Novel method for monitoring pipe wall thinning. Final report.

摘要

This report presents results from eight tasks which were formed to demonstrate commercial viability of a new technology for the early detection of corrosion damage. The tasks produced three products which are deployed to commercialize the technology: (1)Experimentally verified software package which allows instrument specification for wall thinning detection. (2) Eighteen months of field experience in the installation and monitoring of radioactive tracers for wall thinning. (3) Technology for environmental and process monitoring, which was not developed under this contract but evolved as a natural extension of the subject invention. Radioactive tracers are deployed to provide early seaming of corrosion attack on pipes and tanks. The results of this project clearly demonstrate that these monitors are ideal for harsh and difficult to access environments. It is believed that no other technology is capable of providing in situ wall thinning data in such environments. The early warning of wall thinning with radioactive tracers will be commercialized via licensing agreements. Power plants and refineries have the capabilities to deploy the technology which was developed and demonstrated under this project. Funds from licensing agreements will be invested in the establishment of a service to conduct the actual monitoring. This service will extend beyond corrosion monitoring to include environmental monitoring. Current environmental regulation and cleanup of polluted sites has created a market for low cost, in- situ, monitoring. Through its ownership of US Patents which offer the most economical means of monitoring vast areas for toxic compounds, the company is in a unique position to profit from the emerging new market. Negotiations are underweight with companies with existing sales and distribution outlets for the formation of joint ventures. Proposals for the AREA initiative and the DOE/SIR have been prepared in the area of environmental monitoring.