SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING SUBSEA VERTICAL PIPELINE

• US 20160231278A1
• Filed: 09/28/2015
• Published: 08/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Igor Kolesnikov, Svetlana Kamaeva, Valerian Goroshevskiy
• Original Assignee: Igor Kolesnikov, Svetlana Kamaeva, Valerian Goroshevskiy
• Inventors: GOROSHEVSKIY, Valerian, KAMAEVA, Svetlana, KOLESNIKOV, Igor
• Granted Patent: US 9,581,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/12 by measuring variations in the magnetic properties of materials resulting from the application of stress
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/82 for investigating the presence of flaws
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/85 using magnetographic methods

Abstract

A device for discovering, identification and monitoring, of mechanical flaws in metallic structures is disclosed, based on magneto-graphic/magnetic tomography technique to identify stress-related defects. The device can determine the position of the defect or stress including depth information. The device includes registration means that optimized for use with metallic structures of various types, shapes and sizes. Applications include a real-time quality control, monitoring and emergency alarms, as well structural repairs and maintenance work recommendations and planning. Examples of the device implementation include pipes for oil and gas industry monitoring, detection of flaws in rolled products in metallurgical industry, welding quality of heavy duty equipment such as ships, reservoirs. etc. It is especially important for loaded constructions, such as pressured pipes, infrastructure maintenance, nuclear power plant monitoring, bridges, corrosion prevention and environment protection.

Claims

1. A system for inspecting a subsea vertical pipeline, comprising:

a. a movable submersible magnetometric tomography method (MTM) module for detecting a defect or stress along the subsea pipeline;

b. a pressure sensor for determining a depth of the submersible MTM module to locate the defect.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the module comprises a sensor array with at least three sensor positioned in three orthogonal dimensions.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a compass for registering azimuth data of the defect and stress position on the pipeline at the determined depth.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2, the system outputting a 3D map of the inspected pipeline on a computer screen;

the map showing the defects and stress concentrator.

5. The system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a processing unit located in the module.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, further comprising means for categorizing the defect and condition stress effect based on at least a density of magnetic field strength distribution along a pipeline axis in an anomaly zone.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a camera for registering an image of the defect, which is visible or non-destructive testing (NDT) or non-destructive examination (NDE) tools for hidden defects and internal corrosion.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the means for categorizing the ranging of dangerous as one of one, two and three corresponding to immediate repair, scheduled repair and no repair, respectively taking into account stress concentration, stress effect, material strength, condition stress effect, or stressing sequence.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7, further comprising means for determining a safe operating pressure of the pipeline, taking into account stress concentration, stress effect, material strength, condition stress effect, or stressing sequence.

10. The system as claimed in claim 7, further comprising means for determining a safe operation term of the pipeline.

11. The system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising additional means for determining a position of the submersible MTM module relative to a sea surface and relative to a linear coordinate of pipe axis comprising at least one of an odometer, a Doppler velocity log and a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer coupled to the submersible MTM module.

12. The system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an engine for moving the sensors along the pipeline adjacent to the pipeline.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein a distance between the sensors and a surface of the pipeline is from 0, being on the pipe surface, to a distance equal to 15 time a diameter of the pipe.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a range finder to determine a distance between the sensors and the surface of the pipeline.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a control unit to adjust operation of the engine in order to keep the distance between the sensors and the surface of the pipeline from 0, being on the pipe surface, to a distance up to 30 meters.

16. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the submersible MTM module is mounted to a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the submersible MTM module is disposed at least about 1 meter from the ROV engines.

18. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising monitoring and automatic alarm control and emergency shutdown in situation with the destination of deformations of Yield Stress, Specified Minimum Yield Stress (SMYS), yield strain, Ultimate Tensile (UT) Strength, Rupture Pressure Ratio (RPR), buckling stress, fatigue limit under cyclic loading for fatigue cracks, or stress corrosion crack or cracking (SCC).

19. A method for inspecting a subsea pipeline, the method comprising the steps of:

a. detecting a defect or stressing along the subsea pipeline using a submersible magnetometric tomography method (MTM) module adjacent the subsea pipeline;

b. determining a depth of the submersible MTM module by use of a pressure sensor; and

c. determining a position of the submersible MTM module, thereby determining the position of the defect or stress concentrators.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the step of determining the position of the submersible MTM module comprises:

a. determining the position of the submersible MTM module relative to a surface vessel, relative to positioning system with underwater markers; and

b. determining an absolute position of the surface vessel.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, further comprising synchronizing time stamps of data from the submersible MTM module and equipment for determining the position of the submersible MTM module based on a GPS time signal.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising categorizing the defect based on at least a density of magnetic field strength distribution along a pipeline axis in an anomaly zone.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, further comprising ranking the defect as one of one, two and three corresponding to immediate repair, scheduled repair and no repair, respectively.