1m of 12inch diameter pipe. The estimates are for the UK
and would be approximately correct for any economically developed country.
In developing countries the costs of activities such as excavation would be considerably lower. Costs
that are common to all methods (mobilisation and demobilisation, etc) are not included.
The costs are expressed as a ratio for each technique to the costs for inspection by Teletest. The
cases studied are: a) Insulated pipe
b) Elevated pipe (2m above ground)
c) Buried pipe
Cases b) or c) can be combined with a).
In other words a pipe may be both insulated and buried or elevated.
Major differences between the costs of inspection by the various methods hinge on costs of access.
For these costs reference was made to published information on the costs of activities such as
1
excavation, roadway reinstatement, insulation removal and reinstatement, scaffolding, etc.

METHODS
GENERAL
The methods considered are:

Visual inspection
Manual UT thickness gauging
Mechanised UT
Profile radiography

Pulsed eddy current

Magnetic flux leakage (MFL)
Teletest

Intelligent pigging has not been considered in this note, since Teletest is not seen as a method for
testing long lengths of cross-country transmission lines.
However, Teletest may have a complimentary role to intelligent pigging, in that the MFL devices
often used on pigs are understood to become ineffective when the pipe passes through a metal
1

Anon, BMI Building Maintenance Price Book Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Building Cost
Services Ltd., London, 2003.

18

sleeve, as would often occur at road crossings. Thus the pig could be used for the bulk of the line and
Teletest for the sleeved portions.
Furthermore, there are limitations to the application of intelligent pigs. Pig launching and receiving
facilities must be available. Also for some intelligent pigs there are minimum flow velocity
requirements, which cannot always be achieved. In such cases Teletest may provide a viable
alternative.

Visual inspection
Visual inspection requires direct access to the pipe, and of course internal corrosion cannot be
detected unless a camera can be fitted to an internal crawler. This is often the case in inspected
sewer mains, but not with product flow lines.
Another problem is that it is often difficult to quantify the amount of corrosion in a given area. The
depth of individual pits may be measured with a pin gauge.

UT Thickness gauging
The ultrasonic probe must be placed in direct contact with the pipe surface and the surface must be
clean and smooth enough to allow coupling of the transducer and pipe wall ultrasonically. A liquid
couplant is necessary.
This technique is often regarded as unreliable. It is very difficult to replicate the tests exactly so
sequential results can be inconsistent with apparent increases in pipe wall thickness due to very small
differences in the couplant thickness between probe and pipe surface.
When using a digital UT thickness gauge, without an A-scan display, it is possible to take erroneous
readings off laminations in the pipe wall.
Coverage depends on the spacing of the test points. Typically sampling is carried out at three
positions along a 12m length and at these positions thickness is measured at the 12, 3, 6 and 9
o'clock positions. Thus only 12 measurements are made per pipe length and there is a considerable
chance that a corroded area will be missed. Even if the testing density is greatly increased, there
remains a significant chance that corroded areas will be missed.

Mechanised UT
The same limitations apply as for UT thickness gauging. The mechanical device that scans the UT
probe over the pipe surface needs space to operate and without special scanning arms will not
operate around the inside of elbows. Figure18 shows a mechanical scanner on a riser pipe. It is
scanning around only a one metre wide band of the pipe.
However, coverage is 100% of that band and a very detailed map of corrosion on the internal pipe
surface is produced.

19

Fig.18 UT corrosion mapping

of riser

Profile radiography
Profile radiography uses a low energy radiation source and a fluorescent screen to produce a
radiograph in real-time. Its purpose is to test through insulation. It is only sensitive to external metal
loss and examines that part of the pipe wall to which the beam is tangential.
Thus a single shot provides information on one chord only. Full coverage requires a number of shots.
Normal radiographic safety procedures require an area surrounding the equipment to be clear of
personnel whilst testing is in progress.

Pulsed eddy current

This variation of the eddy current NDT method uses pulses of eddy currents. The broad bandwidth of
the pulses carries low frequencies that are able to penetrate the pipe wall. It relies on electromagnetic induction and can therefore be conducted through insulation. It is sensitive to both internal
and external metal loss. Coverage will depend on the spacing of the test points.
Magnetic flux leakage
Direct access to the pipe is required to saturate the pipe wall with magnetism, although the surface
can be painted and need not be as clean as for mechanised UT. A corrosion map can be made of
100% of the pipe wall much more rapidly than with mechanised UT. The signal is proportional to
volume of wall loss rather than remaining wall thickness.
Comment
All the above methods, apart from Visual and AUT, only inspect the pipe under the footprint of a
search device. Direct access to the whole of the outside of the pipe is essential. These methods are
contrasted with Teletest in Figure19.

20

Flange

Conve n tional
Tran s ducer

(a)

Loca l ised
Inspe c tion

Weld

Metal loss

Metal loss

Guided Wave

Flange

Teletest Tool

(b)

100%
Inspe c tion

Weld

Metal loss

Metal loss

30m
Fig.19 Comparison between conventional and Teletest inspection of pipe.
a) Conventional techniques inspect a few cm2 under the device
b) Teletest inspects 100% of the pipe wall for tens of metres in each direction
Teletest
For this technique, direct access to pipe is required only over a short length to enable the ring of
ultrasound transducers of the Teletest Tool to be placed. From this one position typically 60m of
pipe (30m in each direction) can be tested. So road crossings for example, can be covered without
excavation.
Coverage is 100%. Both internal and external corrosion and erosion can be detected and its position
along the pipe length located. Test rates up to 500m per day have already been achieved but, for the
purposes of this comparison, a conservative rate of 200m per day will be assumed.

Access costs
The costs of gaining access to pipe to carry out conventional NDT include:

Insulated pipe - A number of methods require direct access to the bare pipe wall. Removal and
reinstatement of insulation to 1m of 12 inch pipe is estimated to cost 42 (US$75 or Euro 61. This
estimate assumes that the existing insulation does not contain asbestos. If it does, the estimate would
be considerably higher.
Elevated pipe - Fixed scaffolding to access 1m of pipe elevated 2m above ground level is estimated
to cost 15 (US $27 or Euro 22).
Buried pipe - The cost of excavating and reinstating 1m length of a 2m deep by 900mm wide trench
to provide access to a 12-inch pipe is given in the reference (p.678) as 97 (US$175 or Euro 141). A
common application is to road crossings. The cost of breaking up and reinstating a 900mm wide
trench in a 200mm deep tarmac and hardcore roadway is given (p680) as 64 (US$115 or Euro 93)
per metre length. Buried pipe is often contained in a steel sleeve. No estimate has been made of the
cost of cutting and reinstating such sleeves. This might be as much as 250 (US$450 or Euro363) per
metre.

Testing Costs
In the summary of costs, those for situations where there is no access problem have been provided
by benchmarking European/North American NDT service companies. They are average costs and
assume 100% coverage in all cases except for manual UT, for which spot checking is assumed.

21

Cost Summary
Table 1 Estimated costs as a ratio to the costs of a Teletest inspection for 1m of 12inch
diameter pipe

7.8

Buried in
road
crossing
13.0

Buried
and
insulated
10.3

1.8

Elevated
and
insulated
5.2

8.2

13.1

10.6

22

5.5

11.4

13

17.9

15.1

7.9

10.7

4.7

4.7

11.1

16.0

10.3

5.6

5.2

5.5

5.5

11.7

16.4

10.9

6.4

5.8

Insulated

Buried

Visual

No
access
problem
0.5

4.7

Manual UT

0.9

5.1

Mechanised
UT

7.2

Profile
radiography
Pulsed eddy
current

Elevated

MFL

5.5

10.2

12.1

16.6

13.9

6.4

9.3

Teletest

22

TELETEST OPERATING ENVELOPE

General
The Teletest technology was developed to screen pipework for metal loss features such as
corrosion and erosion. Originally developed for the inspection of corrosion under insulation in
petrochemical plant pipework, the technology is equally suited for application to pipelines including
road crossings, bridge piers and poorly accessed pipework generally.
Areas highlighted by Teletest are identified for more detailed assessment using conventional NDT
test methods. Teletest is particularly suited to fingerprinting exercises, allowing the pipe condition to
be checked on a periodic basis without the need to remove the entire insulation.
The field reporting threshold is area metal loss equivalent to 9% of the pipe wall cross-section
(Fig.20). Metal loss features have been detected far smaller than this level. However, a lower
reporting level can result in an increase in false calls.

Teletest will provide information on the metal loss feature in terms of range from the transducer (or
agreed datum) and severity (minor, moderate or severe).
Long range ultrasonic testing, as currently used, cannot distinguish between a wide shallow flaw and
a deep axial narrow flaw of similar cross sectional area.

Pipe diameters
Teletest tooling currently held by Pi is suitable for testing all pipe diameters (ANSI/ASME nominal
bore) from 1.5 to 48 inches. Other sizes both smaller and larger (based upon standard pipe
diameters) are available to order.

Access
Access is required to 0.5m of bare pipe in order to mount the transducer ring. The ring also needs to
be at least 1m from the nearest girth weld.

Pipe configurations
Teletest really scores on straight sections of pipework, where inspection of tens of metres in either
direction can be achieved. Testing around swept or pulled bends generally causes no problems.
Testing around elbows can result in mode conversion of the guided ultrasound wave and thus
reduced testing capabilities. Testing from a main line will not cover branch lines. These should be
tested separately.

Temperatures
Pipe surface temperatures can be up to +125C.

External coatings
Mineral wool insulation presents no difficulties. Bonded foam polyurethane insulation leads to a loss of
ultrasound. However, this merely results in a reduced inspection range.
Some limited success has been achieved in testing pipe passing through concrete walls and pipe
encased in lightweight fireproofing cement. However, concrete attenuates ultrasound rapidly and may
prevent the effective operation of Teletest.
Bitumastic coatings currently inhibit the effective operation of Teletest, except where they have dried
to a hard finish.

23

Some types of heavy adherent wrapping (Denzo wrap) can result in excessive loss of ultrasound.
Newly applied material causes most problems. Testing has been successful on pipe where the tape
has dried out and is no longer well adhered to the pipe surface. Testing of this type can be on a trial
basis only.

External environment
The Teletest signal can be transmitted along pipe that is immersed in water, with good results.
However, neither the unit itself nor the transducer tool is suitable for sub-sea operation.

