Density and density stacked nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer and pipeline creep detection device
By using a sparse and dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer, sparse and dense coil stacking design and a permanent magnet bias magnetic field, the shortcomings of traditional ultrasonic detection methods in identifying early creep damage in pipelines are solved, and high sensitivity and high signal-to-noise ratio detection effects are achieved, adapting to complex industrial environments.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510981125.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-16
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-26
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies have difficulty in effectively identifying and distinguishing the early creep damage characteristics of pipelines, especially microstructural changes such as microvoids and microcracks. Traditional linear ultrasonic detection methods lack sensitivity and are limited in application in complex industrial environments.
A sparse-dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer is used. Through the stacked array design of sparse coils and dense coils, combined with a permanent magnet to provide a static bias magnetic field, the fundamental frequency ultrasonic wave is excited and the second harmonic signal is captured, achieving highly sensitive detection of early creep damage.
It significantly improves the detection sensitivity and quantification capability of early creep damage, adapts to high temperature and complex environments, simplifies the detection process, and improves detection efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN120703234A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of pipeline creep damage detection, and in particular to a sparse-dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer and a pipeline creep detection device. Background Art
[0002] Pipeline systems are critical infrastructure for modern industrial production and energy transportation, and are widely used in the fields of petroleum, chemical industry, electricity, heating, etc. Under the harsh working conditions of high temperature, high pressure, and long-term service, pipeline materials will inevitably suffer creep damage. Creep damage manifests itself as slippage of grain boundaries within the material, the initiation and expansion of voids, and the formation of microcracks. It is a gradual and cumulative process. This type of damage is often difficult to detect in the early stages, but once it develops to a critical state, it can easily cause pipeline leakage or even burst accidents, resulting in significant economic losses, environmental pollution, and casualties. Therefore, achieving highly sensitive, quantitative online detection and safety assessment of pipeline creep damage, especially early micro-damage, is a key technical challenge to ensure the safe operation of pipelines.
[0003] At present, the detection methods for pipeline creep damage mainly include radiographic testing, ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle testing, penetrant testing, and acoustic emission monitoring. Among them, ultrasonic testing is widely used due to its advantages such as strong penetration ability, sensitivity to internal defects, and ability to achieve quantitative evaluation. However, traditional piezoelectric ultrasonic testing technology usually requires a coupling agent (such as oil or water) to achieve the transmission of acoustic energy. Its application is limited in pipeline environments with high temperatures, rough surfaces, or coatings, and the detection efficiency is low. More importantly, conventional linear ultrasonic testing methods are not sensitive enough to changes in the microstructure of the material, especially damage characteristics such as micro-voids and micro-cracks formed in the early stages of creep. The scale of these early damages is much smaller than the ultrasonic wave length, and the reflection or scattering signals of linear ultrasonic waves are extremely weak, making them difficult to effectively identify and distinguish from background noise.
[0004] In recent years, nonlinear ultrasonic testing technology has attracted attention due to its higher sensitivity to material micro-damage (such as dislocations, microcracks, grain boundary weakening, etc.). This technology characterizes the microstructural changes and early damage of materials by detecting the nonlinear effects (such as higher harmonics) generated when ultrasonic waves propagate in the material. However, existing technologies still face many challenges in practical applications: on the one hand, exciting nonlinear ultrasonic signals of sufficient intensity (especially second harmonics) requires high-power excitation and precise probe design; on the other hand, in complex industrial field environments, how to effectively extract weak nonlinear response signals and suppress environmental noise interference is a technical difficulty. Existing nonlinear ultrasonic detection devices are often complex in structure and difficult to deploy in high-temperature and space-constrained pipeline inspection scenarios, and the detection sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio need to be further improved. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a sparse and dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer and a pipeline creep detection device to achieve effective excitation and accurate capture of nonlinear ultrasonic response signals caused by early creep damage of materials, providing timely and reliable technical support for the safe operation of pipelines.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following solutions.
