Nondestructive evaluation of adhesion of pipeline coatings - Phase II

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This project is built upon a previously-awarded NSERC Engage Grant conducted in collaboration with ShawCor Ltd. The objective is to develop a fast, reliable, nondestructive technique for measuring the quality of adhesion between an oil or gas pipeline and the protective polymer coating that surrounds it. Pipelines with adequate protection from a polymer coating are susceptible to corrosion that could ultimately lead to pipe failure - this could pose a significant risk in terms of environmental damage, loss of revenue to the company, energy transportation bottlenecks, and personal injury. The first phase of this project led to the identification of two potential techniques for estimating interfacial bond strength between pipe and coating. One method was based on a machine-learning algorithm, by which a software program is "trained" to ass key ultrasonic signatures that indicate damping characteristics of the coated pipe. The second technique is based on applying a vibrational shearing stress on the pipe, to the extent that a weak steel/polymer interface would experience significant deformation. A quick pair of ultrasonic measurements, taken before and after the stress excursion would then identify locations with weak interfacial bonding. Preliminary tests with both of these techniques indicate that they hold the best promise for leading to a viable in-field 9inspection system. In this Engage Plus project, both of these testing options will be evaluated in depth, and result in a final recommended system for industrial application by ShawCor.