Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Insulated pipe and steel structures arise in a large number of applications including oil and gas pipeline,*balance of plant in the petrochemical industry, steel support structures for buildings and large liquid storage*containers. Degradation of insulated metal piping, pressure vessels and structural components may be the*result of 1) internal corrosive processes, arising within the existing transport medium or 2) external sources*such as aerated water or water with corrosive contaminants that have been introduced into thick (up to 51 mm)*insulating barriers. Other areas where corrosion may occur include above ground carbon steel storage tanks,*where insulating layers can be 6 to10 mm thick. Current ultrasonic inspection technology is only capable of*localized wall thickness measurements after insulation removal. PEC has a demonstrated capability to perform*inspection in the presence of conducting ferromagnetic materials at large lift-offs. This project will: 1) Develop*pulsed eddy current (PEC) technology, including probe design that is optimized for rapid inspection of*insulated electrically conducting pipe at large lift-off for general corrosion. 2) Demonstrate capabilities and*limitations of such technology. 3) Develop theoretical models of the response of PEC to changing wall*thickness, lift-off and permeability and validate these against laboratory measurements. 4) Optimize probe*design for the target inspection conditions and assist in identifying parameters that may affect measurement*accuracy using the developed models. This work will be important to inspection service providers who cannot*currently perform local inspection of pipe without expensive and time consuming removal of insulation.*Development of technologies that will assist in lifecycle management and improve assessment capability for*conditions of corrosion in chemical processing, oil and gas and liquid transport and containment industries will*support the performance of Canadian industry in these areas. HQP will be trained to enter the workforce in this*rapidly growing area of in-service inspection.*