Demonstration Activities of
Buried Piping NDE Technologies
at EPRI
Mike Quarry
Project Manager
EPRI
4th International CANDU In-Service
Inspection Workshop
Toronto, Ontario
Field Removed samples for assessment of buried pipe
inspection technologies
• Field removed samples are/have
been obtained
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 2
NEI 09-14 – Guideline for the Management of
Underground Piping and Tank Integrity
Initial Revision (November 2009)
– Formal industry roles and responsibilities
– Provide “reasonable assurance” of structural and leakage
integrity of all buried piping with special emphasis on piping that
contains radioactive materials.
Schedule
– Procedures and Oversight – Industry completed
– Risk Ranking – Industry completed
– Inspection Plan – Industry completed
– Plan Implementation
• Start by – June 30, 2012
• Buried piping containing radioactive material – June 30, 2013
– Asset Management Plan – December 31, 2013
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 3
December 2010
NEI 09-14 Revision 1 “Guideline for the Management of
Underground Piping and Tank Integrity”
– Incorporates the revised NSIAC “Underground Piping
and Tank Integrity Initiative”
– Extensive revision
NRC Issues revision 2 of the GALL (license renewal)
– Significant additions to buried pipe inspection
recommendations
– More prescriptive requirements
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 4
Challenges - Piping is often inaccessible
• Difficult to access pipe – buried, pipe chases, buildings,
go through walls, under water, etc.
• Often need to have water or other product in the pipe or
flowing through it
• Pipes are coated or insulated
• Pipes are often nested close to one another and have a
high density (“spaghetti bowl” of piping)
• Pipes may have tubercles, mud, scale, etc, causing rough
and dirty surfaces
• No designed launchers/retrievers
• Lots of bends, elbows, vertical sections, tees, etc.
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 5
Occlusions – internal corrosion deposits
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 6
Types of Corrosion common in piping
• General corrosion
• Clustered pitting
• Galvanic corrosion
• Crevice Corrosion
• Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC)
• Corrosion under Insulation (CUI)
• Erosion
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 7
Potential NDE Technologies for Buried Pipe
In-line In-line or outside Outside pipe
Remote ultrasonics Manual ultrasonics Guided wave
Remote field testing Eddy current techniques Radiography
Magnetic flux leakage Acoustic leak monitoring Phased Array Wheel
Remote visual EMATs
Laser profilometry
In-line Delivery Methods
- Robotic Crawlers - Flow through - Pull through
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 8
Assessment and Development of Buried Pipe NDE
Technology (2011-13)
Benchmark and develop NDE capabilities
– Identify capabilities
and limitations
– Provide utility support
in implementing
technology
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External Remote-Field technology
• Localized remote
field technology
(RFT) assessment in
process
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Mockup with multiple bends and verticals to test
delivery systems
• Construction of 60-ft long 8-in diameter mock-up assess
NDE and delivery tool
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Internal Robotic System Using Ultrasonics
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Internal Ultrasonic Tool
Free swimming internal ultrasonic
• Used in other industries
• Navigates Short Radius - 1D - 180°
bends
• Transducer array provides 100%
coverage
• On-board data collection
• Detect internal and external thinning
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 13
Recent Internal Ultrasonic Tool Assessment
Assessment Conducted on 60-ft long 8-in Diameter
EPRI Mock-up
• Examined in <1 minute
• Full coverage of straight
pipe sections
• Identified inside and
outside surface connected
discontinuities
• Working to facilitate pilot of
technology
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 14
Ultrasonic Phased Array Technology
Phased array probes
• Rapid Scanning
– 100% coverage over probe width
– Scan speeds up to 16 in2 / second
• Greater sensitivity to sharp flaws such
as MIC
• Improved depth and extent sizing
• Imaging capabilities
• Permanent data storage
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 15
Ultrasonic Phased Array Technology
• C-scan (Top View) image of holes
• Twelve 0.188-in diameter holes
• 0.375-in center-to-center
• Patch 0.750-in by 1.125-in
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Ultrasonic Phased Array Technology
Outer Surface
Side View
Inner Surface
Top View
2-in by 1.75-in
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In-line Examination of Intermediate Diameter Piping
•EPRI Robot 60ft Cement Lined Mockup
•Guide Wire Propulsion 3 Elbows – 1 Riser
•108 Sensors for Pitting Resolution 12 Implanted Defects
•Detectors Position Stabilized for Data Quality
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 18
Assessment and Development of Buried Pipe NDE
Technology (2011-13)
Multiple assessments are planned with multiple
technologies for 2012:
– Internal EMAT ultrasonic robotic device
– Internal robot with saturated low frequency eddy current
– Internal remote field testing RFT
– Internal magnetic flux leakage
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 19
Buried Pipe will likely require many NDE
technologies
• No “silver bullet”
• Will require a toolbox of techniques
• Many challenges, variables, obstacles, etc. will make
technology selection important
In-line In-line or outside Outside pipe
Remote ultrasonics Manual ultrasonics Guided wave
Remote field testing Eddy current techniques Radiography
Magnetic flux leakage Acoustic leak monitoring Phase Array Wheel
Remote visual EMATs
Laser profilometry
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 20
Together…Shaping the Future of Electricity
© 2011 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. 21
