Evaluation of Pipes

Using Long-
Long-Range Guided
Wave Ultrasonics;
Background and Recent
Advances
Ad
Dr Reyaz Sabet
Dr. Sabet--Sharghi,
Sharghi IESCO
 Guided Wave Testing
G
General
l Introduction
I t d ti
A form of ultrasonic testing
g that allows its user to
rapidly screen 100100%% of the pipe volume over
extended distances
distances..
Saturates the pipe wall with a form of wave that
propagates along the axial direction
direction..
Travelling wave is sensitive to changes in the
pipe cross
cross--section area and changes to pipe
stiffness..
stiffness
Transducer

Structure
 Guided Wave Testing
G
General
l Introduction
I d i
Locations with ggeneral corrosion or wall loss
will be revealed, and an estimate of the
suspected % wall loss given.
given.
A conventional NDT technique (such as UT)
is then used to measure the actual remaining
wall at the location where a defect was
called..
called
The Guided Wave Technique is NOT a
means for directly measuring remaining wall
thickness in a pipe
pipe..
Guided Waves vs. Manual UT
Transducer
Standard UT
Metal Structure

Inspected Area

Transducer Ring Guided Waves

Inspected area Inspected area

 System Components
Laptop with Controlling software

Wavemaker G3

Transducer Ring
 Wave Propagation Modes
Incident waves are axi-
axi-symmetric and either
torsional or longitudinal.
MURO

ANILLO

SOLDADURA
 Applications
Used to detect g
general corrosion and wall thinning
g in:

Above-ground piping.
Above-
Overhead piping.
Buried piping.
Pipes transitioning from above to below-
below-ground or vice-
vice-versa.
versa
Pipes at road crossings.
Coated/insulated pipes.
Wall penetrations.
Jetty lines.
Sphere legs
legs.
 Insulated Pipe
Note removal of insulation
At test location

Pipe through concrete

support
Cased Road Crossings
Above-ground
pipes
p p with features

Pipe at Road Crossing

 Standard CUI Application

Sphere Leg Testing

 Signal Range
There is no set formula that will determine the signal
range that
th t can be
b achieved
hi d on each
h pipe
i or even each
h
shot.. However, some of the factors affecting range
shot
are::
are
The more features in the scan , the lower the range
range..
Flanges terminate the signal.
signal.
A second elbow will terminate the signal

Product
P d t effects
effects;
ff t ; gas vs.
vs. crude
d
Coating/lining thickness relative to the pipe wall
thickness
O ll pipe
Overall i diti
condition
Type of soil pipe is buried in and depth of cover.
cover.
Highly dependent of the desired sensitivity of the
scan..
scan
 Guided Wave
Technique Limitations
The technology is screening for changes
in cross-
cross-sectional area
area.. Minimum required
changes
g in this area is 5% depending
p g on
pipe conditions
conditions..
Large
g branches are seen as large g defects,
thereby obscuring any smaller anomalies
nearby..
nearby
Effects of coatings/wraps on signal range
range..
Pipe
p temperature
p constraints.
constraints.
Historically,
y, the region
g of
wall loss needed to
represent at least 5% of total
shaded are to be detectable
by the Guided Wave
Technique..
Technique
M
More recentt advances
d h
have
allowed down to a 1% or
less ECL to be detected
detected..
 Why Use Long-
Long-Range GWs?
GW s?
Inspection
p speed
p ((time = $$).
)
Line is kept in service.
Able to negotiate and inspect at supports and bends
bends. As
such, the technique inspects 100% of the pipe volume,
eliminating blind zones experienced using other
technologies.
technologies
Equipment is battery operated and very portable.
Detects both internal and external metal loss
 Why Use Long-
Long-Range GWs?
GW s?

No couplant necessary.
For coated pipes,
pipes no need to remove all the
coating along length of inspected section.
No need to excavate entire length of buried pipe
for inspection purposes.
By going back after time and re-
re-scanning
sections of pipe, even smaller changes in cross
cross--
sectional area than the base 5% can be
observed.
observed
 The Wavemaker System
Areas of Enhancement
Data Display
Focusing ability one of the greatest
advantages of the G3 system
system..
Enhanced rings now able to pinpoint location
from which an indication is received
received.. This has
made clients ask for the red rings which are
EFC--capable
EFC capable..
Display of data as a C-scan similar to
intelligent scraping data
data..
 X axis represents distance whereas Y axis
represents the location around the circumference
off the
th pipe
i
360