[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer, comprising: a first coil, a second coil, and a permanent magnet arranged in sequence from bottom to top;
[0008] The first coil and the second coil are both folded-back structures. The spacing between the conductors in the folded-back structure of the first coil is equal to half the wavelength of the fundamental frequency ultrasound, and the spacing between the conductors in the folded-back structure of the second coil is equal to one-quarter the wavelength of the fundamental frequency ultrasound. The first coil is used to excite the fundamental frequency ultrasound, and the second coil is used to receive the doubled frequency harmonic.
[0009] The permanent magnet is used to provide a static bias magnetic field.
[0010] Optionally, the vertical distance between the first coil and the second coil is equal to one eighth of the wavelength of the fundamental frequency ultrasound.
[0011] Optionally, the cross-sectional areas of the wires in the folded structures of the first coil and the second coil are the same.
[0012] Optionally, the cross-sectional area of the wire in the folded structure of the first coil and the second coil is in the range of: 0.2 mm 2 ~0.5mm 2 .
[0013] Optionally, the geometric dimensions of the first coil, the geometric dimensions of the second coil, and the geometric dimensions of the end face of the permanent magnet are consistent.
[0014] Optionally, the magnetic poles of the upper end and the lower end of the permanent magnet are opposite.
[0015] In a second aspect, the present application provides a pipeline creep detection device, comprising at least the above-mentioned sparse-dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer;
[0016] The dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer is arranged on the outer wall surface of the pipeline to be tested in a non-contact manner.
[0017] Optionally, the distance between the dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer and the pipeline to be tested is on the sub-millimeter order.
[0018] Optionally, the distance between the dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer and the pipeline to be tested is on the order of millimeters.
[0019] According to the specific embodiments provided in this application, this application has the following technical effects.
[0020] The present application provides a sparse-dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer and a pipeline creep detection device. In the present application, a sparse coil (i.e., a first coil) with a stacked conductor spacing equal to half the wavelength of the fundamental frequency ultrasonic wave and a dense coil (i.e., a second coil) with a conductor spacing equal to a quarter of the wavelength of the fundamental frequency ultrasonic wave constitute a sparse-dense stacked array coil. Under the synergistic effect of the static bias magnetic field provided by the permanent magnet, the sparse-dense stacked array coil can effectively excite fundamental frequency ultrasonic waves of sufficient intensity into the material of the pipeline being tested, and highly sensitively capture and enhance the nonlinear ultrasonic response signal (i.e., second harmonic signal) generated by the nonlinear change of the lattice caused by early creep micro-damage (such as micro-voids, grain boundary slip, and dislocation pinning point weakening) inside the material, providing timely and reliable technical guarantee for the safe operation of the pipeline. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.
[0022] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer provided in one embodiment of the present application.
[0023] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a conventional planar coil transducer provided in one embodiment of the present application.
[0024] Figure 3 A comparison chart of measurement results of actual pipeline creep damage using a conventional planar coil transducer provided in one embodiment of the present application and a sparse-dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer of the present application.
[0025] Figure 4 A comparison chart of measurement results of a conventional planar coil transducer provided in one embodiment of the present application and a sparse-dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer of the present application under different creep damage indices.
[0026] Description of reference numerals:
[0027] 11. Measured pipeline; 12. First coil; 13. Second coil; 14. Permanent magnet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0029] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.
[0030] The present invention provides a densely stacked array of nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic transducers and a pipeline creep detection device to address existing issues such as insufficient detection sensitivity, poor response to early creep damage signals, and limited application in complex environments. This technology effectively enhances the excitation intensity of fundamental ultrasonic waves and accurately captures the nonlinear ultrasonic second harmonic signals generated by creep damage in pipeline materials, significantly improving the detection sensitivity and quantitative assessment capabilities of early microdamage (such as microvoids and microcracks).
[0031] In an exemplary embodiment, a dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer is provided, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes a first coil 12, a second coil 13 and a permanent magnet 14 arranged in sequence from bottom to top.
