Development of a Portable Remote Controlled Real-time Radioscopy System for Quantitative Industrial Inspection of Large Thickness Steel Pipes and Weldings

Record Control Number : 31025

Quality Validation Date : 26-Jun-1997

Update Date : 14-Aug-1997

Title : Development of a Portable Remote Controlled Real-time Radioscopy System for Quantitative Industrial Inspection of Large Thickness Steel Pipes and Weldings

Subject Index Code : Aerospace Technology; Industrial Manufacture; Materials Technology

General Information : BE95-1164

Based upon development of a novel compact detector for high-energy radiation and a novel concept for defect measurement and characterisation in three dimensions (3-D), this project aims at development of a prototype of a portable, compact and sturdy radioscopy system for the non-destructive real-time inspection of large steel pipes and other large objects. This prototype system aims at meeting the industrial demands for improving the cost-efficiency and reliability of present state-of-the-art non-destructive testing (NDT) for detection of cracks, pits and weld imperfections in thick steel pipes and other large constructions at power plants, refineries and chemical plants. The proposed system will reduce the cost of such inspections by a factor 2 or larger, provide quantitative and accurate measures of detected defects and this improvement of the reliability of the inspection results will reduce the risks of expensive shut downs or catastrophic failure. The result of the inspection will be digital images which facilitates easy storage and subsequent easy retrievement. Due to a much reduced exposure, the risk of radiation hazards will be reduced significantly. In total, this new technology will lead to a general improvement of the quality, safety and economy of non-destructive testing of steel pipes and weldings. This is beneficial for the end-user, the operator and the environment. The proposed radioscopy system consists of a radiation source, a detector, an imaging system with integrated modules for quantitative defect measurement, an expert software to advice the operator and a robot for remote control of the entire system.
The detector consists of a scintillator, which will be used with a proximity focused X-/y-ray image intensifier (XRII) (or high energy optimised fiber optics) in connection with a high sensitivity, high resolution compact CCD-based camera head. The proposed solution will assure a slim and low weight design to comply with the demand for operation in areas of limited space. The 3-D defect characterisation modules which are integrated to a conventional image processing system are based on two novel approaches: (i) Determination of the remaining (wall) thickness by calculation of the expected radiation attenuation through the considered sample in relation to the detector response at the given point, and
(ii) using 2-D feature extraction techniques for quantitative determination of defect size and e.g. of remaining wall thickness of pipes. Finally, the proposed robot will take control of the detector and source for full versatility on scanning operations.
The project consortium comprises (i) two manufacturers of detectors for radioscopy, (ii) an NDT inspection, industrial automation and software company, (iii) an assembler of the total system and supplier of radiation sources, (iv) two end-users and (v) four research institutes. The main industrial opportunities is related to (i) manufacturing and marketing the proposed system (30 ECU / 5 years), and (ii) the savings on NDT inspections (187.5 MECU / 5 years).

The Brite-Euram IV areas covered by the proposal are 1.4 and 2.3.

Start Date : 01-Feb-1996

End Date : 31-Jan-1999

Duration : 36 months

Project Status : Execution

Programme Type : 4th FWP (Fourth Framework Programme)