Ultrasonic Pipe Peaking Measurement With Spring-Loaded Runners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for measuring pipeline roofness are inaccurate due to lead deviation caused by the rigid sensor carrier's weight and geometry, leading to increased downtime and costs, as well as the inability to simultaneously measure wall thickness and roof geometry, resulting in premature pipe replacement and inefficiencies in pipeline inspection.
Innovation Solution
A sensor carrier with movable skids pressed radially outward by spring elements, allowing for a reduction capability and precise ultrasonic measurement, where sensors are mounted centrally between skid support surfaces, enabling simultaneous roof and wall thickness measurement with minimized lead deviation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sensor carrier is designed for full coverage with skids wide enough to accommodate all sensors, then complete signal coverage is achieved, but the skids penetrate into the roofing area preventing accurate depth measurement
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor carrier is divided into multiple sensor holders, each with its own skid. This segmentation allows each skid to be independently positioned and sized, enabling complete circumferential coverage while preventing penetration into the roofing area by limiting each skid's width to be less than the roofing width.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the sensor carrier have different skid widths optimized for their specific measurement locations. The skids are designed with local quality variations where the width is sufficient for signal coverage in non-roofing areas but restricted in width to prevent penetration into the roofing zone, enabling accurate depth measurement in the roofing area.
2Measurement precision
If the skid width is increased to improve stability and coverage, then sensor coverage is improved, but the skids cannot pass through reductions in pipe diameter
Solution Approach 1:
The skids are designed to be movable rather than rigidly fixed to the sensor carrier. This dynamic design allows the skids to flex and adjust their position when encountering reductions in pipe diameter, enabling the sensor carrier to pass through such restrictions while maintaining adequate skid width for stable sensor coverage in normal pipe sections.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach provides more accurate and efficient pipeline inspections by reducing lead deviation, allowing for precise roof measurement and simultaneous wall thickness measurement, reducing downtime and costs, and enabling the use of more pipes cost-effectively.
Implementation Method 1
sensor holders (4) which are mounted on movable skids (5) that are pressed radially outwards by means of spring elements
Implementation Method 2
ultrasonic probes (8) that are mounted on sensor holders (4) of a sensor carrier (6) which is moved in a transport direction (7) through a pipeline (1)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
In order to optimise the ultrasound measurement of peaking of a pipe (1), optionally in conjunction with a simultaneous ultrasound wall thickness measurement with ultrasound test heads (8) which are mounted on sensor holders (4) of a sensor support (6), according to the invention a sensor support (6) is used in which the sensor holders (4) are mounted on movable runners (5) which are pressed radially outwards by means of spring elements (10) so that they bear against the inner face of the pipe (1), and runners (5) with a large runner width (kb) are used which are larger than the peak width (ab), measured in the circumferential direction of the pipe (1), of the region of a peak to be measured (3), and the sensor holders (4) are each equipped with sensors (8) only in a central measurement region between two runner contact surfaces, wherein the width of the measurement region (mb) is less than or equal to half of the runner width (kb), so that the resulting approach deviation (dh2) of the sensors (8) in the region of a peak (3) remains below a predetermined limiting value.