Internal environment
As the viscosity of the pipe contents increases, the inspection range decreases due to loss of
ultrasound energy. Heavy deposits on the inside of the pipe can also be highly attenuative.

Pipe condition
Teletest works by detecting echoes from corroded regions of the pipe. Each region acts as a
reflector, in turn reducing the intensity of the ultrasound travelling beyond it. On pipework exhibiting
general heavy corrosion, ultrasound will be reflected from all the corrosion, effectively reducing the
inspection range. It must be remembered that this in itself is a result and the corrosion would be
reported accordingly.
Heavy corrosion at the place where the Teletest tool is placed is a particular attenuative because it
prevents the formation of a symmetrical wave. Test areas should be examined with a scan from a
conventional 0 ultrasonic probe beforehand.

Test range
The pipe is interrogated first in one direction and then in the other from the one transducer location.
Typically ranges of 30m are achieved. Under ideal conditions, this has gone up to 180m. However,
it can be less, if conditions are unfavourable.
Table 2 summarises the factors affecting performance, principally the test range over which adequate
signal to noise separation is achieved. As the degree of difficulty of guided wave propagation
increases, so the test range decreases and noise increases.

Table 2 Factors affecting performance

Degree of
difficulty

Easy

Difficult

Surface condition

Bare metal
Smooth well bonded paint
Mineral wool insulation
Fusion bonded epoxy

Light pitting
Heavy pitting
Plastic coating
Bitumastic coating
Concrete coating

Geometry

Contents

Straight lengths

Gas

Infrequent swept/pulled
bends

Low viscosity liquid

Attachments/brackets
High viscosity liquid
Branches
Many bends

24

Waxy or sludgey
deposits

Productivity
Test rates of up to 1km per day have been achieved. As with conventional NDT, the rate of inspection
depends largely on the condition on the pipework being inspected.

Proven applications
Teletest has been used commercially over six years. During this time its benefits have been proven
on:

Painted pipework
Mineral wool insulated lines
Polyurethane foam insulated lines
Bund wall penetrations
Buried pipelines
o
High temperature lines (<+125 C)
Mixed phase lines
Offshore risers

Road crossings
Offshore risers
Sleeves sections
Spirally welded pipe
Sleeved sections
Spirally welded pipe
Stainless steel pipe
Road crossings

Potential applications
Teletest is in a continual state of development. Among the applications currently under
consideration are:
Wind turbine towers.
Offshore platform jacket structures
Railway lines.
Cables
Requirements on site
Teletest is foremost a rugged site inspection tool, simple to operate and with few parts that can
develop faults. For operation it needs:

Vehicle with room in rear to operate PC plus equipment storage

Vehicle access to within 50m of test location (greater distances can be accommodated provided
Pi have warning sufficiently well in advance to obtain an extended umbilical)
110/240v, 50/60Hz power supply or cigarette lighter socket in above vehicle
Compressed air supply or cylinder with BSP, RH thread, cone recessed female connector
Teletest operation requires a Hot Work Permit.

Philosophy of screening
Teletest does not provide a direct measurement of wall thickness, but is sensitive to a combination
of the depth and circumferential extent of any metal loss, plus the axial length to some degree.
This is due to the transmission of a circular wave along the pipe wall, which interacts with the annular
cross-section at each point. It is the reduction in this cross-section to which the guided wave is
sensitive.
Figure 20 illustrates that the technique is sensitive to flaw area as a proportion of the pipe-wall crosssection.
It is equally sensitive to internal and external flaws. The effect of multiple flaws is additive.

25

Percentage loss of cross sectional area is given by

A1

A + A2 + A3
A% = 1
100
Dt

A3

A2

Fig.20 Sensitivity to loss of cross section

Corrosion is the most common cause of failure in pipes. It is imperative that any pipe carrying
hazardous or high pressure fluid be inspected at appropriate intervals to detect any corrosion
sufficiently early for the system to be shut down and for remedial measures to be taken before failure
or leakage occurs.
Because Teletest is so much cheaper and requires less preparatory work (excavation, insulation
removal, etc) than other inspection techniques it can be used more frequently in this monitoring role.
Only when a suspect position on the pipe is identified is that part of the pipe exposed for more
detailed examination by a conventional NDT method. This would usually be visual inspection for
external flaws or ultrasonic thickness gauging for internal corrosion.
In comparison with other methods of monitoring Inspections can be carried out more frequently with
Teletest because:
Scaffolding is not necessary.
Pipes do not have to be dug up.
Only a small area of insulation has to be removed.
Plant does not have to be shut down.
Greater coverage is achieved with Teletest because:
On average, 60m of pipe can be inspected from one location.
Internal and external corrosion are detected simultaneously.
The complete pipe circumference is inspected.
More consistent results between repeat inspections are achieved with Teletest because:
Placement of the Teletest Tool is replicated exactly.
Calibration of the A-scan is exactly the same; the same pipe welds are used to set the Distance
Amplitude Correction curves that determine the test sensitivity.

26

EVIDENCE OF PERFORMANCE
Teletest pipe inspection procedures have been validated in extensive trials and performance
demonstrations.

Initial sensitivity trials

Figure 21 shows initial trials used to set sensitivity levels. The plot shows the Teletest responses
relative to the response from a cut end in the pipe (100% reflector) on the y axis against the
percentage loss of pipe cross sectional area for a series of 30 artificial flaws of varying depth, width
and aspect ratio on the x axis.
The target reporting level set by the oil companies that supported the development of Teletest was
9% loss of cross section. Flaws of this size produce reflected signals that are 26dB down from the
100% reflector. There is some scatter on either side of the best-fit line.
It is interesting to note that the stronger reflections come from deep narrow flaws compared to shallow
wide ones having the same percentage loss of cross section. This is good because it is clearly more
important to detect the deep narrow flaws.

Signal Amplitude, dB

-20
Reporting level
-40

-60
0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

% loss of pipe wall area

-26dB

flaw response

best fit

Fig.21 Signal versus flaw area as a percentage of total cross sectional area

Blind validation trials

The first blind trials of the Teletest system were undertaken within the European Reliability
Assessment for Containment of Hazardous materials (RACH) project.

27

50%

This was managed by University College, London and included the gathering of NDT data from
controlled corroded 6" diameter pipe samples. Eight different NDT methods were compared. The data
were collected in blind trials and evaluated by an independent team from Bureau Veritas.
Figure 22 shows Teletest results from 36 defects. The plot is of defect depth against defect
circumferential length. Lines representing 3% and 9% loss of cross sectional area are also shown.
The plot shows that the limit of detection is at the 3% level, only one flaw below this level being
detected. All flaws greater than the 9% of cross section target were detected.
The data show the classic probability of detection characteristics, with an increasing likelihood of
detection with area above the 3% level.
These results are important as they demonstrate that the performance of the technique, determined
from 'open' tests on specimens with known flaws, could be reproduced when testing real corroded
pipes with unknown (internal) flaws.

100%

% Wall thickness

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%
0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

% Circumference
Detected

Not Detected

9% Area

3% Area

Fig.22 Results of RACH trials

Another series of validation trials was carried out under the auspices of the Pipeline Research Council
International (PRCI).
In this case blind tests were carried out on 24" pipes with 86 machined artificial flaws. Teletest
detected all those with areas greater than 2% of the pipe cross section.
The results of the RACH and PRCI trials can be used to estimate an approximate probability of
detection (POD).
To determine a true POD would require the testing of a far greater population of flawed pipes. The
results of the two sets of trials are shown in Fig.23.

28

It can be seen that the probability of detection of flaws in the 24" PRCI pipes is higher than that for the
6" RACH pipes and approaches 100% when the flaws exceed 6% of pipe cross section.

Probability of Detection
100%

PRCI
data

POD %

80%
60%
RACH data
40%
20%
0%
0

10

12

Flaw Area %
Fig.23 Plot
of probability
of detection
(POD)
against
forthe
the
RACH
PRCI
Fig.22
Plot of probability
of detection
(POD)
againstflaw
flaw area
area for
RACH
andand
PRCI
blindblind
trials
trails

Demonstrations
Teletest is demonstrated regularly to potential clients in order to prove capability. Two of the more
the critical demonstrations were:
Jay oil field, Alabama/Florida
Teletest was being used to inspect a high-pressure water injection line buried in and around the
main Jay facility. The pipe was buried in a light sandy soil and wrapped in plastic. The test results
were acted upon immediately. The position of any anomaly on the Teletest A-scan was measured
and paced out form the Teletest tool placed on exposed pipe in a bell-hole. One such indication is
shown in Fig.23.

Weld

Corrosion

Fig.23 A-scan of corrosion near weld

29

The anomaly, indicated by the (+) in the figure just beyond the weld, approaches the moderate
threshold level - the blue DAC curve.
A bell hole was dug down to the pipe at the indicated position, where corrosion was revealed. It was
decided to cut out the corroded section of pipe (Fig.24). This confirmed the presence of severe
corrosion at the position indicated, just beyond the weld.

Fig.24 Cut-out of pipe showing severe corrosion

North Slope oil field, Alaska

Before this major survey of road crossings in the oil fields at Kuparuk and Prudhoe Bay, the Teletest
system had to pass field trials to detect examples of weld-pack corrosion. Figure 25 shows an
example of this corrosion.

Fig.25 Weld pack corrosion

The corresponding Teletest A-scan is shown in Fig.26. It has been magnified, a useful feature of the
software, to view the signal just in front of the weld. The corrosion gives rise to a moderate anomaly,
about 750mm in front of the signal from the weld. The signal in the anomaly indicated by a peak in the
red line indicating a horizontal flexural response due to the corrosion being concentrated near the
three or nine oclock positions.

30

W eld
Corrosion

Fig.26 Anomaly at weld pack

position

31

TELETEST FIELD APPLICATIONS

Overview
Teletest was developed for inspecting pipe that is inaccessible to conventional inspection
techniques, because it is buried, elevated or insulated. This sort of pipe inspection is a major problem
in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries and it is in these industries that Teletest has found the
most widespread use. However there is also a growing demand for such services in the power
generation industry. Here pipes are generally more accessible for condition monitoring by
conventional NDT methods, but the benefits of Teletest in providing more complete coverage and
greater reproducibility between repeat inspections is being recognised.
There are also many applications for Teletest, which are special one-offs and are industry specific.
Some of the Teletest field applications, as performed by Pi, are described in this section. They have
been divided into five categories (Fig.27).

