Ultrasonic Guided Waves Inspection in Piping Systems

Ultrasonic guided wave inspection is much more efficient than traditional point-by-point examination. Guided waves can propagate over long distances from a single position, and therefore is a good method of evaluating thickness degradation, especially for large-area structures such as pipes and vessels. It can be used to inspect pipe which is inaccessible to other conventional NDT methods, and rapid, long distance inspection can be achieved. An investigation of the guided ultrasonic waves traveling along pipe with special geometry characteristics, such as elbow, several girth welds, and some artificial defects is described. This paper evaluated and discussed about guided waves generated with the magnetostrictive sensor (MsS) technology that was developed by Southwest Research Institute, and used to its inspection. Experimental samples and theoretical simulation proved efficiency of this method. This method is suitable for corrosion and erosion detects in large pipeline and extended plate and monitoring them too.