Development of EMAT Sensors for Corrosion Mapping of UNGP Using ILI Tools

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration2019PDFTech ReportBondurant, PhilNino, GQuest Integrated, LLCUnited States. Department of Transportation. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety AdministrationUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety AdministrationUnited StatesCorrosionDiameterElectroacoustic transducersElectromagnetic devicesInspectionPipelinesPrototype testsSensorsThicknessPromoting SafetyTR-1586/PublicDTPH5616T00002Final ReportThe work in this project will develop a bench-scale electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) sensor that can be used to assess small diameter unpiggable pipelines containing reduced diameter fittings and other restricting features. The EMAT will be specifically designed to directly measure the remaining wall thickness. The proposed work will develop an EMAT sensor independent of any specific platform to allow integration with multiple piggable and unpiggable pipe inspection platforms. The accurate wall thickness data can automatically be fed into API 579 Fitness for Service (FFS) analysis, or into failure criteria such as ASME B31G or RSTRENG to allow for calculation of remaining wall strength. An EMAT sensor and system configuration will be selected to maximize performance. A variety of EMAT sensor configurations and processing methods will be evaluated to optimize measurement performance for pipe thickness and corrosion typically encountered in the field. A sensor mounting configuration to effectively perform acoustic signal generation and reception in the pipe wall will be developed and tested. The sensor will be collapsible for pipe diameters with an initial diameter target of 8-inches and designed for piggable and unpiggable pipe inspection platforms. The bench-scale prototype with a subset of sensors will be tested using laboratory and real-world pipe samples with wall loss due to corrosion or other defects.119