Ultrasonic Inspection (UT)

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Ultrasonic Inspection (UT)

Ultrasonic inspection technology has a long history of application in different industries and was introduced into intelligent pigging market in late eighties.

The principle of ultrasonic inspection is commonly known – using echo signals and registering reception time difference between them.

In intelligent pigging application these high frequency radial signals are emitted by UT transducers perpendicularly to a pipe wall. These signals produce two major echoes – from inner surface and outer surface of a pipe wall. The anomalies are detected through the registered difference between time periods of receiving the echo signals from healthy pipe (calibration values) and pipe wall with metal loss or any inhomogeneity.

LIN SCAN UT inspection tools are equipped with arrays of UT transducers covering 360° of a pipe wall and thus the measurement system not only measures remaining pipe wall but also sizing the length and width of anomalies.

Very few inspection companies provide ultrasonic inspection services and LIN SCAN is among them.

Ultrasonic inspection technology ensures the perfect accuracy metal loss depth sizing – better than any other technology. Also besides sizing and detection of general metal loss anomalies this is the only technology providing reliable measurement of mid-wall laminations.

The UT inspection tools are more sensitive to operating conditions than magnetic inspection tools (MFL and TFI). They only can be operated in liquid environment as UT transducers require liquid coupling for signal.

Our UT High Resolution inspection equipment has valuable advantages in the modern industry:

  • Shorter tool length which is revolutionary design achievement ensuring that our UT tools can be run from any launching trap and received in any receiving trap
  • Ability to operate under low flow/low pressure operating conditions
  • Design arrangements for bi-directional runs allowing the tool to be run and received in the same pig trap having been propelled after inspection run back with reversed flow.

Note: All our inspection tools are designed to meet or supersede the accuracy recommendations specified in “Specifications and requirements for intelligent pig inspection of pipelines” issued by POF (latest edition).

Ultrasonic Inspection (UT)