270
Angle (deg)

180

90

-18dB
0
-100 -50 0 50
-F7

-F5

-F2

+F1

+F2
-F6

-F4

-F3

-F1

0.8

0.6
Amp (mV)

0.4

0.2

00
 Amp (mV) Clo
ock

00
0.2
0.4
0.6
12
9
6
3
12
236+50
-F5

-50
50
-F4

1
-F3
235+90
-F2

-F1

0
+F1

+F2

+F3
235+30
+F4
50
 Amp ((mV) Clock

00
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
12
9
6
3
12

-40
-F4

-F3

-20
174+50
-F2

-F1

+F1 0
+F2
20

+F3

174+49

+F4
40
 The Wavemaker System
Areas of Enhancement
Sensitivity
Largely dependent on the accurate fitting of
the DAC curves
DAC curves must realistically represent the
changes in signal amplitude as a function of
distance, features present on the line, general
condition of the line.
line. Without such an ability,
establishing system sensitivity and sizing
capabilities are not possible
possible..
 The Wavemaker System
Areas of Enhancement
Sensitivity
As the weld DAC determines the sensitivity of
the system,
system it is critical that it is set as
accurately as possible
possible..
The Wavemaker G3 is unique in this
capability..
capability
With current enhancements,, G3 system y is
being used in applications where 1% cross cross--
sectional loss sensitivity is required
required..
 Internal axial groove 0.25 wide and 4 long
representing an ECL of 0.75%

360

270
g)
Angle (deg

180

90

-18dB
0
-40 -20 0
-F9
-F8

-F6
-F7

-F5

-F4

-F2
-F1
-F3

+F1

+F2
1.0

0.8
Amp (mV)

0.6

0.4

0.2

00
 360

270
eg)
Angle (deg

180
Confirmed
indication (by UT
90 and RT) of
1X1X30%
1 X1 X30% wall
on a 12

-18dB
0
-20 0 20 40 insulated line
1
5
-F1

+F2
+F3

+F4
1390

2.5

0.5
V)
Amp (mV

0.25

0.1

0.05

0.025

0.01
 The Wavemaker System
Areas of Enhancement
Frequency Slider
Ability to view several frequency settings is
critical to the successful use of guided waves
waves..
Without this ability, there is a very good
chance that certain indications will be missed
missed..
Adjusting the frequency can assist in masking
certain undesirable effects while enhancing g
others..
others
 360

270

Altering FR and BW
e (deg)

180
Angle

90
view will have a
significant
g effect on the
0
60 80 100 120 140
1
+F4

+F5
+F6

+F7
87+03

+F10
+F9

+F11

+F12
0.20 visibility of certain
0.15

features
Amp (mV)

0.10

360
0.05

0 00 270
Angle (deg)

180
A

90

0
60 80 100 120 140
1
+F4

+F5
+F6

+F7
+03

F10
+F9

F11

F12
+F

+F
+

+
+

+
87+
+

+F
0.20

0.15
Amp (mV)

0.10

0.05

0 00
 The Wavemaker System
Areas of Enhancement
Road Crossing Application
Enhanced signal processing, display and
sensitivity capabilities translates to an
effectively longer range when scanning road
crossings
crossings.
g .
Ability to use to system in Pitch/Catch mode
on road crossings
crossings..
Ability to connect system to PIMS
PIMS..
 360

270

e (deg)
180

Angle
90

0
-10.0 0.0 10.0 20.0

5 -F6-F5 -F4
-F3 -F2
-F1 +F1
+F2
+F3 +F4
+F5 +F6 +F7

2.5

1
Amp (mV)
0.5

0.25

0.1
 PIMs
PIM s
Geared towards use on
h d to
hard t access lines
li such
h
as:
Buried or sleeved lines.
Offshore risers.
risers
Sub-sea lines.

System can be installed

on new lines or retro-
fitted on existing lines.

Helps avoid costly excavation work when having to revalidate

pipe condition.
The system also allows for automatic recall of previous data to
compare signal as a function of time thereby enhancing overall
system sensitivity.
 Technique Acceptance
Technique currently approved by majority of
Oil & Gas companies for use in upstream and
downstream facilities.
facilities.
Acknowledged as time and cost effective
means of validating
transmission/flow/collection/plant piping
piping..
Some Oil & Gas Majors have developed (or
are in the process of developing) in in--house
procedures and technician validation
schemes..
schemes
 Technique Acceptance
More recently, DOT has developed an approval process
for the use of guided wave as a means of revalidating
gas transmission lines
lines..
The use of the technique on DOT lines is subject to a
case--by
case b -case submittal
by- b itt l byb th
the pipeline
i li operator
t
justifying the applications use, and detailing an
approved procedure to be followed
followed..
The established procedure submitted by the pipeline
operator must meet a minimum requirement as outlined
by the DOTs 18-
18-point checklist
checklist..
In addition to the above
above, work ongoing to determine
possibility of using GWLRUT as a replacement for
hydrotesting..
hydrotesting
 Operator Certification
No ASNT certification scheme available at
present..
present Development of certification
standard for both ASNT and PCN ongoing.
ongoing.
Certification of operators/technicians carried
out by equipment manufacturer.
manufacturer.
GUL first manufacturer to adopt p a two tier
certification program
program::
Level I: for basic applications on above ground
pipes
Level II:
II: More advanced applications
applications;; e.g. on
buried lines
lines.. Authorized to develop procedures
procedures..
Required for most DOT work
work..
Operator Certification