Angles and bends in pipework are essential to directing internal contents, but it can be a rigorous job for industries to keep these sections from failing as pipe elbows can be the point of erosion and corrosion in a pipe system. The high velocity of fluid passing through the pipe and turbulence contributes to the corrosion of material at the internal part of the pipe. Turbulence is high, especially where the pipe bends or is at an angle. This makes such angular edges the weaker point in a pipeline. Corrosion can encourage stress-induced cracks giving rise to pipe leaks or ruptures. This clearly presents a potential risk not only to operations but also human lives.

The inspection of small diameter pipe elbows for corrosion constitutes a challenge because of the sudden surface shape changes between intrados and extrados. Multiple pipe diameters must be inspected, preferably with the same probe configuration. The main drawback of available probes and scanners for the inspection of pipes is their inflexibility. Therefore, when inspecting complex geometrical shapes, this equipment may not be able to provide complete coverage, leaving technicians with interpolated analysis based on spot check data. This process can be extremely taxing and time-consuming and may not provide precision in analysis. And while fully automated scanners are an option, they can be too laborious to deploy in the field. An efficient NDT technique is required to identify all possible flaws in a pipe system to help prevent failure and ensure optimal performance.

Read the full blog article at Eddyfi.com.