MWM-Array Detection & Characterization of Damage through Coatings and Insulation

Project Categories

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• Onshore Transmission Pipeline
• Gas Pipeline
• Liquid Pipeline
• Emerging Technology
• Weld/Fabrication Defects

Main Objective

JENTEK will deliver new capability for inspection from outside pipelines, without coating/insulation removal. The goal is reliable/rapid imaging of external/internal corrosion, mechanical damage, and SCC. With matching funds from Chevron, we will first adapt Meandering Winding Magnetometer (MWM)-Array technology for external damage, using high frequency methods. This includes integrated field demonstrations within twenty-four months. Solution for internal corrosion will transition later, using lower frequency methods.

Public Abstract

This project will develop improved nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods for detection and characterization of damage in pipelines, from the outside, through coatings and insulation. The damage conditions of interest include internal and external corrosion, mechanical damage, and stress corrosion cracking (SCC). This will be accomplished by adapting JENTEK Sensors Inc.'s proven MWM-Array technology and developing a field deployable MWM-Array tool. The magnetic field-based sensor arrays and JENTEK model-based inverse methods are used to determine electromagnetic and geometric properties of the pipeline material, which are then related to specific damage conditions of interest. This technology has been successfully applied in the aerospace and manufacturing industries and provides substantially improved performance for imaging surface and buried damage through coatings and for curved surfaces compared to conventional NDE methods. The team for this program is JENTEK, Chevron, and Applus/RTD.
This is a consolidated program with Project No 236.