Method and apparatus for removal of the double indication of defects in remote eddy current inspection of pipes
US9476857B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 6, 2015 |
| Grant date | Oct 25, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 22, 2035 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N27/9086
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The apparatus employs the remote field eddy-current (RFEC) inspection technique to electromagnetically measure physical parameters of a metallic pipe. RFEC devices inserted into and displaced along a cylindrical pipes may be used to measure the ratio of pipe thickness to electromagnetic skin-depth and thus allow for the non-invasive detection of flaws or metal loss. Typically these RFEC thickness measurements exhibit a so-called double-indication of flaws, an undesired artifact due to a double-peaked geometrical sensitivity function of the device.The method describes a means by which this double indication artifact may be removed by an appropriate processing of RFEC measurements performed by an apparatus specifically designed for this purpose. The invention is particularly well designed for applications in the oilfield industry.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.