Patent Application
20180179885
The present invention relates to generally to a method of detecting cracks in a pipeline or conduit or tubular via a tool or device that is moved along and within the pipeline or conduit or tubular (or moved along an exterior surface of a conduit or tubular or plate or beam or other structure).
It is known to use a sensing device to sense or determine the strength of and/or freepoints and/or stresses and/or characteristics of flaws or defects in pipes and other tubulars. Examples of such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,708,204; 4,766,764; 8,035,374 and/or 8,797,033.
The present invention provides a crack detecting system that is operable to detect cracks along a conduit. The crack detecting system comprises a tool that is movable along a conduit and that has at least one sensing device for sensing cracks in a wall of the conduit. The sensing device may comprise a wave generating device and a wave detecting or sensing device. A processor (at the tool or remote therefrom) is operable to process an output of the at least one sensing device. Responsive to processing of the output by the processor, the processor is operable to determine cracks at the wall of the conduit. The at least one sensing device employs excitation in the form of a high current continuous or pulse wave that is applied to a magneto-mechanical impedance transducer/sensor coil to generate a mechanical wave in the conduit or structure. The tool may include other sensing devices that employ other sensing means, such as electro-mechanical impedance or vibroacoustic modulation or the like.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.
The present invention provides a system and method and apparatus for determining cracks in pipelines or well casings, and other tubulars or conduits. The tool (see, for example,
An example of a tool suitable for such crack detection is shown in
When an exciter is applied/coupled to a physical specimen or structure, there is an interaction between said exciter and physical specimen. This causes the exciter to move in a different manner than if it were in free space. As a result, differences can be observed in the drive circuitry attached to the transmitter and can be interpreted as a change in the material (such as, for example, cracks, defects, and/or the like in the material). There are two main methodology branches of the impedance method: electro-mechanical impedance method and magneto-mechanical impedance method. The electro-mechanical impedance method is a Vibroacoustic Modulation (VAM) method and apparatus used for crack detection and characterization (see, for example, the systems and methods and apparatuses described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/825,312, filed Nov. 29, 2017, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).
The magneto-mechanical impedance methods, as well as the combined magneto-mechanical and electro-mechanical impedance methods, are outlined below.
The magneto-mechanical impedance method (see
As shown in
Responses to such a magnetically induced mechanical wave reveals information regarding its health or damage state within the signal's analyzed frequency spectra. Other forms of magneto-mechanical impedance methods are implemented as devices that are classified as passive in the sense that a significant impinging energy is not produced to perturbate the material under test, but rather listen passively for variations that are being produced by way of ambient magnetic field and/or incidental mechanical variations (as examples).
Magneto-mechanical impedance methods are usually implemented as non-contact and tend to be used for the detection of near side defects including cracks, however, in combination with various external perturbation methods can produce results deeper into the material under test. The magneto-mechanical impedance method can be enhanced through the use of mechanical, acoustic, and other independent perturbation methods such that the said external force causes magneto-mechanical methods to more effectively derive the enhanced signals produced when various defects are present in the material under test.
Magnetic spectral noise density (a power spectral density (PSD) parameter) is a method to find unique patterns of defects and material properties via the magneto-mechanical impedance method with either passive listening or active perturbation.
The system may utilize a differential method in amplitude and phase change of parameters based on two or more sensors used in the magneto-mechanical impedance method with either passive listening or active perturbation. Common mode or ambient noise can be ignored or rejected to aid in discovering the signal of interest.
A magneto-optical impedance sensing device can be used for the magneto-mechanical impedance detection method. For example, optical characteristics change as a consequence of the impinging magnetic field. Thus, optical transmission characteristics change as a result of the change in magnetic material properties.
An electro-mechanical and magneto-mechanical impedance method or device comprises a device that responds to both acoustic energy and magnetic energy. Such devices may comprise (but are not limited to), for example, amorphous wire/microwire schemes based on GMI sensors, Galfenol cilia-like rods, and/or the like. Electro-Mechanical Impedance Methods may utilize aspects of the VAM methods and apparatus described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/825,312, filed Nov. 29, 2017, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The system or method or apparatus of the present invention does not require elaborate receivers and provides simplicity in device design. Broad spectral frequency response enhancements are possible by way of simple enhancements in excitation frequency and pulse waveform tailoring. The methods provide ability to assess or characterize damage (such as cracks).
Magneto-mechanical methods are greatly enhanced through frequency and/or time domain analyses leveraging the simplicity of device design and associated electronics. Magneto-impedance methods are more conducive to simplified modelling in virtual analysis environments of a greatly simplified nature (such SPICE and SPICE-like electrical modeling environments). Therefore, magneto-mechanical methods make it possible to create a diversity of virtual defects that can more easily be simulated and tested in a virtual manner.
