Ultrasonic guided wave nondestructive testing systems for corrosion detection

在加拿大需要加热/冷却和运输/储存石化产品的广泛工业环境中，管道和地上储罐中的腐蚀是一个严重的问题。该项目的中心是开发最先进的导波超声无损检测系统，用于检测管道和地面储罐底板的腐蚀。这样的系统将提供管道和储罐底板缺乏完整性的早期警告，并防止工业过程中的广泛延误。 该项目开发的超声导波(NDT)方法将使用电磁声换能器(EMAT)在钢管和钢板内产生剪切水平波。这些方法被认为是快速和低成本的筛选技术，是对更传统的无损检测方法的补充，例如通过厚度超声波检测。该项目将侧重于对影响包含腐蚀类型缺陷的测试样品中的波产生和传播的因素进行耦合的数值/实验研究。这将包括确定洛伦兹力和磁致伸缩转换机制的潜在贡献。通过这些研究形成的理解将被应用于该项目，以设计具有高重复性和低信噪比的基于EMAT的无损检测系统原型。 该项目的成功完成将使我们的行业合作伙伴Labratoire d‘essai Mequaltech Inc.能够将这些发现转化为全面运行的基于EMAT的超声波导波无损检测仪器，并在国际市场上更成功地竞争无损检测合同。其他好处包括对工程学学生进行使用技术无损检测设备和软件包的培训。

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.