Intelligent pigging developments for metal loss and crack detection

摘要

Developments in the different inspection techniques for metal loss and crack detection are discussed in this paper. Recent developments have improved the measurement capabilities of both magnetic flux leakage and ultrasonic pigs for the measurement of metal loss defects in pipelines. An interesting development is the high-frequency eddy current sensor technology that has been developed by Shell Research for internal corrosion monitoring of small-diameter pipelines. Routine pig inspection for cracks is not yet possible, but current developments in crack detection pigs look promising.