Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) is currently the standard method of gas pipeline inspection in spite of the fact that the accuracy of MFL is only about 10%. Ultrasonic inspection has much better accuracy and is not sensitive to permeability changes but normally requires a liquid couplant to get sufficient energy into the pipe wall. Reported here are the laboratory results of Gas Technology Institute’s (GTI) effort to investigate newly developed transducers that use gas as the coupling media. The combination of transducers specifically designed for this application and high gain amplifiers produced signals strong enough to measure wall thickness in steel at pressures from 200 to 1000 PSIG. Investigations showed that both the sensitivity of the transducers and the gas-metal coupling are functions of pressure and, therefore, limit the useful pressure range. Tests were run in pulse-echo mode and pitch-catch mode to determine the advantages and limitations of each. The average ultrasonic wall thickness will be used to calibrate the MFL improving the accuracy of its measurements.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
August 2005
Research Papers
Gas Coupled Ultrasonic Measurement of Pipeline Wall Thickness
Paul Shuttleworth,
Paul Shuttleworth
Gas Technology Institute
, Des Plaines, IL 60018-1804
Search for other works by this author on:
Julie Maupin,
Julie Maupin
Gas Technology Institute
, Des Plaines, IL 60018-1804
Search for other works by this author on:
Albert Teitsma
Albert Teitsma
Gas Technology Institute
, Des Plaines, IL 60018-1804
Search for other works by this author on:
Paul Shuttleworth
Gas Technology Institute
, Des Plaines, IL 60018-1804
Julie Maupin
Gas Technology Institute
, Des Plaines, IL 60018-1804
Albert Teitsma
Gas Technology Institute
, Des Plaines, IL 60018-1804J. Pressure Vessel Technol. Aug 2005, 127(3): 290-293 (4 pages)
Published Online: March 10, 2005
Article history
Received:
February 24, 2005
Revised:
March 10, 2005
Citation
Shuttleworth, P., Maupin, J., and Teitsma, A. (March 10, 2005). "Gas Coupled Ultrasonic Measurement of Pipeline Wall Thickness." ASME. J. Pressure Vessel Technol. August 2005; 127(3): 290–293. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1991875
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Cited By
Surface Strain Measurement for Non-Intrusive Internal Pressure Evaluation of a Cannon
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (December 2024)
Dynamic Response and Damage Analysis of a Large Steel Tank Impacted by an Explosive Fragment
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (February 2025)
Related Articles
In-Line Nondestructive Inspection of Mechanical Dents on Pipelines With Guided Shear Horizontal Wave Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (August,2005)
Defect Classification in Pipes by Neural Networks Using Multiple Guided Ultrasonic Wave Features Extracted After Wavelet Processing
J. Pressure Vessel Technol (August,2005)
On-Line Thinning Measurement in the Deep Drawing Process
J. Manuf. Sci. Eng (May,2002)
Self-Calibrating Sensor for Measuring Density Through Stainless Steel Pipeline Wall
J. Fluids Eng (March,2004)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Section VIII: Division 2–Alternative Rules
Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Codes, Volume 2, Sixth Edition
Development of Nuclear Boiler and Pressure Vessels in Taiwan
Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Volume 3, Third Edition
DEVELOPMENTS IN STRAIN-BASED FRACTURE ASSESSMENTS - A PERSPECTIVE
Pipeline Integrity Management Under Geohazard Conditions (PIMG)