Mode Conversion of Guided Waves by Defects in Pipes

The corrosion of pipework is a major problem for the oil and gas and petro-chemical industries. Large facilities operate hundreds of kilometres of pipes which may carry corrosive substances. General wall-thinning and localised pitting corrosion can occur both from the inside and the outside of pipe walls. A high proportion of these pipes are insulated, so that even the external defects cannot be detected by conventional NDE techniques without the expense of removing of the insulation