[0032] Among them, the permanent magnet 14 is located on the upper part of the dense and sparse stacked nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer (hereinafter referred to as the detection transducer), and its upper and lower ends have opposite magnetic poles, which is used to provide the static bias magnetic field required for electromagnetic ultrasonic detection inside the material of the tested pipe 11.
[0033] The first coil 12 is a sparse coil, which is arranged at the bottom of the detection transducer (close to the side of the measured pipe 11) and has a folded structure. The spacing between the wires in the folded structure of the first coil 12 is equal to half the wavelength of the fundamental frequency ultrasonic wave (i.e., λ / 2, λ is the wavelength of the fundamental frequency ultrasonic wave).
[0034] The second coil 13 is a dense coil, arranged above the first coil 12 and below the permanent magnet 14, and also has a zigzag structure. The spacing of the wires in the zigzag structure of the second coil 13 is equal to one-quarter wavelength (i.e., λ / 4) of the fundamental frequency ultrasound.
[0035] The currents in the first coil 12 and the second coil 13 have the same direction.
[0036] As a preferred embodiment, the vertical spacing between the first coil 12 and the second coil 13 is equal to one eighth wavelength (λ / 8) of the fundamental frequency ultrasound wave. This specific spacing helps to optimize the magnetic field superposition effect and excitation efficiency.
[0037] As a preferred embodiment, the geometric dimensions (width, length) of the permanent magnet 14 match the geometric dimensions of the sparse and dense stacked coil structure (the combined area of the first coil and the second coil) to ensure that the static bias magnetic field can effectively cover the entire coil excitation area to form a uniform and stable bias field.
[0038] As a preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional area (radial cross-sectional area in the embodiment of the present application) of the wire used by the first coil 12 and the second coil 13 is the same, and the preferred range is 0.2mm 2 ~0.5mm 2 , to ensure sufficient current carrying capacity and reasonable heat control.
[0039] The sparse and dense stacked nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer is adsorbed on the pipe 11 to be tested by a permanent magnet 14. The first coil 12 and the second coil 13 are used to excite the fundamental frequency ultrasonic wave and receive the second harmonic wave respectively. Figure 2 Compared with the transducer shown in FIG, in the pipeline creep damage detection, the sparse and dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic transducer proposed in the embodiment of the present application can obtain higher ultrasonic second harmonic energy, such as Figure 3 When the creep damage level changes, the second harmonic amplitude changes received by the traditional planar coil and the sparse-dense stacked coil proposed in the embodiment of the present application are shown in Figure 4 As shown, it can be seen that with the increase of the creep damage index, the second harmonic amplitude detected by the two methods gradually increases, but the sparse and dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic transducer proposed in the embodiment of the present application has a higher detection amplitude and therefore has a higher creep damage detection sensitivity.
[0040] In another exemplary embodiment, a pipeline creep detection device is provided, which includes at least the above-mentioned sparse and dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer; the sparse and dense stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer is arranged on the outer wall surface of the measured pipeline in a non-contact manner.
[0041] The first coil of the densely stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer serves as a transmitting component for exciting fundamental frequency ultrasonic waves, and the second coil of the densely stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer serves as a receiving component for receiving ultrasonic signals returned by the tested pipeline, especially the second harmonic signal (i.e., the doubled frequency harmonic) generated by the nonlinear effect of the material.
[0042] In the embodiments of the present application, the transmitting and receiving components are designed as an integrated structure, non-contactly positioned close to the outer wall of the pipeline being tested, maintaining a small set gap distance (typically sub-millimeter to millimeter level). This non-contact configuration avoids the use of coupling agents and is suitable for testing pipelines at high temperatures, coated surfaces, or with rough surfaces.
[0043] According to the specific embodiments provided in this application, this application has the following technical effects.
