Apparatus and method to remotely inspect piping and piping attachment welds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10593435-B2
Application number	US-201414514465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2014
Priority date	Jan 31, 2014
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus and method to remotely perform automated piping and piping attachment weld inspections. The apparatus has two spaced positioning arms that rotate out from one side of a frame structure and a kicker arm that rotates out from an opposite side of the frame structure at a location between the two positioning arms. The positioning arms and the kicker arm wedge the frame structure between an object to be scanned and an opposing structure. A scanning subassembly supported on the frame structure is configured to pivot and move in an appropriate direction and to pilot a transducer around the surface of the object to be scanned.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated inspection assembly that includes a number of subassemblies comprising:
a frame subassembly, having a first side and a second side having a length and width with the width substantially larger than a thickness of the frame subassembly between the first side and the second side, and the length having a first end and a second end along a longitudinal dimension of the length, the frame subassembly being configured to form the main support structure for the automated inspection assembly;
a positioning arms subassembly, coupled to the frame subassembly, including a support arm remotely operable to extend out from or retract toward the first side of the frame subassembly;
a kicker arm remotely operable to extend out from or retract toward the second side of the frame subassembly, the support arm and the kicker arm in an extended position being operable to wedge the frame subassembly between a member to be inspected and a surface opposed to the member to be inspected, with the support arm and the kicker arm configured to support the entire weight of the automated inspection assembly when in the extended position;
a scanning subassembly supported from the frame subassembly and configured to scan at least a portion of the member; and
wherein at least one of the kicker arm or the support arm is operable to move hydraulically.

2. The automated inspection assembly of claim 1 including an orientation pivot subassembly including a rotational pivot joint coupling the orientation pivot subassembly to the first end of the frame subassembly and configured to orient the frame subassembly in one of at least two vertical positions with either the first end up or the second end up.

3. The automated inspection assembly of claim 1 including a lead-in gripper subassembly attached to the second end of the frame subassembly and configured to position the automated inspection assembly.

4. The automated inspection assembly of claim 1 wherein the scanning subassembly is supported from the frame subassembly and includes a substantially horseshoe shaped scan head sized to receive the member to be scanned, a scan head pivot coupling joint and a linear drive box operable to rotate the scan head and move one or more transducers along the member to be inspected in a vertical, horizontal, radial, and a circumferential direction relative to the member, with the frame subassembly in-line with the member.

5. The automated inspection assembly of claim 4 wherein the pivot coupling is hung from an axis that is perpendicular to a flat surface of the first and second sides of the frame assembly.

6. The automated inspection assembly of claim 4 wherein the scanning subassembly is supported from one of the first end or the second end of the frame subassembly and is configured to move toward or away from the frame subassembly.

7. The automated inspection assembly of claim 1 wherein the support arm is formed in the general shape of a fork.

8. The automated inspection assembly of claim 7 wherein the member to be inspected is a pipe or pipe elbow and the support arm has a generally “U” shaped outer end configured to accept the pipe or pipe elbow within an opening in the “U.”

9. The automated inspection assembly of claim 1 wherein the support arm is configured to rotate out from the frame subassembly.

10. The automated inspection assembly of claim 1 wherein the kicker arm is configured to rotate out from the frame assembly.

11. The automated inspection assembly of claim 1 wherein the scanning assembly houses at least one inspection device selected from a group of sensors comprising an ultrasonic transducer, eddy current transducer and video image capture device.

12. The automated inspection assembly of claim 11 wherein the inspection device is configured to move around at least a portion of the circumference of the member and is also configured to move radially outward from the scanning subassembly to contact a surface of the member.

13. The automated inspection assembly of claim 1 wherein the support arm is operated to move hydraulically.

14. The automated inspection assembly of claim 13 wherein the kicker arm is operated to move pneumatically.

15. The automated inspection assembly of claim 1 wherein the support arm comprises two support limbs spaced along the longitudinal dimension of the frame subassembly, each of the limbs being operable to extend out from or retract toward the first side of the frame subassembly.

16. The automated inspection assembly of claim 15 wherein an outward end of the kicker arm is positioned along the second side of the frame subassembly so as to engage the opposed surface at an elevation in between a first and second elevation on the member to be inspected that the two limbs respectively contact.

17. The automated inspection assembly of claim 1 including a mounting cup configured to remotely couple to the frame subassembly to vertically and horizontally position the automated inspection assembly relative to the member to be inspected.

Assignees

• Westinghouse Electric Co Llc

Inventors

• Foley Kevin J
• Brown Nathan A
• Barrett Charles R

Classifications

• G21C15/25

  using jet pumps · CPC title

• G21C17/017 Primary

  Inspection or maintenance of pipe-lines or tubes in nuclear installations · CPC title

• Y02E30/30

  Nuclear fission reactors · CPC title