Ultrasonic guided wave nondestructive testing systems for corrosion detection

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Corrosion is a significant issue in pipelines and aboveground storage tanks used in a wide range of Canadian industry settings requiring heating/cooling and the transportation/storage of petrochemical products. This project is centered on the development of state-of-the-art guided wave ultrasound nondestructive testing (NDT) systems for detection of corrosion in pipes and above ground storage tank floors. Such systems will provide early warning of a lack of integrity in pipes and tank floors and prevent extensive delays in industrial processes.The ultrasonic guided wave (NDT) methods developed in the project will use electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMAT) to generate shear horizontal waves within steel pipes and plates. The methods are envisioned to be rapid and low cost screening techniques which complement more traditional NDT approaches such as through thickness ultrasonic testing. The project will focus on coupled numerical/experimental studies of factors that affect wave generation and propagation within test specimens containing corrosion type defects. This will include identifying the underlying contributions from both Lorentz force and magnetostrictive transduction mechanisms. The understanding developed through these studies will be applied within the project to design EMAT based NDT system prototypes with high reproducibility and low signal-to-noise. A successful conclusion to the project will enable our industry partner, Labratoire d'essai Mequaltech Inc., to translate the findings into fully operational EMAT based ultrasonic guided wave NDT instruments and compete more successfully in the international market for non-destructive testing contracts. Additional benefits include the training of engineering students on the use of technical NDT equipment and software packages.