Pipeline collar detects leaks before they occur

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Pipeline operators will be able to detect leaks before they occur with a Magnetostrictive Transducer (MsT) Collar developed at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, Texas.

Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) has created the next generation of transducers that use ultrasonic guided wave technology to detect anomalies in pipes, enabling users to prevent leaks before they start
Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) has created the next generation of transducers that use ultrasonic guided wave technology to detect anomalies in pipes, enabling users to prevent leaks before they start - Courtesy of SwRI

The MsT device, which utilises SwRI-developed Magnetostrictive Sensor (MsS) technology, employs ultrasonic guided wave technology to detect anomalies in pipes

“Pipeline corrosion resulting in leaks is very common,” said SwRI staff engineer Sergey Vinogradov, who developed the technology with staff engineer Keith Bartels and other SwRI staff members. “There are only a few current methods to detect defects before they cause leaks. Quite often, the pipe is repaired and re-inspected after a leak occurs. We’ve developed a technology that can consistently monitor the pipe’s condition, hopefully preventing leaks from happening in the first place.”

The Magnetostrictive Transducer (MsT) Collar was originally developed by SwRI in 2002 but has since been updated with a flat, thin design that allows it to be used on pipes in tight spaces. In custom configurations, it can withstand heat up to 400oF, the company said, adding that the new, segmented MsT design also features eight sensors that give the transducer the ability to more accurately identify where corrosion is occurring.

The MsT Collar utilises magnetostrictive sensors, which generate and receive guided waves that propagate along an elongated structure, guided by its boundaries. This allows the waves to travel long distances with little loss in energy; in some cases, hundreds of metres can be inspected from a single location, but obstacles such as couplings would require an additional sensor.

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“Instead of using one sensor to cover an entire pipe circumference, allowing only the axial location of an anomaly to be measured, we now have eight sensors in the transducer,” said Vinogradov. “Each of the sensors are independently connected to the electronics so that all possible guided wave signals can be acquired.”

Vinogradov continued: “Algorithms combine this information to better detect and locate the anomaly both axially and circumferentially, and the growth of the corrosion can be monitored by examining data sets acquired over time.”

The MsS system, which sends data to a remote terminal via a wireless transmitter or wired connection, is designed primarily for oil and gas transmission pipelines but has been used for other industrial pipes including those used for water, heating, or in chemical plants.

Vinogradov and Bartels will demonstrate the MsT Collar at the ASNT Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, from October 31 to November 3.

pipeline sensor