Oil and gas industry

Work for the oil and gas industry is divided into upstream (exploration and production), midstream
(transmission pipelines) and downstream (petrochemical plant).
Offshore oil and gas
flow lines
risers

Power generation

Teletest Case
Studies

Petrochemical
flow lines
jetty lines
tank farms

Special applications

Fig.27 Overview of Teletest applications

32

Onshore oil and gas

Flow lines
Crossings

Upstream onshore
Field production flow lines
Most field production lines cannot be pigged. This may be for one of a number of reasons - a pig trap
is not present, the pipe has tight bends or the pipe diameter is too small.

Teletest, can:
Detect damage on the internal and external surfaces with equal sensitivity
Test from only a 500mm wide section of exposed pipe
Test up to 300m of pipe from one test location.
Test several adjacent pipes in sequence
Perform under arduous site conditions
Operate whether the pipe is in or out of service
Provide highly repeatable test results
Detect very small changes in pipe condition between inspections.
Table 4 Selected work in field production flow lines
Client
IRS for Caltex
Chinook for Shell
ExxonMobil
With Fairshores for Shell

Application
4" line pipe in oil field
10" plastic wrapped buried pipe around
Waterton gas field.
High pressure water injection line around
the St Regis processing facility.
Assa manifold piping and 8" delivery
lines in Assa and Ahia Oilfields.

Location
Indonesia
Alberta
Florida
Nigeria

Caltex Miri oil field, Indonesia

In common with many on-shore oil fields, pipelines from the wells to the collection stations are beyond
their design life.
In the Miri field some of the lines have been in use since the late 1950s. Most are above ground,
running through jungle.
Several 4" lines were inspected in a variety of locations, including some underground. It was found
that earth and corrosion products attenuated the signals. However, ultrasound could be transmitted
10m or more below ground.
In some cases, the pipe temperatures exceeded 100C but this was within the upper limit for
Teletest tools of 125C.

Shell Waterton gas field, Alberta.

The Waterton gas field is on the edge of the Rocky Mountains so the pipelines run through difficult
country for several kilometres until they reach the gas processing stations.
They are all buried and wrapped in polyethylene. The wrap has a bitumastic substrate. Where this
had aged and become brittle, test ranges in excess of 30m were possible.
Bell holes down to the pipe could be sunk at 25m intervals to allow some overlap between shots. One
of the pipelines was being re-wrapped with new polyethylene.
Test ranges under the new wrap, because the bitumen was still viscous, were reduced to only a few
metres.

Exxon Jay Field, USA

Part of a 10" diameter, 17.68mm wall thickness high-pressure water injection line was tested within
the boundary of the St Regis gas processing plant.

33

The urgency of the work led to immediate investigation of any indications detected by Teletest. This
was a true test of the system performance and the confidence of the operators.
Four anomalies were recorded and confirmed. Pipe elbows could be identified in the A-scans, which
was helpful when tracking the line after it had taken some unexpected turns in the plant.

Shell Assa and Ahia oilfields Niger Delta.

The network of pipes connecting the oil wells to the pumping and collection stations run through
dense plantations and, until recently, pipe leaks were tolerated.
However, pressure from environmentalists and local villagers had led Shell to rethink its pipe
maintenance strategies and a major inspection programme had been initiated.
As a feasibility study, a 0.5km section of an 8" delivery line was inspected with Teletest in the Ahia
field. A further network of pipes of various diameters at a manifold in the Assa field was also
inspected.

Fig.28 Teletest tool on pipe in bell-hole

The line was tested successfully by sinking deep bell-holes at about 25m intervals (Fig.28). Even
deep holes were excavated in minutes by labourers from a local village. A manifold in the Ahia field
was tested in a variety of locations to demonstrate the versatility of the Teletest system (Fig.29).
The 8" lines that ran to adjacent well heads from the manifold were known to be corroded. The high
level of signals in the A-scans confirmed this, but the corrosion at the Teletest tool placement
points reduced the test ranges to less than 10m. However this did not prevent the correct
interpretation of unusual geometric features such as pup pieces welded in to join pipes that did not
reach each other. These were confirmed by excavating the pipe.

Fig.29 Ahia manifold

34

Upstream offshore
Teletest inspections are now a regular occurrence on offshore oil production platforms (Fig.30). On
risers, they offer the only reliable method of inspecting through the splash zone that extends between
the high and low water marks.

Fig.30 Offshore platform complex

Production platform flow lines

Space is very restricted on offshore production platforms, so the pipework is stacked closely together,
short in length, and densely packed with valves, elbows and other fittings. This makes access for
inspection by conventional methods difficult. Yet inspection of offshore pipe-work is vitally important.
Since the Piper Alpha disaster, pipework on platforms is regularly subject to full volumetric inspection
with radiography or ultrasonics.
A severe corrosion risk arises because of the nature of the products flowing through the pipes. Unlike
other petrochemical plant, there is limited control on the fluids from the oil or gas field. Bacteria in the
product can initiate corrosion. Even on straight, featureless lengths of pipe, they can create a
corrosion cell leading to rapid penetration of the pipe wall. Such isolated corrosion pits are difficult to
detect.
The most sensitive ultrasonic methods use mechanical scanners to orbit the sensors around the pipe.
Computer imaging software produces corrosion maps of the pipes internal surface. In these, the
isolated corrosion pits can be identified. However, this process is extremely slow and cannot be
applied to elbows. There also has to be sufficient clearance between racks of pipe for the scanner and
this is often not available. Some sections of pipe may be over open water between platforms and
require scaffolding to reach them with the probe scanner.

Teletest is often the only viable option. It can accurately locate areas to be evaluated more closely
with ultrasonics or radiography. Among its advantages in offshore operations are:
100% of pipe is inspected.
Pipes can be closely spaced
Inspection can be done around bends and elbows
Test range may be sufficient to cross a bridge from test points at either end.
Modular tools can be made up to fit pipe diameters from 1" upwards.
The equipment is small enough for easy transport to and from the platform.
Two-person operation saves on transportation costs and accommodation resources.
Offshore in the Danish sector of the North Sea
Plant Integrity joined the FORCE Institutes inspection services for Maersk in Esjberg for a series of
offshore inspections in the Danish sector of the North Sea.
In the Tyra and Gorm fields a major inspection programme of all the process pipework on the
platforms was instigated after corrosion had been found on one specific pipe.
Extensive ultrasonic corrosion mapping using a computer aided UT system was supported with
Teletest inspections. A range of pipe diameters from 3 to 24" was covered. The compactness of the

35

equipment was a major benefit in transporting it from and to shore and between platforms. Although
over 12 different tool diameters were needed, the modules were interchangeable between collars, an
important saving when a 24" tool contains 56 modules and 168 individual transducer elements.
On the production header lines, which included 18"diameter x 39mm WT pipe and 12"diameter x
33mm WT pipe, some problems were encountered in using the normal procedure of calibrating the
DAC curves using signals from the welds.
This was because the weld caps were not as pronounced in comparison with the thick wall of the
pipes as would be usual for the more common smaller wall thicknesses. However corrosion
associated with the pipe support clamps was successfully identified.

Fig.31 Flow lines across bridge

Similar problems were found with two 12"diameter x 33.23mm WT lines on bridges between E and B
platforms and between B and C platforms in Tyra East (Fig.31). Without Teletest, extensive
scaffolding would have been needed for the UT corrosion mapping equipment to gain access to the
pipes, which ran under the bridges. With Teletest, scaffolding was only needed to confirm
indications of corrosion.
On the Dan field, a leak from the inside of a bend in a 24", 9.53mm WT gas pipe led to extensive
inspection.
The pipe crossed a 100m wide bridge between C and F platforms and Teletest was used to inspect
this from just three locations. Only one location, the one in the centre of the bridge, required
scaffolding. The test range extended around the bends at each end of the bridge, where the corrosion
was readily detected.

Risers
Risers present one of the most challenging environments for design, since the damage caused by
seawater and marine growth is accentuated by the high temperatures caused by the product flowing
through the pipe. Risers must also withstand wave action and storm damage. The consequences of
riser rupture can be catastrophic both in terms of the environment and health and safety of those
working on the platform. Some risers are connected to a wellhead directly below the platform but
others are connected to a flowline on the seabed. There is thus a J-bend in the pipe. The riser ends
with a flange connection to the pipework on the platform, usually combined with a valve for
emergency cut-off.
The riser is protected from corrosion by a cathodic protection system, but this is less effective in the
splash zone. The pipe in the splash zone must have additional protection. This might be a coating of a

36

special substance such as Splashtron or the riser may be sealed inside a sheath of stainless steel or
Inconel. Alternatively, several risers may be enclosed in a caisson.
Despite precautions to prevent corrosion, the protection system may break down. The constituency of
the product may change so that the cathodic protection is not optimised or there may be damage
caused by fatigue from platform vibration or even collisions.
Another factor to be taken into account, particularly in the North Sea where regulations to prevent fire
are exceptionally stringent, is the presence of thick fire prevention coatings around the riser.
From time to time therefore, risers have to be inspected. Above water the access is good, the riser is
visible and conventional NDT methods can be applied to determine the condition of the risers internal
surface. Below water the inspection can be done, but with great difficulty, by divers or by ROV.
Underwater inspection is very expensive and there is the cost of surface preparation and removal of
marine growth. In the splash zone inspection from the outside is impossible.
Inspection must therefore be conducted from inside the riser pipe. For this purpose special, intelligent
pigs have been developed from pipeline applications. These carry NDT sensors vertically down inside
the riser to detect damage on the outer and inner surfaces. The inspection is very time consuming
and requires bulky equipment both of which are premium costs in offshore work.

Teletest offers significant advantages specifically for riser inspection;

Internal and external corrosion is monitored
Only one access point is required above the sea and below the flange that attaches the riser to
the platform pipework.
The inspection is conducted in only one test. Data gathering can take less than five minutes.
The riser flow line does not have to be detached from the riser in order to introduce a pig.
An unlimited range of pipe diameters from 1" upwards can be inspected.
The tests are highly repeatable, so new risers can be fingerprinted before installation and the
progress of corrosion monitored over long periods in operation.
Plant Integrity has performed many riser inspections using Teletest (Table 6).

