Ultrasonic inspection apparatus for well operations

• US 4,041,773 A
• Filed: 10/08/1975
• Issued: 08/16/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: W C. Lamb
• Original Assignee: W C. Lamb
• Inventors: DeKerlegand, Deke E., Hauldren, H. Morris, Claycomb, Jack R., Chang, Chi-Haung
• Primary Examiner(s): Queisser, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kreitman, Stephen A.
• Application Number:
  US05/620,747
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 73/67.8 S, 73/67.8 R, 73/67.7, 73/67.5 R, 73/71.5 US, 73/151, 324/37 R
• US Class Current: 73/588
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/006 Accessories for drilling pipes, e.g. cleaners wear protectors E21B17/10; handling drilling pipes E21B19/00; thread protectors B65D59/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 19/00 Handling rods, casings, tubes or the like outside the borehole, e.g. in the derrick; Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 3/04 Rotary tables
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/223 Supports, positioning or alignment in fixed situation mounting transducers per se G10K11/004
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2493 Wheel shaped probes

Abstract

An ultrasonic inspection apparatus for use in inspecting drill pipe or like tubular members being tripped into and out of a well borehole comprises one or more planarly arranged set of ultrasonic search units, such as wheel search units, arranged on a frame suspendible within the well derrick and defining a vertical passage for the tubular member. Access is provided to the passage by the tubular member from a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member, for example, by providing an openable hinged frame. When in the passage, the pipe is stabilized by wheels exerting a force on the pipe in excess of that exerted by the search units which are biased into sonically coupled contact with the pipe. A linkage on each search unit preserves the angular relation between an electro-acoustical transducer within the search unit and the pipe surface. A method of inspecting tubular goods on the floor of a drilling rig during a tripping operation is also provided.

Claims

1. Apparatus for ultrasonic inspection of vertical tubular members which comprises:

a frame defining a vertical passage for said tubular member accessible from a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of said tubular members;

a plurality of ultrasonic search units disposed on said frame, each including an electro-acoustical transducer for transmitting an ultrasonic signal into the wall of said member;

a mechanism mounting each search unit on said frame to yieldably urge said ultrasonic search unit into contact and sonically coupled relation with the surface of the tubular member;

said mechanism providing each search unit with self-adjusting radial movement relative to said vertical tubular member, enabling the unit to adapt to changes in the size of said tubular member inspected without altering the orientation of the transducer inside said search unit with respect to the surface of said tubular member.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said search units are wheel search units arranged to roll on the outer surface of the tubular member along a path parallel to the longitudinal axis of the member.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including stabilizer means for engaging said tubular member to maintain said frame in a stable position realtive to said member, said stabilizer means engaging the tubular member in at least two positions longitudinally spaced along the axis of the tubular member.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said stabilizer means comprises at least two sets of coplanarly arranged wheels adapted to engage the surface of said tubular member.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said frame defines at least two longitudinally spaced horizontal mounting planes for said search units, and wherein the search units on each mounting plane are arranged to perform different inspection operations.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the search units in at least one of said planes are arranged to transmit a signal longitudinally within the wall of said tubular member a direction away from the remaining of said planes to inspect for discontinuities transverse to the longitudinal axis of the member.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said frame defines three mounting planes and wherein the search units on the uppermost frame are arranged to inspect for discontinuities transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member.

8. Apparatus for ultrasonic inspection of vertical tubular members which comprises:

a frame defining a vertical passage for said tubular member accessible from a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of said tubular members;

a plurality of ultrasonic search units disposed on said frame, each including an electro-acoustical transducer for transmitting an ultrasonic signal into the wall of said member;

a linkage mounting each search unit on said frame for yieldably urging said ultrasonic search units into contact and sonically coupled relation with the surface of the tubular member and maintaining a constant angle between said transducer and the surface of said member;

said linkage comprising a hinged parallelogram linkage on each search unit having one side affixed relative to said frame and the opposing side affixed to said search unit; and

stabilizer means for engaging said tubular member with a force in excess of that composed between the tubular member in said search units to maintaining said frame in stable relation relative to said member upon relative horizontal movement between said frame and the tubular member.

9. A method of inspecting a tubular member used in well drilling operations on a drilling platform of a well derrick while said member is being inserted in or retrieved from a well borehole which comprises:

vertically suspending said tubular member within the well derrick;

sonically coupling around the periphery of the tubular member a plurality of ultrasonic search units each containing an electro-acoustical transducer disposed in a specific angular relation to the surface of the tubular member to the suspended tubular member;

moving said tubular member vertically relative to said borehole while radially self-adjusting said search units relative to said vertical member to adapt to changes in the size of said tubular member, yet maintain the transducers within said search units in fixed angular position relative to the surface of the tubular member.