CORROSION DETECTION BY FIBER OPTIC AE SENSOR

CUI (corrosion under insulation) of the piping at industrial plants gathers more attention than ever. Currently, plant owners need to shut down their operation, scaffold, disassemble insulation, carry out non-destructive test and reassemble insulation of extensive piping installation. On-stream inspection (OSI), or on-line monitoring is a key to improve economics. To evaluate CUI without plant shutdown, we have carried out a preliminary research on detecting AE produced by corrosion. Fiber optic AE sensor is explosion proof, and is suitable for applications in petrochemical plants. Evaluation testing was successful, and one sensor can detect corrosion 3.9 m away. We report experimental results and subsequent field test, using fiber optic AE sensor.