Table 6 Selected Plant Integrity work on risers

Client
LRM for BG
Force for Maersk O&G
PTTEP
TechCorr for PDVSA

Application
Risers on Neptune and Cleeton
platforms
Pump caisson around riser TWE-A on
Tyra West platform.
Risers on Barykat offshore platform
Risers on un-manned platform in Lake
Maracaibo

Location
North Sea,
southern sector
Danish sector of
North Sea
Thailand
Venezuela

Monitoring the condition of risers on Neptune and Cleeton platforms

Modern life-cycle management of structures and components requires an accurate assessment of
condition before entering service and condition monitoring during service. BG were having risers
manufactured at the Ardersier fabrication yard of Barmac under supervision from BP. The design of
these particular risers called for them to be completely sealed inside caissons during fabrication.
Plant Integrity was called upon to test the risers to give an initial fingerprint of their condition, and then
compare the results with periodic future Teletest inspections once installed offshore. Teletest is
ideal for monitoring applications, because the tests are repeatable. A-scans can be digitally recorded
and then superimposed one upon the other to reveal even minor changes.
The Neptune Platform risers are assembled in bundles before insertion into caissons. The caisson
tops are sealed with lids, each riser having an anchor flange which sits in a recess in the lid. Once
sealed in the caissons, direct access to the risers is no longer possible.

37

It was found that transmission of ultrasound past the anchor flanges was possible and that the
sprayed aluminium coating had no adverse effect on propagation. The pipe ends, 63m away, were
readily detected and the possibility of detecting 9% metal loss flaws in the splash zone, 18-20m from
the transducers was demonstrated.
After successful completion of the on-shore trials, BG International then asked for a baseline survey of
all accessible offshore risers after final installation. A second Teletest survey was therefore
conducted on 12 and 16" risers on the Cleeton platform.
The Teletest survey was this time only partially successful. Data were obtained over a range of 50 to
70 metres from the tops of the caissons. This covered the objectives to examine the splash zone area
and a substantial proportion of the enclosed riser. However, a large amount of reverberation was
observed on all the recorded images, due to the proximity of the anchor flange exacerbated by the
coated surface.
Much cleaner signals were obtained from the previous Teletest survey of risers carried out at the
.
Ardersier Fabrication Yard Here they were carried out on the flame sprayed aluminium alone,
whereas offshore the flame sprayed aluminium was over-coated by epoxy paint.
Attempts were made to improve the coupling contact by dressing with emery cloth, and this
significantly improved the data quality. There was however a practical limit to what could be achieved
by these means in the initial offshore trials and plans were set for a second offshore trail.
On the second offshore visit, the area of transducer application was shot-blasted back to the sprayed
aluminium surface and a single coat of primer applied for corrosion protection. This produced an ideal
situation, in that good sound coupling was achieved with adequate temporary pipe protection. This
approach will be utilised in any further riser inspections.
Operational riser R7 and 'Future use' risers R1, R2 & R5 were surveyed in the Cleeton Riser Tower
(Fig.32). All four risers had adequate access and surface preparation so that good inspection
conditions were achieved. In each case, data were gathered from the anchor flange, beyond the

Fig.32 Teletest tool strapped to a riser

splash zone and down to the first bend at the seabed.

Operational risers R1 & R2 were surveyed in the Neptune Riser tower. Both had adequate surface
preparation but the risers had poor access due to a total of five pipes sharing one caisson. It was
impossible to wrap the transducer tools completely around the risers.
Due to the Teletest technique of filling the whole pipe volume with ultrasound, these restrictions
were overcome in the following way.
The R1 riser (10") was inspected by removing two transducer modules from each end of the mounting
collar allowing it to tuck into the narrow gap with the adjacent riser. (60mm between pipes is required
to successfully mount the transducer tool).

38

The R2 riser (16") had three restrictions in one area which precluded using the above technique but
was instead inspected using a 12" transducer tool which fitted snugly to the riser with the gap left
adjacent to the obstructions. In both cases, sufficient ultrasound was generated to produce an
acceptable result, which could be repeated at a future date if required. As with the Cleeton risers, both
the above were successfully inspected from the anchor flange, through the splash zone to the first
bend at the sea bed.

Inspection of riser caisson

Where risers are protected inside a caisson, the condition of the caisson can itself be a cause for
concern.
The riser on A-Platform of the Tyra-west complex in the Danish sector of the North Sea had received
a spot corrosion check with an automated ultrasonic thickness mapping system. This had detected
some thinning, but the scanning was limited to a small region just above the splash zone.
To determine whether this thinning extended into the splash zone, Plant Integrity was called in to
conduct a Teletest inspection of the caisson. The inspection level was 20m below the platform deck,
just out of reach of the waves so a period of calm weather had to be chosen.
At 30", the diameter of the caisson required one of the larger Teletest tools. This was lowered to the
inspection level with the where two men manhandled the inflatable collar around the pipe. An
umbilical cable ran to the laptop control on the platform deck.
The results showed the thinning to be localised and not a significant problem.

Inspection of risers in South China Sea

The Thai State Oil Company PTTEP called in Plant Integrity to inspect ten 355mm diameter risers on
the Barykat oil production platform.
The two problems successfully overcome were the non-standard pipe diameter and the presence of
clamps below tool placement positions (Fig.33). Test ranges of 20m were achieved down to the
seabed.

Fig.33 Teletest tool on Baryat riser

Inspection on unmanned platform in Lake Maracaibo

Plant Integrity has been collaborating with a local company, TechCorr, to bring Teletest technology
to Venezuela. A number of demonstrations have been carried out for Venezuelan oil and
petrochemical companies.

39

One of particular interest concerned the inspection of offshore risers. PDVSA own a number of small,
unmanned gas platforms in Lake Maracaibo. They are concerned about the possibility of corrosion
affecting the risers in the splash zone. The purpose of this exercise was to demonstrate in principle
that Teletest was capable of inspecting this zone.
Figure 34 shows the transducer ring clamped around a 6" riser. The range achieved was 13m, but
was only limited by a change in pipe section. The Splashtron coating, whilst causing some slight
signal reduction did not significantly affect the ability to inspect the critical region.

Fig.34 Teletest tool on riser

in Lake Maracaibo

Midstream transmission lines

Midstream facilities are taken here to include long distance, cross country transmission lines, in-field
lines and the pipework in compressor plants and similar.
For the most part, transmission lines are buried and therefore have to be inspected from inside using
intelligent pigs. These carry arrays of electro-magnetic or ultrasonic sensors for detecting corrosion,
cracks and third party damage caused by excavators, etc. The lines are tested regularly by
introducing a pig into the pipe at a pig-launcher and allowing it to flow with the pipe contents to a
similar exit point (the pig receiver). Several hundreds of miles may be covered in one inspection. This
generates enormous amounts of data, which, along with difficulties in determining the position of the
pig at the time that it picked up an indication, makes precise interpretation difficult.
Any pipe with a significant indication has to be dug up. If the damage is then not visible, the area must
then be tested using radiography or ultrasonics. This may involve exposing several tens of metres of
pipe until the precise location of the indication is found.
Using Teletest, an indication detected by the pig can be confirmed from a single bell-hole sunk to
the pipe to attach the tool. Moreover, Teletest will locate the indication with an accuracy of 100mm
There are many lines where pig-launching facilities have not been provided or where the fluid in the
line flows too slowly to transport a pig. In these circumstances, Teletest may be used on a selective
basis to inspect high consequence areas of the pipe.

Teletest has been used in local inspections of transmission lines (Table 7)

40

Table 7 Selected Pi work on transmission lines

Client
BP Amoco
Aitec West/Chinook
With TechCorr for PDVSA
Advantica

Application
Location
Wall penetrations at beach valve station of Middlesbrough, UK
a 36" line at the CATS terminal.
Headers at gas field compressor station
USA
10" gas line through Las Monachas
Venezuela
42" gas transmission line penetrating
inspection pit.

Gloucestershire, UK

Wall penetrations at beach valve station of a 36" line at the CATS terminal.
A 36" gas line passes through this station at either side of control and ESD valves, housed in a
concrete pit. The aim of the inspection was to determine the condition of the line inside the 800mm
thick concrete walls.
On one side, the Teletest tool had to be positioned inside a pup-piece and could not be placed more
than 800mm from the wall due to a forged T-piece in the line. The wall therefore occurred within the
dead-zone of the A-scan. However, in the event good quality data were obtained by performing
frequency sweeps.

Gas pipeline in Venezuela

One of the most rapid pipeline inspections achieved to date was along a 9.5km stretch of 10"diameter
x 9.8mm WT gas pipeline at Las Monachas, Venezuela.
Three hundred metres of pipe was tested from each location, resulting in an inspection rate of over
1.5km of pipe per day, a productivity record.
Working in conjunction with TechCorr, the local inspection company, Plant Integrity tested just over
3km of 10" 9.8mm wall thickness above ground gas pipe in 12 working hours. One reason for this
high productivity was the large range achieved.
Figure 35 shows a typical A-scan. The line was free from significant corrosion. The peaks shown are
reflections from the welds. Weld M is 150m from the transducer assembly. This means that 300m was
inspected from each transducer location.

Fig.35 Long range A-scan

41

At one point along the pipe there was a valve station as shown in Fig.36. Note that there are three
branches connecting to the line, two horizontal and one vertical.

Fig.36 Valve station on 10" line

The A-scan obtained by shooting from a position just outside the fence is shown in Fig.37. Peaks A
and B show strong horizontal flexural responses (red line) and are the signals from the two horizontal
branches. Peak C, with a strong vertical flexural response (blue line) is from the vertical branch. Note
that it was possible to inspect the line beyond the branches.

