Improved Inspection of CRA-Clad Pipeline Girth Welds

Improved Inspection of CRA-Clad Pipeline Girth Welds with
the Use of Accessible Advanced Ultrasonic Phased-Array
Technology
André Lamarre, Olympus Scientific Solutions Americas
11th European Conference on Non-Destructive Testing,
Prague, October 2014
Contents
• Ultrasonic phased-array inspection for pipeline girth
weld inspection
• CRA-clad pipes inspection issues and solution
• Validation study
• Automated solutions
• Summary
ULTRASONIC PHASED-ARRAY FOR
PIPELINE GIRTH WELD INSPECTION
Phased-array basics principles
Wedge
Electronic focusing at different
angles without moving the probe
Weld
Note the rebound on the ID
Phased-array advantages
•
Offers all the benefits of Ultrasonics
with the following advantages
–
Increased coverage and
detection capabilities through
multi-angle, electronic rastering
and beam control
–
Imaging and recordable data in
manageable file sizes viewable
by all parties as needed.
–
Reduced mechanics and
difficulties over multi-probe
techniques
Weld inspection with portable ultrasonic
phased-array instrument: OmniScan
PA Typical
display
ASCAN
SSCAN
CSCCAN
Automated girth weld inspection system:
PipeWIZARD
Strong field experience :
> more than 180 units in
the field
> 3 million welds inspected
> hundreds operators
trained on PipeWIZARD
Advantages of AUT phased-array vs.
radiography
High probability of detection
- Accurate sizing of defects height > less repair using
ECA(Engineering Critical Assesment)
- No radiation > no hazard > no licensing
- No chemical > no waste material
- Real-time analysis for instant evaluation and welding
adjustment
- Setup and inspection reports in electronic format
AUT phased-array vs. radiography
PipeWIZARD qualification
All major oil and gas companies already qualified the
PipeWIZARD system for one of their pipeline construction
projects :
•
•
•
•
•
•
Exxon Mobil
Shell
Chevron
PetroChina
Total
BP
•
•
•
•
•
•
CNOOC
Sinopec
Saudi Aramco
Petrobras
Eni
Kuwait Oil Company
and more…
Codes governing pipeline AUT inspection
ASTM E 1961
API 1104
DNV-OS-F101
Zone discrimination technique
Receiver
Emitter
Zones
Cap
F5
F4
F3
F2
F1
HP
LCP
Root
Description:
- The weld is separated in zones
- Emitter and receiver hit each zones
- Beam size is adjusted to maintain overlap between zones
- Results presented in a strip chart imaging
CRA-CLAD PIPES INSPECTION
ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS
Main problems for UT inspection of clad pipes
• Zone discrimination cannot be used on clad pipes
• Skipping on the ID of the pipe is hazardeous or
impossible because of the clad layer
• Anisotropic structure and grain size of the weld is
difficult to penetrate with transverse waves(SW)
Solution description
Acoustic solution who can work on the
first leg (without skipping on the ID of
pipe)
Low-frequency and L-wave
configuration to penetrate the weld
with sufficient energy
Capable to generate surface waves
and high-angles to inspect upper part
of the weld
Easy set-up creation
Off-the-shelf instrumentation
Dual matrix array description
•
•
•
7X4 element configuration utilizing 28 elements for the transmitter and 28 elements
for the receiver with an aperture of 19 x 12 mm
Frequency: 2.25 MHZ mounted on LW wedges
Modeling showed it can perform full weld coverage
Dual Matrix Array Capabilities
•
•
•
•
DMA allows to create a sector scan
(such as 30 to 70 LW with highresolution)
Can adjust the focusing at differents
depth in the symetric plane
Can adjust the beam size by selecting
different aperture sizes
Can perform skew angles looking for
oblique defects
Plus the known advantages of the TRL
conventional:
• No wedge echos (allowing the use of
main gain)
• No dead zones
VALIDATION STUDY
