Inspection of High Temperature Pipe-work using Guided Waves

Guided Ultrasonics Ltd. have developed a high temperature (HT) version of their popular inflatable transducer rings and modules to allow on-line testing of pipes with a surface temperature of up to 400°C. Experimental results are presented which show the transducer performance when in contact with a heated surface. These results have clearly demonstrated the temperature and test-duration limits for the equipment. Site testing has been carried out with IRISNDTMATRIX inspecting steam pipework with a surface temperature of up to 340°C. The work was carried out using HT rings and modules in conjunction with the proven Wavemaker ® pipe screening system. The ring was mounted directly onto the pipe surface for up to 5 minutes which was sufficient time to perform a standard Guided Wave test (GWT) with a range of 40m in each direction from the transducer ring. There was no permanent damage to the transducer rings or transducers during these tests. The high temperature (HT) rings and transducer modules are now commercially available and in use in Canada, Indonesia, Germany and Russia.