Fig.37 A-scan from valve station

Inspection of headers in gas compressor stations

Plant Integrity were asked by their Canadian customer, AITEC West, to assist in a novel Teletest
inspection of headers in gas compressor stations in Montana and North Dakota in the USA (see
Fig.38).
The final client, the stations owner, was Northern Borders Pipeline (NBPL). AITEC were subcontractors to Mears Engineering LLC, NBPL's principal inspection company. The challenges
presented by these inspections were: -

The presence of some twenty 12" branches (Fig.38)

The large diameters - 36, 37 and 42"
The significant thickness - 44mm

42

As Fig.38 shows, the headers were supported on concrete blocks. The aim of the inspections was to
detect possible atmospheric corrosion at the six o'clock position at the interface between the headers
and the concrete supports.

Fig.38 Gas compressor station

header

Because of the thicknesses involved, it was decided to inspect using torsional wave excitation. The
Teletest collar was mounted at the quarter length positions of the headers, which were up to 60m
(180 ft) long.
Despite the intervening branches, it was possible to 'see' to the dome ends. The presence of the
branches meant that the top of the pipe was not fully inspected, particularly 'downstream' of each
branch. However, this was not a problem, because, as stated above, the zones of potential corrosion
were at the supports at six o'clock.
NBPL were completely satisfied by these inspections. The plan now is to use Teletest to inspect the
headers on a regular three-yearly basis.

Crossings
Where pipes cross roadways, railways and rivers they have to be buried. Here they become
inaccessible to inspection, even by intelligent pigs, as the presence of an external metal sleeve can
reduce the sensitivity of the pigs electro-magnetic sensors. Crossings are therefore a major problem
when assessing or monitoring pipe condition.
Even for buried pipe, there is a greater risk of failure at crossings. The cathodic protection system
may be adversely affected by contact between the sleeve and the pipe. Furthermore, corrosion may
be accelerated due to drainage of corrosive fluids from the roadway. Crossings are often at low points
in a pipeline and therefore may be affected by intermittent flooding.
The cost of digging up a crossing to uncover a pipe for inspection will be several tens of thousands of
dollars. The costs are incurred from:
Disrupting traffic
Digging trench
Implementing statutory Health and Safety regulations for exposing trenches
Cutting open a sleeve from around the pipe if present
Removing protective pipe coating
Inspecting visually the external surface of the pipe and using radiography or ultrasonics to detect
any flaws on the internal surface of the pipe
Reinstating protective coating
Replacing sleeve
Filling in trench
Repairing road

Teletest offers many advantages for inspecting pipes in road, rail or river crossings:

43

The testing is done from each side of the crossing with only a small 0.5m band of pipe surface
exposed for attaching the transducers.
Internal and external surfaces of the pipe are tested simultaneously.
Normally two tests are required, the Teletest tool shooting from each side of the crossing.
Overlap between A-scans can confirm anomalies. Short crossings, less than 30m wide may be
tested from one side only.
If several pipes run through the same crossing, they can be tested sequentially, only changing the
tool diameter as necessary.
The test can be controlled from a vehicle standing on the roadway.
Inspection can be carried out beyond elbows.
Crossing widths of 60m are normally possible, although under certain test conditions widths of
200m have been achieved.
It is not necessary to take the pipeline out of service.
From the same test position, the pipe can be tested in the direction away for the crossing as well
as into it, doubling the coverage.
Tests are highly repeatable since the test conditions, equipment calibrations, etc. can be
replicated at each test. Very small increases in pipe corrosion can therefore be detected.

Some of the Teletest inspections of crossings in which Pi has been involved are given in (Table 8)

Table 8 Selected Pi work on oil and gas pipe field crossings

Client
ConocoPhillips
Cooperheat-MQS
Loop LLC

for

Application
Road crossings in Kuparuk and Prudhoe Bay Arctic oil
fields.
Pipe under Bayou crossing.

Location
Alaska
Louisiana

ConocoPhillips Alaska
The oil fields on the North Slope of Alaska border the Arctic Ocean in a nature conservation area. The
permafrost is extremely sensitive to damage. There is therefore a zero-tolerance of leaks from any of
the pipelines and process plant.
The pipelines are laid on supports 1-2m above the ground and are regularly inspected with automated
ultrasonics and/or radiography. However where the pipes cross the roadways, which are built up on 12m high gravel banks (Fig.39) to protect the permafrost, these methods cannot be used without
digging up the pipe. Because the problems of disruption are magnified in Arctic operations, the cost of
digging up one crossing may exceed $500K. An alternative solution was therefore sought by
ConocoPhillips and was found in Teletest.

Fig.39 Road crossing on the North

Slope

The pipes around the oil fields of the North Slope are insulated with polyurethane foam. A particular
corrosion problem exists at the so-called 'weld packs'. The pipes were pre-insulated. However, about
half a metre of pipe is left un-insulated until after welding on site. The remaining metre of pipe is
insulated with a site-installed band, the weld pack.

44

Fig.40 24-inch tool near

culvert at a road crossing

Moisture can penetrate at the joints between the weld pack and the pre-installed insulation, causing
localised corrosion. This is therefore characterised by being 500mm to 1m away from the weld. In
lines carrying multiphase products, internal corrosion may also be present often taking the form of
long narrow pits, orientated in the axial direction. These features are generally found between the five
and seven oclock positions.
After showing the adequacy of Teletest in detecting corrosion associated with the weld packs,
Teletest surveys were started in the summer of 1999 and are repeated every summer for a six to
eight week period. High productivity is essential because of the shortness of the weather window.
For each inspection, a band of insulation 500mm wide is removed from the pipe close to the crossing.
The surface is lightly power-brushed to remove residues of insulation before mounting the Teletest
tool (Fig.40). The test is controlled and the results interpreted from a truck parked up on the roadway.
During the 1999 season 64 crossings were inspected in the Kuparuk oil field and 92 in the adjacent
Prudhoe Bay field. Each crossing may have six pipes covering a diameter range of 6, 8, 10, 12, 14,
16, 18 and 24". In these fields there are also caribou crossings that allow migrating herds to cross the
pipelines. These can be over 100m long, are of similar design to the road crossings, and also require
inspection.
Inspections are also carried out on pipes under the gravel pads that support the plant at the wellheads, water injection plants and pumping stations. These usually require bell holes to be sunk to the
buried pipe between pipe ends.
One hundred and ten crossings were inspected in 2000, 79 in 2001, 63 in 2002, 70 in 2003 and 63 in
2004. ConocoPhillips have now established a rolling programme in which 20% of the road crossings
are inspected each summer, so that each crossing is inspected every five years. In this way corrosion
can be accurately monitored.

Loop LLC
This 48" pipe became at the time, the largest diameter pipe tested using a specially constructed
Teletest tool (Fig.41). Because of its size, two modular tools were strapped together. The line could
not be pigged because of the two elbows. With Teletest it was possible to inspect from the
horizontal section past the first elbow into the vertical section and then past the second elbow into the
horizontal section under the bayou. In particular it was also possible to inspect the pipe under the
strap clamping it to the support.

45

Support and clamp

Transducer ring

Fig.41 48" bayou crossing Loop LLC

Upstream - petrochemical industry

PROCESS PLANT
A typical refinery contains many thousands of
metres of pipe, much of it tightly packed, and
under insulation or at heights that cannot be
reached without extensive scaffolding (Fig.42).
Until recently it was acceptable to reduce the
risk of catastrophic failure in pipe by adopting a
leak before break philosophy. The pipes were
merely viewed to look for leaks. The vessels
and other containers on the other hand
received extensive inspection.
This is no longer acceptable as environmental
pollution is not tolerated. Most plant operators
need a rapid pipe inspection technique to
screen their pipework. Teletest meets this
need.

Flow lines
Fig.42 Process plant pipework
Process flow lines often carry toxic fluids at
high temperatures and pressures and are
therefore generally at high risk in plant operations. Pipe monitoring is important for health and safety
as well as for environmental and economic reasons.
Pipes may be subject to damage from both internal and external corrosion, and possibly also from
stress corrosion or creep. If the pipe contents include particles travelling at high velocities or in
turbulence, there is also the possibility of erosion.
Volumetric inspection, of both internal and external surfaces, is necessary using radiographic or
ultrasonic methods. However, these are slow, coverage at a test location will only be a band around
the pipe a few centimetres wide and the surfaces have to be exposed, prepared and made
accessible, which may mean digging up the pipe, removing protective coatings, and erecting
scaffolding.
A particular inspection problem in process plant is caused by the presence of insulation. Perhaps 60%
of a plants pipes are insulated, often with asbestos. The cost of removing insulation for inspection
invariably exceeds the cost of the inspection itself.

46

The insulation itself can cause corrosion if it becomes saturated with water. Corrosion under insulation
(CUI) has been identified as a major inspection issue. The first field use for the Teletest long-range
ultrasonic test technique was for detecting CUI.
As well as insulation, other problems encountered in inspecting flow lines include:
Wide range of pipe diameters
Pipes are in short lengths with frequent elbows
Pipes are very close together, making access difficult for scanning devices
Pipelines are interrupted with valves, branches and support collars
Contents are varied, ranging from light fuel oils to viscous foodstuffs
Pipes are usually elevated in some sections
Pipes are often at high temperature, but can also be at low temperature.

Teletest offers many advantages in testing pipes in process plant:

Lengths of pipe up to 200m can be tested from one test site

If insulation is present, only a 500mm wide band has to be removed for attaching the tool
Both internal and external corrosion can be detected
The exact distance from the tool to any indication can be determined
If several pipes are running in a rack, they can be tested sequentially only changing the tool
diameter as required
The tests can be controlled over a large area from one point using an umbilical
Inspection can be carried out beyond bends and elbows
The line can remain in use during testing
The damage in the pipe can be graded between severe, moderate and minor

A summary of recent Teletest inspections carried out by Plant Integrity on flow lines in process plant
is given in Table 9.

Table 9 Selected work on flow lines

Client
Equistar
MB Inspection for BP
Canspec

Application
14" line from ammonia reactor at Channel
View
Fuel oil line at Coryton Refinery
Slurry line damaged by erosion.

Location
Texas
UK
Canada

Inspection of 14" ammonia line

This insulated line was the feed to a reactor vessel in a chemical plant. It emerged from the reactor
2m above ground level, ran vertically for 7m, then horizontally for a further 10m.
Visual inspection was difficult owing to the insulation and access was not feasible to the elevated
section without scaffolding. External CUI was suspected.
The Teletest transducer was attached near the base of the vertical section, to examine the vertical
and elevated horizontal legs. An example of the Teletest A-Scan output is shown in Fig.43.
The large peak 5m from the transducer is a weld at the elbow where the pipe turned to the horizontal.
A number of flaws were reported from 13 to 19m from the transducer (marked '+' on the plot).

