Pipeline deep crack detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10429176-B2
Application number	US-201715617632-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2017
Priority date	Jun 8, 2017
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A pipeline inspection system includes a pipeline pig having a controller and a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements situated in an array. Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements emits an ultrasonic signal into a wall of a pipeline and receives echoes of the ultrasonic signal from the pipeline wall. The controller selects a first subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements from which to emit the ultrasonic signals into the wall of the pipeline as the pipeline pig passes through the pipeline, analyzes the echoes of the ultrasonic signals received by the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements to detect a feature in the pipeline wall, and selects a second subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements to emit the ultrasonic signals into the wall of the pipeline as the pipeline pig passes through the pipeline when the feature is detected in the pipeline wall.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pipeline inspection system, comprising:
a pipeline pig, comprising:
a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements situated in an array, wherein each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements is configured to emit an ultrasonic signal into a wall of a pipeline and to receive echoes of the ultrasonic signal from the pipeline wall; and
a controller configured to:
select a first subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements from which to emit first ultrasonic signals into the wall of the pipeline as the pipeline pig passes through the pipeline;
analyze the echoes of the first ultrasonic signals received by the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements to detect a feature in the pipeline wall; and
select a second subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements to emit second ultrasonic signals into the wall of the pipeline as the pipeline pig passes through the pipeline when the feature is detected in the pipeline wall;

wherein the controller is configured to adjust a number of ultrasonic transducer elements in the second subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements if the depth of the feature cannot be determined based at least in part on the echoes of the second ultrasonic signals emitted by the second subset of ultrasonic transducer elements.

2. The pipeline inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the second subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements is selected based on a remaining wall depth of the pipeline wall and a threshold value of an amplitude.

3. The pipeline inspection system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the remaining wall depth by subtracting a threshold feature depth from a thickness of the pipeline wall.

4. The pipeline inspection system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the amplitude threshold based on a lookup table.

5. The pipeline inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine a depth of the feature based at least in part on the echoes of the second ultrasonic signals emitted by the second subset of ultrasonic transducer elements.

6. The pipeline inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the pipeline pig comprises:
a sensor carrier module comprising the plurality of transducer elements; and
a control module comprising the controller, wherein the sensor carrier module and the control module are coupled to one another by a linkage.

7. The pipeline inspection system of claim 6 , wherein the sensor carrier module comprises a plurality skids disposed circumferentially about the sensor carrier module, wherein at least one of the plurality of skids comprises the array of ultrasonic transducer elements.

8. The pipeline inspection system of claim 1 , comprising a computing device for post-processing data collected by the pipeline pig.

9. A method, comprising:
directing a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements situated in an array along a wall of a pipeline;
emitting a first ultrasonic signal from a first subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements;
receiving echoes of the first ultrasonic signal from the pipeline wall;
analyzing the echoes of the first ultrasonic signal to detect a feature in the pipeline wall;
emitting a second ultrasonic signal from a second subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements;
analyzing the echoes of the second ultrasonic signal to determine a depth of the feature in the pipeline wall; and
emitting a third ultrasonic signal from a third subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements when the depth of the feature in the pipeline wall cannot be determined based on the echoes of the second ultrasonic signal.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements comprises a greater number of ultrasonic transducer elements relative to the second subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements is selected based on a remaining wall depth and an amplitude threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the remaining wall depth is determined by subtracting a threshold feature depth from a thickness of the pipeline wall, and wherein the amplitude threshold is determined based on a lookup table.

13. The method of claim 9 , comprising post-processing data collected from the plurality of transducer elements using a computing device.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions that when executed cause a processor to:
select a first subset of a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements situated in an array, wherein the first subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements are configured to emit a first ultrasonic signal into a wall of a pipeline and to receive echoes of the first ultrasonic signal from the pipeline wall;
analyze the echoes of the first ultrasonic signal received by the first subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements to detect a feature in the pipeline wall;
select a second subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements, wherein the second subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements are configured to emit a second ultrasonic signal into the wall of the pipeline and to receive echoes of the second ultrasonic signal from the pipeline wall;
analyze the echoes of the second ultrasonic signal to determine a depth of the feature in the pipeline wall, and
select a third subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements if the depth of the feature in the pipeline wall cannot be determined based on the echoes of the second ultrasonic signal, wherein the third subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements are configured to emit a third ultrasonic signal into the wall of the pipeline and to receive echoes of the third ultrasonic signal from the pipeline wall.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the second subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements is selected based on a remaining wall depth and an amplitude threshold, wherein the remaining wall depth is determined by subtracting a threshold feature depth from a thickness of the pipeline wall, and wherein the amplitude threshold is determined based on a lookup table.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements comprises a greater number of ultrasonic transducer elements relative to the second subset of the plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium is disposed within a control module of a pipeline pig.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Giese Jochen Uwe
• Mueller Olaf

Classifications

• G01N29/48

  by amplitude comparison · CPC title

• G01N29/043

  in the interior, e.g. by shear waves · CPC title

• G01N29/262

  by electronic orientation or focusing, e.g. with phased arrays (phased arrays per se G10K11/34) · CPC title

• G01N2291/044

  Internal reflections (echoes), e.g. on walls or defects · CPC title

• G01N29/4427

  with stored values, e.g. threshold values · CPC title