Guided wave pipeline inspection system with enhanced focusing capability

• US 7,751,989 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FBS, Inc. (INFRONEER Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FBS, Inc. (INFRONEER Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Li, Van Velsor, Jason K., Avioli, Michael J., Rose, Joseph L., Owens, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu; Sujoy K
• Application Number:
  US11/948,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 702 33- 40, 73622-628, 73640-641, 703/13, 370/241
• US Class Current: 702/33
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0425 Parallel to the surface, e.g. creep waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/106 one or more transducer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2634 cylindrical from outside
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/043 in the interior, e.g. by shear waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/221 Arrangements for directing or focusing the acoustical waves electronic orientation or focusing G01N29/262; sound directing or focusing G10K11/26; mechanical steering of sound transducers or their beams G10K11/35
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/262 by electronic orientation or focusing, e.g. with phased arrays phased arrays per se G10K11/34
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4472 Mathematical theories or simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/14 Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/23 using finite element methods [FEM] or finite difference methods [FDM]

Abstract

A system for inspecting a pipeline having at least two transducers divided into segments, the segments each containing a number of sensors, wherein a maximum number of segments is equal to a number of transducers, an arrangement configured to send, receive and store signals, wherein the arrangement has a number of pulser channels and a number of receiver channels, wherein the arrangement has at least one multiplexing arrangement for multiplexing signals from the arrangement; and a time delay arrangement connected to the arrangement configured to send, receive and store signals. The system may also provide for focal point skewing, near real time coating compensation for proper excitation mode, adjusted time delay capability and the ability to focus beyond changes in geometry.

Claims

1. A system for inspecting a pipeline, comprising:

at least two transducers radially disposed around a perimeter of the pipeline, each of the at least two transducers dividing the pipeline into segments, each segment containing a number of sensors, wherein a maximum number of segments is equal to a number of transducers;

an arrangement configured to send, receive and store guided wave signals along a length of the pipeline from a first location along the length of the pipeline, wherein the arrangement has a number of pulser channels and a number of receiver channels; and

a time delay arrangement connected to the arrangement configured to send, receive and store guided wave signals, the time delay arrangement configured to provide the arrangement configured to send and receive signals for at least two transducers with delay times for adjusting a radial position of the focal points or compensating for at least one of a geometric change or a coating along the length of the pipeline.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least two transducers are configured in a ring.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an arrangement to focus a phased array at locations other than a center of a segment.

4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising:

applying at least one of non-symmetric time delays and amplitude controls to skew the focal point.

5. The system according to claim 4, where the time delay and an amplitude factor are determined by a phase and amplitude profile of a single segment at the focal point.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement configured to send, receive and store signals uses an algorithm that minimizes data collected from the pipe.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a coating analysis arrangement configured to interface with the arrangement configured to send, receive and store guided wave signals, wherein the coating analysis arrangement is configured to calculate a wave propagation change characteristics in the pipe based on a presence of a coating within the pipe.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the algorithm accounts for advantage of periodicity that occurs as an acoustic wave travels down the pipe to decrease focusing time by focusing at multiple axial positions simultaneously.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the system coating analysis arrangement allows measuring acoustic properties of the coating.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the coating analysis arrangement is configured to generate an attenuation dispersion curve of the pipe.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein a change in propagation characteristics is used to adjust at least one of the time delays and amplitude factors for focusing.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement is configured to use indexing to achieve focal points around a pipe circumference.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the arrangement includes at least one multiplexing arrangement for multiplexing signals from the arrangement to provide a number of focal points at various locations around the perimeter of the pipeline, wherein the multiplexing arrangement is configured to increase the number of focal points by indexing the segment.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein a maximum increment is equal to the number of transducer segments.