47

Fig.43 A-scan of anomalies

in ammonia line

On removal of the insulation for cleaning and visual inspection, these were confirmed as areas of CUI
attack, some of which are shown in Fig.44.

Fig.44 Ammonia line showing

corrosion

12" heavy oil fuel line

This inspection of a 3.5km pipeline (Fig.45) was carried out over a four-day period at a UK refinery by
Plant Integrity acting as sub-contractor to Northern NDT (now MB Inspection).
Specific lengths of line were selected visually as having potential corrosion problems - road crossings,
damaged insulation or corroded canning, leaking from the steam trace lines, evidence of flooding
surrounding the pipe, etc.
Following this preliminary survey, 800m of line was inspected from 30 locations. The line was
insulated with mineral wool.

48

Fig.45 Fuel oil line at Coryton refinery

The heavy fuel oil was found to attenuate the signal slightly but did not hinder inspection significantly.
Furthermore, the transducers were readily deployed, despite the presence of the steam trace lines.
The longitudinally welded pipe supports at 5m intervals had no adverse effect on transmission.
'Moderate' and 'minor' anomalies, representing suspected metal loss features, were located at 12
locations and were recommended for detailed local examination. Good correlation was found between
the Teletest predictions and the flaws present.

Inspection of 24" slurry line along lake shore fort McMurry

This line carried water-based slurry. It was not insulated and was at ground level, so that access was
not difficult. However, the main concern was local high levels of internal erosion where turbulence in
the flow caused eddies and consequent high impact of particles on the inside of the pipe.

Fig.46 Slurry line

Since service history had shown that these occurrences were difficult to predict, spot thickness
measurements were ineffective in detecting thinned areas prior to leakage.

49

Teletest overcame this problem as 100% of the pipe wall is examined. During initial trials, a test was
carried out on a section where a small leak had already occurred (Fig.46).
The result is shown in Fig.47. The signal approximately 12m from the datum is from a butt weld. The
very large signal which follows at 14m (marked '+') coincided with the location of the leak. This
suggested extensive metal loss.

Weld

Fig.47 Anomaly in slurry line

It was found by subsequent examination that there was a band of erosion almost through the wall for
the majority of the pipe circumference. The pipe was therefore at the end of its life.

Terminals and storage

Large storage tanks are a common feature of the petrochemical landscape. A network of pipes
interconnects the tanks with on-loading and off-loading bays and allows transfer between tanks. Often
placed near ports for easy connection to ocean going tankers, they include jetty lines.
Tank farms
Leakages from tank farms can be cause catastrophic damage to the environment, particularly as
these farms are frequently on river or estuary banks or on the coast, to allow tanker access.
Maintenance of the structural integrity of storage tanks and the pipelines that interconnect them is
therefore essential. Important codes of practice such as API 570 set out the inspection requirements.
The pipes were generally designed for leak before break, that is to say, long before any catastrophic
rupture of a pipe occurs, it will leak its contents. These will be detected visually, as long as the pipe is
visible so that corrective action can be taken.
Until recently therefore, inspection of pipes was principally visual. However much tighter
environmental legislation has made this unacceptable and pipe damage must be detected before
leaks occur.
The problems that arise when inspecting the pipelines in a tank farm include:

Long pipe lengths - one tank farm may have over 100km of pipe.
Some pipe may be buried, insulated or elevated so that there is no ready access.
Wide range of pipe diameters, typically from 3 to 18".
The pipes can be coated.
Pipelines all penetrate bund-walls. Such penetrations are common corrosion sites.
Pipelines are interrupted with valves, elbows and branches.

50

Pipe contents are varied, ranging from light fuel oils to viscous foodstuffs.
Insulated pipes often have steam heating lines or tracers running along the surface.
There are numerous sites for potential corrosion in pipes including under wet insulation, pipe
support crevices, and concrete accelerated corrosion in bund walls.
To meet environmental legislation and prevent leaks, tank farm operators have taken to
hydrostatic testing the pipelines. This involves filling the pipe with water, pressurising it to one and
a half times its design operating pressure and using sensitive pressure sensing devices to detect
any leaks.

Hydrostatic pressure testing has many drawbacks:

The pipeline has to be taken out of service.

Time is taken up making sure that all seals at valves are tight.
There are costs accrued from disposing of contaminated water.
Lines have to be dried out thoroughly after testing.
It will not measure the amount of wall thinning, therefore indicating potential future problems.
Conventional non-destructive testing is too expensive and too limited in coverage to meet the
need for quantitative non-invasive evaluation of pipelines in tank farms.

Teletest on the other hand offers many advantages:

Lengths of pipe up to 200m can be tested from one test site.

If several pipes are running in a rack, they can be tested sequentially, only changing the tool
diameter, as required.
The tests can be controlled from a vehicle standing on a roadway.
Inspection can be carried out beyond elbows.
The line can remain in use during testing.
The damage in the pipe can be graded between severe, moderate and minor.

Data is provided for analysis of overall condition of pipe in a tank farm, so that particular problem lines
can be identified and dealt with in a planned maintenance programme.

Table 11 Selected Pi work in tank farms

Client
ST Services

Application
4-16" pipes in a network on a tank farm including a
1.2km, 14" stainless steel line at Eastham works.

Location
Birkenhead, UK

ST Services Limited
ST Services needed to prove the integrity of the pipes at one of their tank farms at Eastham on the
banks of the River Mersey in the UK. They contemplated achieving this by hydrostatic testing.
However, this suffered from the serious disadvantages mentioned above and they therefore decided
to use Teletest to locate any areas of corrosion.
Pipe diameters were 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14". Some pipes were spirally welded. In the pipe racks,
access was restricted by the close proximity of pipes to each other (Fig.48). Also some were
insulated, some elevated, some buried and some steam jacketed.

51

Fig.48 STC Services pipe

rack in tank farm

Despite the challenge of these various conditions, the survey was very successful. Test ranges
depended on pipe condition, geometric features, contents, etc. However, in some cases it was
possible to test 200m of pipe from a single point (100m in each direction). Testing productivity was up
to 500m tested in a day.
Some 7km of pipe were tested from nearly 300 locations. The length of the test shots depended on
the presence of flanges, pipe elbows and pipe attachments, the viscosity of the pipe contents and the
stickiness of the pipe coatings. Most of the pipe was painted with an epoxy coating, which posed no
problem to the guided wave propagation. Some pipe under roadways however was coated in thick
sticky bitumen that reduced guided wave propagation to less than a metre.
The position of corrosion was accurately located along the line so that further assessment could be
carried out with visual inspection and ultrasonics. The Terminal Manager, Andy Smith, said that he
was very pleased with the outcome.
Cross-checking Teletest's findings has given confidence in the predictions. Consequently, ST
Services have abandoned hydrostatic testing. Furthermore, their confidence is such that they have
prioritised the pipes and extended the period between Teletest surveys for all pipes found to be
clear of indications.

Jetties
Most crude oil and oil products are transported in bulk by sea and therefore stored in tanks close to
the shore. Pipelines can extend a long way from the shore to the loading jetties in deep water. The
pipes are generally straight and are closely spaced in racks. Because of their length expansion loops
are a common feature.

Fig.49 Jetty lines

Inspection is normally visual with simple digital ultrasonic thickness measurements to keep a check on
the rate of pipe wall thinning. The trend in wall thinning is generally uniform. However, local corrosion
can occur at accelerated rates causing leaks without affecting overall rate of wall loss. Unfortunately

52

isolated corrosion hot-spots can occur where the pipe is not accessible, inside a sleeve for example.
Detection of internal corrosion requires the use of volumetric NDT methods.
Conventional ultrasonic and radiographic methods are impracticable because:
Coverage is very limited. Only a 250mm wide band around a pipe may be tested at one time. One
pipe may be in excess of 1km long.
The pipe may be insulated, in which case the insulation will have to be removed.
A wide range of pipe diameters requires a wide range of scanners and other NDT fixtures.
There is limited access between pipes on a rack.
The underside of pipes on a rack is not accessible.
Pipe contents are varied, ranging from light fuel oils to viscous foodstuffs. In the case of
radiography, this can affect image sensitivity.
Automated ultrasonics and radiography are expensive.

Teletest offers many advantages in testing jetty pipelines:

Lengths of pipe up to 200m can be tested from one test site.
If several pipes are running in a rack, they can be tested sequentially from one data gathering
position, only changing the tool size as required.
Inspection can be carried out beyond bends and elbows.
The line can remain in use during testing.
The damage in the pipe can be graded from the amplitude and density of Teletest signals. The
data can provide information about the overall condition of pipelines on a jetty, so that particular
problem lines can be identified and dealt with in a planned maintenance programme.
Tests can be repeated exactly, so trends in corrosion damage can be quantified.
Table 12 Selected Pi work on jetty lines
Client
Shell
Vopak

Application
4, 6, 8 and 12" Jetty lines through a sea-wall at
Shellhaven
Three 10", eight 8" and five 6" lines at West Thurrock
terminal

Location
Essex, UK
Essex

Vopak Terminal jetty lines at West Thurrock and Ipswich, United Kingdom
Vopak called in Plant Integrity to conduct Teletest surveys of five 8" import lines at their Ipswich
terminal and nine 6, 8 and 12" import lines at their West Thurrock terminal. In each case, over 0.5km
of pipe was surveyed over a two-day period. In a subsequent job at West Thurrock, Pi inspected three
10", eight 8" and five 5" jetty lines on an overhead gantry. These had a variety of contents; firewater,
oils and gases. The Teletest excitation mode (longitudinal or torsional) was chosen to suit the
conditions in each pipe. All 16 pipes were tested in a two day window; a total pipe length of 1,202m.
The cost of this exercise worked out at approximately 5 (3.5) per metre of pipe inspected over
100% of the pipe wall.
Jetty lines through a sea wall at Shellhaven
This programme involved the inspection of eight lines of 4, 6, 8 and 12" diameter; where they passed
through the 0.8-1.0m thick sea wall between the Shell Haven Refinery and the jetty (Fig.50).
The rest of the jetty lines are inspected visually, with periodic checks on wall thickness with a digital
ultrasonic gauge to track trends in wall thinning. In the sea wall this is not possible.

