Overview
| Project No. | 653 |
|---|---|
| Contract No. | DTPH5615T00018L |
| Research Award Recipient | Operations Technology Development NFP 1700 South Mount Prospect Road Des Plaines, IL 60018 |
| AOR | James Merritt Joshua Arnold |
| Researcher Contact Info | Dr. Maureen Droessler Phone: 847-768-0608, Fax: 847-483-1286 Email: Maureen.droessler@otd-co.org Principal Investigator: Dr. Khalid Farrag, Phone: 847-768-0803, Fax: 847-789-9201 Khalid.farrag@gastechnology.org |
| Peer Review | More than Effective |
| Peer Review | More than Effective |
| Peer Review | More than Effective |
| Technology Demonstrated | Yes |
|---|---|
| Commercialized (in whole/part) | Yes |
| Commercial Partner | Baker Hughes https://www.bakerhughes.com/ Qi2Elements https://www.qi2elements.com/ |
| Net Improvement | The project developed and then demonstrated the ability of the Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) crack tool to detect tight/closed cracks down to 2MM deep for 8" diameter pipes in traditionally difficult to inspect pipelines. The Intellectual Property from this research and from the prior research project under PHMSA contract # DTPH56-13-T-000007 evolved into a free-swimming tool that operates at 2 m/s, navigates 1.5 diameter bends, and can be pressurized to 2200 psi. The EMAT Crack ILI tool is now being offered by Baker Hughes/Qi2 Elements. |
| Project Status | Closed |
|---|---|
| Start Fiscal Year | 2015 (09/30/2015) |
| End Fiscal Year | 2020 (03/31/2020) |
| PHMSA $$ Budgeted | $1,070,690.00 |
Main Objective
The objective is to build a field-ready EMAT sensor prototype and perform controlled field tests to assess its performance requirements and capabilities in identifying and characterizing pipe defects. The field-ready prototype will be designed for 8 inch diameter pipes and mounted on available platforms commonly used in the natural gas transmission and distribution systems. Sensors for smaller diameter pipes from 8 to 12 inches will be developed based on the success of the prototype.
Public Abstract
The objective of this project is to build and test an Electro-Magnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) sensor prototype to detect and quantify wall loss and longitudinal cracks in metallic pipes. The sensor will be used to assess small-diameter and unpiggable pipes containing fittings and other restricting features. The initial target pipe diameter is 8 inches, however the commercial goal is to build tools that can navigate in 6- to 12-inch pipes. These sizes are typically used in unpiggable natural gas transmission and distribution systems. Other sizes will be considered based on industry needs.
A laboratory assembly (bench-scale unit) has been successfully completed and tested in Phase-1. The work tasks in this proposal build on the results from Phase-1 and include:
- Build a prototype of the unit with the data management system and a pull-out mechanism for internal testing of pipe sections with controlled and natural cracks and flaws.
- Establish the performance criteria and assess the minimum flaw sizes to be reliably detected by the device
Relevant Files & Links
Final Report
Final Report - Public version
Other Files
De-Brief Presentation