Validation block description
• Carbon steel pipe with Inconed 625 cladding
• Inconel 625 weld
• Outside diameter: 30 in
39
mm
CS
INCONEL
625
INCONEL 625 CLADDING
CS
40
mm
19
mm
3 mm
Reference defects description
Toe notch:
Centerline notch:
Root notch:
Height = 2 mm; Length 10 = mm
Height = 2 mm; Length 10 = mm
Height = 2 mm; Length 10 = mm
Side Drilled Hole 1: Depth 1/4T = mm; Diameter = 2.5mm
Side Drilled Hole 2: Depth 1/2T = mm; Diameter = 2.5mm
Side Drilled Hole 3: Depth 3/4T = mm; Diameter = 2.5mm
Equipment description
Dual Matrix Array : 2 x (7x4)
elements: @2.25Mhz
OmniScan: MX2
Phased Array
Module : PA2 32-128
PR
TomoView (2.10R12)
Software
(Not mandatory, DMA could be
used with OmniScan only, import
.law file required)
Set-up Builder
Software 1.0R5
(Mandatory to
compute focal laws)
PROBE: 2.25DM7X4PM-19X12-A17-P-2.5OM:
(U8331715) WEDGE: SA17-DN55L0IHC
(U8831948)
Weld inspection scenario
•
•
•
•
•
•
DMA probe used to assure full coverage with 2 Sectors Scan
Each sector covers a range of angles from 35 to 76 deg LW
One sector focused at 2 mm depth
The other sector focused at 20 mm
Gain is adjusted to maintain noise level below 20% for all angles
Inspection is done manually without scanner
L wave angle from 35° to 76°
Full Coverage with correct SNR detection required 2
groups
Group 1 : Focal Depth = 2mm , Gain = 50dB
Group 2 : Focal Depth = 20 mm , Gain = 45 dB
Detection of reference defects in the weld volume
HOLE
¼T
Focal Depth = 2 mm
Gain = 50 dB
Optimum angle = 75°
Focal Depth = 20
mm
Gain = 45 dB
HOLE
½T
Optimum angle = 59°
Focal Depth = 20
mm
Gain = 45 dB
HOLE
¾T
Optimum angle = 54°
Detection of reference surface notch at the toe
position
TOE NOTCH
(depth ~ 2mm)
Focal Depth = 2 mm
(Gain = 50 dB)
Optimum angle = 65°
Focal Depth = 20
mm
(Gain = 45 dB)
Detection of reference surface notch at the center
of the weld
CENTERLINE
NOTCH
Focal Depth = 2
mm
Optimum angle = 76°
About surface breaking flaws
•
This probe wedge combination can detect a surface EDM notch up to 50mm from the wedge
face.
Conclusions of the tests
•
A 2.25 MHz DMA probe paired with the OmniScan MX2 32:128 PR
can be advantageous for the inspection of CRA-clad pipelines with
large diameters.
•
Full coverage of the dissimilar weld was ensured.
•
SDHs located in the volume and notches located on the ID and OD
can be detected using an inspection scenario of two groups
steering the beams from 30 to 76 LW, focusing at 2 and 25 mm.
AUTOMATED SOLUTIONS
Integration to automated solutions
•
The next step is to integrate
this solution with scanner to
perfrom high-productivity
inspection of pipes
•
Semi-automated solution with
the Chain Scanner
•
Full automated solution with
the PipeWizard
Semi-automated solution: Chain scanner
Calibration verification scan on 5% ID notch.
Chain scanner description:
Manual encoded scanner
One or 2 axis
Pipe range OD: 1.75 in to 38 in
CRA-clad pipe solution already
integrated
Inspection scan on production weld.
Automated solution with the PipeWizard
•
Integration in process for highproductivity inspection
•
PipeWizard has all the tools to
assure succesful integration
–
–
•
Sector scan and weld imaging
Set-up creator
Completion target date:
December 2014
Summary
•
A 2.25 MHz DMA probe paired with the OmniScan MX2 32:128 PR
can be advantageous for the inspection of CRA-clad pipelines with
large diameters
•
Full coverage of the weld is ensured and all referenced defects are
found
•
Some players of the industry have already adopted this solution
integrated with the off-the-shelf instrumentation and software of the
OmniScan
•
Olympus is working to integrate these tools to the PipeWizard to
provide a fully automated CRA-clad pipeline solution
Thank you
Questions ?

Download Report