53

Fig.50 Pipe rack through

sea wall

The pipes had a bitumastic wrapping, which absorbed the ultrasound, greatly reducing range.
However, the pipes were accessible from both sides so that, despite the attenuation, the technique
performed successfully. Performance was helped by the wrapping being old and no longer in contact
with the pipe.

Power industry
Piping in power stations (Fig.51) can be divided between primary and secondary piping. The primary
piping operates at high temperatures and the damage mechanisms can be very specific, e.g. creep.
The pipes have to be inspected during shutdowns using special NDT techniques.

Fig.51 Power plant

The main application for Teletest in the power industry is in screening secondary piping, where its
ability to monitor long lengths of piping is a major advantage.

Table 13 Selected work in the power industry

Client
British Energy
FBS/EPRI/Continental Edison

Application
Fifty-two 50m long, 2" Boiler tubes
Electrical conduit piping

Location
Wylfa Anglesey
New York State

British Energy
Plant Integrity Ltd has carried out a number of inspections for British Energy at their nuclear power
stations.

54

At Wylfa, fifty 2" boiler tubes were inspected with Teletest. Access was very restricted (Fig.52). The
tubes are bent through six right-angle bends and, in order to account for the resulting non-linear
attenuation in the guided waves, the equipment was calibrated on a test pipe simulating the pipes in
the plant (Fig.53).

Fig.53 Tarong power station

Fig.52 Boiler tubes at Wylfa

At Heysham, some secondary piping was inspected from the jetty outside the station. The 24" power
plant pipework was insulated and contained oil. This reduced test ranges, but nearly 1km of line was
inspected in four days. The 16 and 20" pipes were tested from only four locations. Some areas of
heavy corrosion were detected.
For the boiler spine inspection a series of trials were first conducted with Mitsui Babcock at which a
new boiler spine was first finger-printed in its pristine condition and then a series of slots introduced
incrementally at specific positions, such as a collar and a weld.
The increase in amplitude of the signals from the slots was monitored on the Teletest A-scan. These
trials were followed by actual tests at Hartlepool and Heysham power stations.

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

Two inspections were carried out on behalf of EPRI in the USA. The first concerned 10, 16 and 18"
conduit piping under New York. This contains highly toxic electrical insulating fluids and has for some
time been a cause of concern for possible leaks.
Trials with Teletest at Continental Edisons power plant provided encouraging results, although test
ranges in the sample pipes (Fig.54) were reduced because of the presence of numerous attachments.

55

Fig.54 Electrical conduit piping

Fig.55 Twenty four inch diameter tool

adjacent to concrete wall of pit
The second inspection was at Pennsylvania Power and Lights Susquehanna plant. The 24"
emergency pump discharge and 14" emergency service water return lines were inspected. The tools
had to be located tight against the concrete walls (Fig.55) to send the guided waves into the buried
pipes. Test ranges of 50m (170ft) were achieved.

SPECIAL APPLICATIONS
LRUT is a fledgling NDT technology and new applications are continually being uncovered. Some of
the applications are summarised below.
Table 14 Selected special applications

Client
TTS Japan
MQS Cooperheat
IS for Hydro-Agri

Application
Inspection of spherical tank support legs
Reactor coils at Pharmacia and Upjohn
Ammonia sphere support legs

John Pattisson Associates Ltd for

Red Funnel
TTS/JFE

18" piles at East Cowes ferry terminal

Highways Agency

Cone support column on blast furnace, Fukuyama

plant
Lamp post inspection

INSPECTION OF SPHERICAL TANK SUPPORT LEGS

56

Location
Japan
Illinois, USA
Le
Havre,
France
Dorset, UK
Japan
Kent, UK

Fig 56. Collapsed spherical tank due to corrosion

The collapse of a spherical tank for storing liquefied gas was attributed, in part to corrosion of one of
the support legs. This has led to general concern about the long-term integrity of the legs supporting
storage spheres world-wide. There are access problems that often make it difficult to inspect sphere
legs by conventional NDE techniques. The legs are often encased to give protection either from heat,
in the event of a fire, or from low temperatures, should there be a spill of the liquid gas followed by
rapid boil off. Conventional NDE methods would require the legs to be exposed over their full lengths.
Secondly such methods would call for the installation of scaffolding to provide man access to the full
leg height. Teletest provides a means of overcoming both these difficulties as long as access to the
leg can be obtained for a sufficient length for the transducer ring to be mounted. It has been used
successfully to inspect sphere legs on two sites posing different challenges.

Concrete

Fig 57. Teletest used to measure corrosion of tank legs

The first project was carried out by TTS, one of Plant Integrity's Japanese customers. One of the three
spheres concerned is shown on the left. In this case the legs were protected by lightweight concrete.
The following photograph shows how the coating was cut away to allow access for the Teletest tool.
Normal full weight concrete attenuates ultrasound rapidly. However, this relatively thin light-weight
coating was less attenuative and TTS were able to 'shoot' the full 6m height of the 10" and 14"
diameter legs. The results fell into three categories - no corrosion, general corrosion and localised
corrosion.
A record showing local corrosion between 2 and 4m from the datum is shown below. Note the clear
reflection from Weld A, which is above the cladding. TTS's client expressed total satisfaction with the
inspections and monitoring of their sphere legs using Teletest is now planned on a regular basis.

57

Weld A

Corrosion area

Fig 58. Teletest scan of a corroded region

Project carried out in France

The condition of 18" piles at the refurbished East Cowes terminal was determined by placing the
Teletest tool above the sea level and below the pier. A 10-12m test range reached the pile level with
the seabed, beyond which noise levels were high. However, the pile end could be detected at a
further 5m range.

Fig.59 Furnace actuator

The integrity of lampposts has been called into question after some well-publicised instances, where
they have fallen onto carriageways. The main damage stems from internal corrosion.

58

Fig.60

Lamppost inspection

The Teletest tool is positioned at the bottom of the column to inspect the whole column length in one
test (Fig.60). One lamppost can be tested in about 15 minutes, an important consideration when
contemplating a survey of the vast number of lampposts around the country.

ON-GOING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Plant Integrity Ltd, through its parent company TWI, is committed to research into long range
ultrasonics, both to enhance performance and to develop new applications.
Long range ultrasonics is a comparatively new branch of NDT with a potentially enormous variety of
applications. However development is hampered by the great many wave modes that can be
generated in a structure. Each has to be studied carefully to determine which is appropriate.
Knowledge of the characteristics of guided waves in structures is therefore essential to the
development of applications. Our understanding of the physical principles of plate wave and guided
wave propagation is helped considerably by using computer models such as the finite element solver
ABAQUS that can simulate wave propagation in pipes, plates, rails and even more complex shapes.
The computer modelling is supported by experiments using state-of-the-art equipment.
TWIs funding for research into guided wave technology comes from a variety of sources:
An internal research and development budget
Individual Industrial Members of TWI with a specific need
Groups of Industrial members with a shared need.
Co-operative research supported by all TWIs Industrial members
Collaborative projects with a consortium of participants supported by government funding either
from the European Commission, the UK Department of Trade and Industry, the US Department
of Transportation and other similar funding bodies.
A summary of on-going research projects is given in Table 15.

59

Table 15. Research projects

Project

Objectives

Enhancement of the LRUT

method for detection of
degradation in buried
unpiggable pipelines

Development of phased array

and swept frequency guided
wave LRUT for the fitness for
service assessment of pipe
corrosion

Development of next
generation long range
ultrasonic testing systems
Smart structural diagnostics
using piezo-generated elastic
waves
PIEZO-DIAGNOSTICS

Dates

Benchmarking the test performance against that of intelligent pigs, which

currently define the industry standard for pipeline in-service inspection
Improving the guided wave ultrasonic method capability to provide
quantitative data on anomalies that require interpretation.
Introducing a new beam focusing technique for improved sensitivity and
range.
Re-benchmarking the performance and formatting the output for
maximum effectiveness in a direct assessment methodology for pipeline
integrity.

To take enhanced LRUT tests protocols (phased array, multi-mode and

frequency sweep) from the laboratory and develop them into a robust
site-useable package.
To validate these techniques by trials.
To enable wave modes (both transmit and receive) and test frequencies
to be optimised.
To improve flaw discrimination capability.
To improve the ability to use LRUT in complex pipework such as that in
compressor stations.
To improve the application of LRUT methods to pipe with bitumastic
wrapping or buried in heavily compacted soil.
To develop efficient hardware for testing rail and to widen the scope for the
application of ultrasonic long range guided wave testing in pipe.

To develop a new structural diagnostics environment based on

piezoelectrically generated wave propagation with the following key features:
a long distance wave generation technique, based on advanced, low
frequency piezoelectric transducers
an advanced signal processing system to identify location and intensity of
multiple flaws affecting elastic wave propagation. The vision for the future
is to fully integrate localised monitoring with remote assessment via
telecommunications technology.

Converted from sterling or $ US where necessary

60

Funding
Sources
US Department of
Transportation
PetroChem
Inspection
Services
Pi,
FBS Inc
Pennsylvania
State University

Budget
Euro
1,175,000

2004
to
2006

US Department of
Transportation,
Northeast Gas
Association,
BP,
ConocoPhillips
TTS Japan

1,012,000

2001
to
2004
2002
to
2005

TWI Member
Companies

560,000

European
Commission

3,000,000

2002
to
2005

Project

Objectives

Dates

Condition monitoring of large

oil and chemical storage tanks
using ultrasonic guided wave
tomography without the need
to empty and clean

To develop ultrasonic guided wave (UGW) technology that sends low

frequency ultrasonic waves many metres along the tank floor plates. This
technology, currently in its infancy, will be developed to inspect up to 100m
across the diameter of oil storage tanks. The technique will be used to locate
the corrosion and defects on the floor plates of the storage tanks.