The data is collected and processed via a data processor, which may be part of the tool or may be remote from the tool (and may process data transmitted from the tool or collected by the tool and processed after the tool has completed its data collection). The processing steps are shown, for example, in
Thus, the present invention provides a tool that can be operated in pipelines (such as for inline inspection, for example), downhole applications, other tubulars and structures of various geometry, for the purpose of crack detection. The tool utilizes means for positional and/or spatial relationship via items such as a caliper, encoder, gyroscopic devices, inertial measurement unit (IMU), and the like. Optionally, the tool may also utilize a caliper module for determination of geometry flaws, dents, and the like.
The tool utilizes at least one impedance method, or any combination of impedance methods, such as magneto-mechanical, electro-mechanical, or a combination of both. The tool may utilize any impedance method or a combination of both mentioned herein, along with any individual or combination of VAM methods or systems or configurations or techniques.
The tool may utilize individual sensor(s) or array(s) unlimitedly disposed in uniform or non-uniform arrangements/patterns for the sensing technologies and/or methods. The tool may utilize an electro-magnetic acoustic transducer to impart acoustic energy into the material under test if combined with the electro-mechanical impedance method as outlined above.
The tool may store data on-board, or may transmit collected data to a remote location for storage (and/or processing), or may do a combination of both. The tool may employ advanced data processing techniques to isolate and extract useful data as required. The tool may employ advanced data processing techniques that use a single sensing technology and/or method, or any combination of sensing technologies (together or individually) and/or methods. The data processing may be conducted in real-time during tool operation, off-loaded externally to be conducted after completion of a tool operation, or a combination of both.
The tool may comprise at least one module, which may contain at least one, or any combination of impedance methods such as magneto-mechanical, electro-mechanical, or a combination of both. The module may contain multiple impedance methods, such as magneto-mechanical, electro-mechanical, or a combination of both that may or may not interact with each other, and/or utilize shared componentry. The tool with multiple modules may contain multiple impedance methods, such as magneto-mechanical, electro-mechanical, or a combination of both that interact with each other, and/or utilize shared componentry.
A tool with multiple modules may contain a single impedance method, or combinations of methods, that interacts between the multiple modules. The tool with multiple modules may contain multiple impedance methods, or combinations of methods, that interact between the multiple modules.
The module may contain multiple impedance methods, such as magneto-mechanical, electro-mechanical, or a combination of both, and may also include VAM methods or systems or configurations or techniques, that may or may not interact with each other, and/or utilize shared componentry. A tool with multiple modules may contain multiple impedance methods, such as magneto-mechanical, electro-mechanical, or a combination of both, and may also include VAM methods or systems or configurations or techniques that interact with each other, and/or utilize shared componentry.
A tool with multiple modules may contain a single impedance method, or combinations of, that may also include VAM methods or systems or configurations or techniques, that interact between said multiple modules. A tool with multiple modules may contain multiple impedance methods, or combinations of, that may also include VAM methods or systems or configurations or techniques that interact between the multiple modules.
The tool may be self-propelled (such as, but not limited to a robotic crawler such as shown in
The tool may be powered on-board, remotely, or a combination of both. The tool may have a system and method to clean surfaces for better sensing abilities, and that system may be incorporated with at least one module if utilized in the tool.
The tool may be operated in tubulars with a wide variety of diameters or cross-sectional areas. Optionally, the tool may be attached to other tools (such as, for example, material identification, magnetic flux leakage, calipers, etc.). The tool may simultaneously use the aforementioned sensing technologies with existing tools' sensing capabilities and/or system(s)—(such as, for example, crack detection system(s) utilize other tool capabilities simultaneously through shared componentry, magnetic fields, perturbation energy, waves, etc.).
The tool may include the means to determine position/location/distance such as, but not limited to, global positioning system(s), gyroscopic systems, encoders or odometers, etc. The tool may include the means to determine position, location or distance that stores this data on-board or transmits it to a remote location, or a combination of both. The tool may combine the position, location or distance data simultaneously with sensing data collection at any discrete location within the tubular, or on a structure's surface.
An additional version of a tool may be configured to be mounted externally to a tubular via fixture, frame, cabling, etc. to detect cracks on the exterior surface(s). This version of the tool may have a sensing “suite” that is moved manually, is powered, or is pre-programmed to operate in a pattern.
The tool may utilize a transduction method such as time reversal techniques (via processing code) applied to one or more impedance methods included herein as an enhancement. The tool may utilize virtual phased arrays in the form of one or more virtual emitters and one or more virtual receivers.
The tool may be configured to be conveyed within a borehole to evaluate a tubular within the borehole. The tool may further include a conveyance device configured to convey the tool into the borehole. The tool may be configured to be conveyed into and within the borehole via wireline, tubing (tubing conveyed), crawlers, robotic apparatuses, and/or other means.
Therefore, the present invention provides a tool or device that utilizes a sensing system or device or means to sense and collect data pertaining to cracks in the pipe or conduit or other structures in or on which the tool is disposed. The collected data is processed and analyzed to determine the cracks in the pipe or structure at various locations along the conduit or pipeline or structure.
Changes and modifications to the specifically described embodiments may be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.
The present application claims the filing benefits of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/438,048, filed Dec. 22, 2016, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62438048 | Dec 2016 | US |
