State of the art of in-line nondestructive weld inspection of pipelines by ultrasonics

The in-line inspection of pipelines via the use of intelligent PIGs (pipeline inspection gages) that concerns the detection and sizing of metal loss (e.g., caused by corrosion) is a well-established technology for liquid pipelines as well as gas pipelines. Magnetic flux leakage and ultrasonic techniques are used for inspection. The application of conventional ultrasonic techniques is normally restricted to liquid lines because a liquid coupling medium is required. For reliable crack detection, only the ultrasonic technique has proven suitable. The cracking in pipelines is induced by fatigue crack growth and stress corrosion cracking in addition to manufacturing-related phenomena. The state of the art of in-line crack inspection is discussed, especially as regards typical examples of weld inspection. Special emphasis is placed on data evaluation and interpretation.