Multimodal Acoustic Tool for Inline Pipe Inspection

The United States has a vast network of pipelines used for fuel transport. This infrastructure, installed in 1950–1970, is one of the largest in the world. Yet poor/missing records of the materials used, combined with the overall age and associated environmental degradation effects, often results in unsafe operation. Current non-destructive inspection techniques are only capable of detecting material defects and corrosion. Indentation techniques can only determine material surface properties, and introduce surface defects, which could initiate cracks. Therefore, in response to this critical unmet need, Creare proposes to develop a hybrid tool, capable of determining true material toughness through the cross-correlation of independent measurement techniques. During Phase I, we proved the feasibility of our novel multimodal approach, demonstrating measurement of material fracture toughness with high accuracy on fielded samples at the Pipeline Research Council International. Our Phase I results attracted the attention of several technology developers, pipeline operators, and community experts who have extended their in-kind support. In Phase II, we propose to develop a complete multimodal device, culminating with several field demonstrations at actual pipeline dig sites. The use of this tool will allow pipeline operators to comply with strict federal inspection regulations overseen by PHMSA.