In-tube ultrasonic device for wall thickness metering

• US 7,111,516 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2002
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Ngks International Corporation
• Inventors: Desyatchikov, Alexandr P., Hrapov, Sergei N., Karasev, Nikolai A., Smirnov, Anatoly V., Bazarov, Alexandr J., Kirichenko, Sergei P., Slepov, Andrei M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAINT SURIN, JACQUES M
• Application Number:
  US10/199,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20030083576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 736/23, 736/22, 736/02, 73/18.2, 738/665, 377/24.1
• US Class Current: 73/623
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 17/02 for measuring thickness
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02854 Length, thickness
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2636 cylindrical from inside
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/265 by moving the sensor relative to a stationary material
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4427 with stored values, e.g. threshold values

Abstract

What is claimed is an inspection device for in-tube monitoring of main pipelines by the method of ultrasonic wall thickness metering realized in a device traveling inside the pipeline and performing measurements, acquisition of measurement data and their interpretation. The device comprises a probing pulse generator, an ultrasonic transducer, an amplifier, a comparator with an analog input, a digital timer, a processor and a data storage module, and a controlled reference voltage source connected in series. The output of said reference voltage source is connected to the reference voltage input of the comparator, said reference voltage source being capable of setting at least two different voltages at its output.

The comparator output is connected to one of the control inputs of the reference voltage source that allows one to switch threshold values in the comparator, when recording the ultrasonic pulses, to use one threshold value to record the moment of reception of the ultrasonic pulse reflected from the internal wall of the pipeline using another threshold value of the comparator to record the moment of reception of the ultrasonic pulse reflected from the external wall of the pipeline using the other threshold value. Thus, the operator can perform direct measurements of the transit time of the ultrasonic pulses in the pipe wall allowing him to increase the distance monitored per one pass of the device, and to increase the accuracy of measurements and the rate of hardware data processing compared to the prototypes known in the art.

Claims

1. A device for intube ultrasonic thickness metering operating inside a tested pipeline and comprising a housing accommodating equipment for measurements, processing and storage of the measured data, said equipment including a probing pulse generator, an ultrasonic transducer, an amplifier, a comparator with an analog input, a digital timer, a processor and a data storage module connected in series;

the device further comprises a controlled reference voltage source whose output is connected to the reference voltage input of said comparator, the reference voltage source is capable of setting at the output at least two values of reference voltage and has a first control input for setting a first reference voltage at the output and a second control input for setting a second reference voltage at the output, the first control input of reference voltage source being connected to one of the outputs of the probing pulse generator or to the processor output, the second control input of reference voltage being connected to the comparator output.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the reference voltage source is capable of setting two values or reference voltage of opposite polarity relative to the potential at the amplifier output in the absence of pulses from the ultrasonic transducer corresponding to reception of an ultrasonic pulse.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the magnitude of the difference between the second value of reference voltage and the potential value at the amplifier output in the absence of pulses from the ultrasonic transducer, corresponding .to the reception of the ultrasonic pulse, does not exceed 0.8 magnitude of the difference between the first value of reference voltage and the potential value at the amplifier output in the absence of pulses from the ultrasonic transducer corresponding to reception of ultrasonic pulses.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a delay line, the comparator output being connected to the second control input of reference voltage source through a delay line.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the delay line has an input of delay period code, the input of the delay period code being connected to the processor output.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that:

the comparator output is connected to the digital timer control input, the device further comprises a delay line, the digital timer control input being connected to the second control input of reference voltage source through a delay line.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at further comprises a circuit for interlocking the change of state at the digital timer control input, the comparator output is connected to the digital timer control input through said interlock circuit, the second input at reference voltage source being connected to the input of said interlock circuit.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a circuit for interlocking the change of state at the digital timer control input, the comparator output being connected to the digital timer control input and to the second control input of the reference voltage source through said interlock circuit.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a preset length pulse shaper, the digital timer has an input for interlocking the count stop, the comparator output is connected to the triggering input of a preset length pulse shaper, the output of the preset length pulse shaper being connected to the input for interlocking;

the count stop of the digital timer.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a clock generator, the preset length pulse shaper is made as a digital counter with a complementing input, said complementing input of said counter is connected to the output of clock generator, the triggering, input of the preset length pulse simper being made as a control input of said counter.

11. The device as claimed claim 9, wherein the preset length pulse shaper is made as a digital counter with a complementing input, said complementing input of said counter is connected to the processor output, the triggering input of the preset length pulse shaper being made as a control input of the counter.

12. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the preset length pulse shaper has an input of the pulse length code, the input of the pulse duration code being connected to the processor output.

13. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that comprises a trigger, the comparator output is connected to the digital timer control input through said trigger, the second control input of said reference voltage source being connected to the trigger input.

14. A device as claimed in claim 13, comprising a preset length pulse shaper, the trigger is made as a control led lockable trigger and has an interlocking and state change input, the comparator output is connected to an triggering input of the preset length pulse shaper, the output of the preset length pulse shaper is connected to the interlocking and state change input of the controlled lockable trigger.

15. A device as claimed in claim 13, comprising a preset length pulse shaper, the trigger is made as a controlled lockable trigger and has an interlocking and state change input, the output of the trigger is connected to the triggering input of the preset length pulse shaper, the output of the preset length pulse shaper being connected to the interlocking and state change input of the controlled lockable trigger.

16. A deice as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a trigger, the comparator output is connected to the digital timer control input and to the second control input of the reference voltage source through said trigger.

17. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the digital timer includes a counter with a complementing input and a clock generator, the digital timer control input is made as a control input of said counter, the output of the cluck generator being connected to the complementing input of the counter.

18. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the digital timer includes a counter with a complementing input, the digital timer control input is made as a control input of said counter, the processor output being connected to the complementing input of said counter.

19. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a differentiating circuit, the amplifier includes an output voltage limiter, the amplifier output is connected to the comparator input through a differentiating circuit, the processor output being connected to an input of a probing pulse generator.

20. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that reference voltage source has an input of a code of setting output values of reference voltage, said input being connected to the processor output.