[0044] 1. Significantly Enhanced Sensitivity for Nonlinear Effect Detection: Through the innovative "sparse coil (λ / 2 spacing) + dense coil (λ / 4 spacing)" dual-coil stacked array design, and in synergy with the permanent magnet bias field, this application can effectively excite fundamental frequency ultrasonic waves of sufficient intensity into the pipeline material being tested. More importantly, this structure is extremely sensitive to nonlinear changes in the lattice caused by early creep micro-damage (such as microvoids, grain boundary slip, and weakening of dislocation pinning points) within the material. It can highly sensitively capture and enhance the resulting nonlinear ultrasonic response signal, namely the significant second harmonic signal, providing a powerful characterization tool for early damage identification.
[0045] 2. Excellent nonlinear signal-to-noise ratio: The specific coil structure (the sparse coils in the lower layer are widely spaced, which facilitates the excitation of strong fundamental waves, while the dense coils in the upper layer are closely spaced, allowing for fine excitation and enhanced local effects) and optimized stack spacing (λ / 8) effectively focus energy and optimize the magnetic field distribution. This allows the excitation energy to act more concentratedly on areas of material microstructural changes, significantly increasing the intensity of the generated nonlinear response (second harmonic) signal relative to ambient noise, effectively improving the signal-to-noise ratio of nonlinear ultrasonic testing and facilitating the extraction and analysis of weak damage signals.
[0046] 3. Adaptability to Complex Industrial Environments: The integrated transmitter and receiver components operate in a contactless manner, completely eliminating the need for liquid coupling agents. This enables the device to be directly applied to the outer walls of in-service pipelines subjected to high temperatures (suitable for the material creep temperature range), surfaces with insulating or anti-corrosion coatings, and surfaces in poor condition (mildly rusted, rough). This overcomes the application bottleneck of traditional piezoelectric ultrasonic and contact nonlinear ultrasonic testing in harsh environments.
[0047] 4. Simplify the detection process and improve efficiency: The non-contact integrated design simplifies the movement of the probe in the circumferential and axial directions of the pipeline, avoiding the tedious process of applying and cleaning the coupling agent, enabling rapid scanning and detection, and greatly improving on-site detection efficiency.
[0048] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.
[0049] This document uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above examples is only intended to help understand the method and core concept of this application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, based on the concept of this application, there may be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting this application.
Claims
1. A dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer, characterized in that: include: A first coil, a second coil and a permanent magnet are arranged in sequence from bottom to top; The first coil and the second coil are both folded-back structures. The spacing between the conductors in the folded-back structure of the first coil is equal to half the wavelength of the fundamental frequency ultrasound, and the spacing between the conductors in the folded-back structure of the second coil is equal to one-quarter the wavelength of the fundamental frequency ultrasound. The first coil is used to excite the fundamental frequency ultrasound, and the second coil is used to receive the doubled frequency harmonic. The permanent magnet is used to provide a static bias magnetic field.
2. The dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vertical distance between the first coil and the second coil is equal to one eighth of the wavelength of the fundamental frequency ultrasound.
3. The dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-sectional areas of the conductive wires in the folded structures of the first coil and the second coil are the same.
4. The dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cross-sectional area of the wire in the folded structure of the first coil and the second coil is in the range of 0.2 mm 2 ~0.5mm 2 .
5. The dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The geometric dimensions of the first coil, the geometric dimensions of the second coil, and the geometric dimensions of the end surface of the permanent magnet are consistent.
6. The dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The magnetic poles of the upper end and the lower end of the permanent magnet are opposite.
7. A pipeline creep detection device, characterized in that: The pipeline creep detection device comprises at least the densely stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer according to any one of claims 1 to 6; The dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer is arranged on the outer wall surface of the pipeline to be tested in a non-contact manner.
8. The pipeline creep detection device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The distance between the dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer and the measured pipeline is on the sub-millimeter level.
9. The pipeline creep detection device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The distance between the dense and sparse stacked array nonlinear electromagnetic ultrasonic detection transducer and the measured pipeline is on the order of millimeters.