2004
to
2006

To develop ultrasonic guided wave technology to increase the testing range

and allow up to 100m of buried or covered pipelines to be tested in a single
measurement. The technique will act as a screening measure. It will be
backed up by the development of a variety of advanced inspection techniques
based on digital radiography, pulsed Eddy currents and alternating current
field measurement (ACFM). Such techniques can be applied from outside the
insulation or other thick coatings around the pipe and be capable of detecting
defects under pipe coverings. In addition, to develop automated defect
recognition capabilities so operator subjectivity, that is present in all current
NDT techniques, is eliminated.
To develop the ability to detect a fatigue crack occupying only 1% of the
cross sectional area 100m from the transducer assembly
To increase the test range from 10 to over 100m by improving the signal
to noise ratio through transducer design, wave mode selection and signal
filtering
To improve crack discrimination through use of multiple wave modes and
frequency sweeping
To increase performance under sticky coatings and concrete that
attenuate the waves and reduce the test range by using lower ultrasound
frequencies and torsional waves instead of longitudinal wave modes;
To locate flaws around the circumference of the tubular member by
phased array focusing and by electronic rotation of focus point around the
pipe.
To develop ultrasonic guided wave techniques that can inspect complex
tubular members

TANKINSPECT
Development of inspection
systems for the inspection of
metal pipelines buried in
concrete, water or covered
with coatings
PIPESCAN

Development of ultrasonic
guided wave inspection
technology for the condition
monitoring of offshore
structures
OPCOM

Development of a LRUT
system to examine Offshore
Subset Risers, Steel Catenary

To develop a system to continuously monitor SCRs

To develop a novel LRUT technology to detect corrosion and fatigue
cracks in sub sea risers and SCRS

61

Funding
Sources
European
Commission

Budget
Euro
2,000,000

2004
to
2006

European
Commission

2,000,000

2005
to
2008

European
Commission

2,900,000

European
Commission

2,000,000

Project

Objectives

Risers (SCRs) and Flow lines

RISERTEST
Long Range Ultrasonic
Condition Monitoring of
Engineering Assets
LRUCM

Autonomous Robotic System

for Inspection of Mooring
Chains that Tether Offshore
Oil and Gas Structures to the
Ocean Floor

Funding
Sources

Budget
Euro

To develop methods of continuously monitoring the integrity of a wide range

of engineering assets, e.g.
Oil/gas pipelines
Rails
Bridges
Sea/river defences
To transfer these technologies through a group of national and international
inspection and maintenance associations

2005-2008

European
Commission

4,300,000

To develop an autonomous amphibious vehicle that will carry out

inspection tasks on chains above and below sea level
To develop a cleaning system that will remove marine growth
To develop a vision system that will measure chain link dimensions
To develop novel NDT sensors to detect fatigue cracks using ACFM,
LRUT and resonance methods

2005-2007

European
Commission

2,000,000

To develop LRUT techniques for inspecting small diameter pipes as used

in the food processing industry
To develop methods of inspecting heat-exchanger tubes

2007-2010

British
Government

1,850,000

To develop novel NDT techniques and delivery systems designed to

increase confidence in the integrity of aircraft wiring
To ensure that aircraft design lives are achieved or extended
Complimentary techniques will be developed as a global integrated
solution.
Key innovations will be the use of ultrasonic guided waves and
enhanced time domain reflectometry, combined with robotic delivery of
sensors to critical buried locations

2007-2010

British
Government

1,850,000

CHAINTEST
LRUT in the Food Processing
Industry

Dates

To develop ultrasound focusing techniques to distinguish between a

deep narrow crack and a wide shallow one

FOOD
NDT Inspection of
Inaccessible Electrical Wiring
in Aging Aircraft

AWARE

Total

24,647,000

Further information about some of these projects is given below:

62

Enhancement of the long-range ultrasonic method for the detection

of degradation in buried unpiggable pipelines
Total budget: 1,175,000 (US $1,450,000 or Sterling 800,000)
Duration: 3 years
This project is funded by the US Department of Transportation with in-kind participation from Pi,
PetroChem Inspection Services, FBS Inc and Pennsylvania State University.
Its purpose is to develop the Teletest system beyond a screening tool to one that provides
nd
quantitative information about corrosion. Pi has developed a 2 generation 24-channel flaw detector.
This enables the transducer array to be divided into octants, each of which is separately addressable.
Thus the Teletest tool as can be used as a phased array, enabling the guided waves to be focused.
Figure 61 is a finite element visualisation of such focusing.

Fig.61 Ultrasound focusing in straight pipe

Figure 62 shows unfocused and focused A-scans and demonstrates that focusing greatly improves
sensitivity. A flaw, which is on the borderline of detectability using unfocused ultrasound becomes
quite clearly distinguishable when focusing is employed.

Unfocused

Focused

300

300

Pipe end

In itia l pu ls e
250

200

200
signal

signal

Initial pulse
250

150

P ip e e n d

150

100

100

50

50

ra n g e , ft

range, ft

Fig.62 Unfocused and focused A-scans

63

27.8

26.5

25.2

24.0

22.7

21.5

20.2

18.9

17.7

16.4

15.1

13.9

12.6

11.4

8.8

10.1

7.6

6.3

5.1

3.8

2.5

1.3

0.0

27.8

26.5

25.2

24.0

22.7

21.5

20.2

18.9

17.7

16.4

15.1

13.9

12.6

11.4

8.8

10.1

7.6

6.3

5.1

3.8

2.5

1.3

0.0

D e fe c t s ig na ls

Focusing can also be used to enhance inspection of pipe with elbows (Fig.63).

Direction of
wave
propagation

Fig.63 Ultrasound focusing beyond an elbow

These enhancements will make the system sensitive to the loss of cross-sectional area as percentage
of pipe wall in a given octant rather than over the whole pipe circumference, thus enhancing overall
sensitivity. The variable focusing of a phased array will also discriminate between several dispersed
shallow flaws and an isolated deep one. Finally, intervening elbows and branches will not restrict the
range and sensitivity of the test.

Phased array and swept frequency guided wave LRUT techniques

for fitness-for-purpose assessment of pipe corrosion
Total budget: 1,000,000 (US $1,250,000 or Sterling 700,000)
Duration: 2 years
This project is funded by the US Department of Transportation, the Northeast Gas Association, BP,
ConocoPhillips, TTS (Japan) and TWI. It will be carried out in collaboration with Pennsylvania State
University, FBS Inc and NGA.
Its purpose is to take the techniques developed in the foregoing project and to validate and bed them
down into a robust site useable inspection method for use in the direct assessment of pipeline
integrity.
In addition to phased array focusing, new Teletest software enables tests to be done at a range of
frequencies in an automated frequency sweep. Thus the sensitivity can be rapidly optimised for any
given pipeline condition.

Next generation systems

Total budget: 380K
Duration: 2 years, finishing 2005
TWI Internal Funding
Much of the original development in guided wave ultrasonics involved the use of finite element
computer models to study the propagation of various guided wave modes along a pipe and their
interaction with discontinuities. This work was essential to optimise the hardware design.

64

Fig.64 Guided wave

propagation in a rail

This modelling is continuing in the development of the next generation of hardware to widen the scope
of LRUT applications. The project has used a three dimensional finite element technique to visualise
the wave modes and calculate the dispersion curves for wave propagation in a rail (Fig.64).

Fig.65 Model of wave

propagation past a branch

Other models have shown the interaction of a guided wave in a pipe with a pipe branch (Fig.65).

SMART structures
Total budget: 2 million
Duration: 3 years, finishing 2005
This project is funded by the EC Commission.
SMART structures that are able to look after themselves, and give warning of any impending failure
are part of the future in maintenance. This project aims to develop a new structural diagnostics
environment based on piezoelectric generated wave propagation with the following characteristics.

A long distance wave generation technique based on advanced, low frequency, piezoelectric
transducers
An advanced signal processing system able to identify location and intensity of multiple flaws
affecting elastic wave propagation.

The vision for the future is to fully integrate localised monitoring with remote assessment via
telecommunications technology. It will allow real-time monitoring of a structure 24 hours a day. One
can envisage real-time decision-making on infrastructure integrity over the Internet.

65

The technology aims to enhance the sensitivity of long-range ultrasonic techniques by using
information contained within the waveform of the transmitted pulses of ultrasound in a manner similar
to ultrasonic spectroscopy. Pre-stressed low frequency piezoelectric actuators that can operate in
resonant, static or quasi-static modes transmit the ultrasound while novel PVDF piezo-electric sensors
detect the ultrasound.

Loaded large diameter storage tanks

Total budget: 1.4 million
Duration: 2 years, finishing 2006
This project is funded by the European Commission
The aim of the project is to develop the ultrasonic guided wave method to send low frequency
ultrasonic waves along the floor plates of tanks up to 100m in diameter in order to detect corrosion
and other defects.
A tomographic technique is envisaged with transducers placed around the tank on the annular plate
outside of the tank wall. The transducer transmitting and receiving modes will be sequenced to
provide a cross-sectional picture of signals from features on the tank floor.

Integrated inspection of pipes

Total budget: 1.4 million
Duration: 2 years, finishing 2006
This project is funded by the European Commission.
Teletest is basically a screening tool. The tests must be supplemented with other NDT methods to
measure and evaluate the corrosion.
This project will integrate Teletest with other advanced NDT techniques for evaluating indications
without removing any of the thick coatings that may cover the pipe. These methods do not require
contact with the pipe surface and include digital radiography, pulsed eddy currents and alternating
current field measuring techniques.
Moreover these techniques will incorporate automatic defect recognition capabilities, so that the
operator subjectivity that is detrimental to many NDT methods is eliminated.

Offshore oil production platforms and wind turbine towers

Total budget: 2.9m
Duration: 3 years, finishing 2008
This project is funded by the European Commission.
The project will develop long-range guided wave ultrasonics for testing large offshore structures such
as oil and gas production platforms and wind turbine towers.
The system will be sensitive to fatigue crack growth as well as corrosion. The guided waves will be
propagated from transducers mounted on the structure and detected by sensors dispersed over the
structure at permanently fixed positions. Because of the complexity of the signals, an automated
defect recognition capability will be built into the system.

SUMMARY
Teletest is a new and potent tool in the armoury of inspection techniques used for monitoring the
structural integrity of pipes, pipelines and pipework. Pi, with support from TWI, is at the forefront in
developing long range ultrasonic technology for new applications, vital in the maintenance of
infrastructure of oil and gas supplies, petrochemical plant, power generation and transportation.

66