Inspection of pipe seam welds requires a volumetric nondestructive evaluation inspection method. Traditionally, radiography (RT) is used for manufacturing inspection, but this technology has several drawbacks. In terms of inspection capability, RT is insensitive to mis-oriented planar defects, and doesn’t provide any through-wall sizing capability. There is no immediate feedback to the welders, and RT is disruptive to other activities on the site. With safety regulations getting more and more severe worldwide, the use of radiography is being drastically restricted. Additionally, the cylindrical geometry of long seam welds requires specific attention with regards to examination coverage and flaw positioning. This presentation will cover a recommended solution designed to provide excellent inspection capability, with permanent records. In addition, the overall duration of the inspection process is drastically reduced, and ultrasonic examination provides immediate feedback regarding the welding process.

1. 1© Zetec Inc. All rights reserved
Long Seam
Weld Inspection
Application Solution

2. Overview
• Inspection Challenge
• Recommended Ultrasound (UT) Solution
• Results
• Benefits of Zetec Solution
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3. • Manufacturing inspection of pipe seam welds requires a
volumetric nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique
• The use of industrial radiography (RT) comes with
inherent radiation safety issues and productivity issues
(welding shop needs to be evacuated)
• Safety regulations are getting more severe worldwide,
drastically restricting the use of RT
Inspection Challenge
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4. • Combination of Phased Array Ultrasonic (PA UT) and Time
of Flight Diffraction (TOFD) is a reliable and efficient
alternative for RT :
– Excellent inspection capability, with permanent records
– Drastic time reduction for global inspection process
– Immediate feedback for welders
• Solution dealing with variety of diameters and thickness :
– Zetec WeldCrawler® scanner dedicated for long seam welds
– Simultaneous deployment of PA UT and TOFD techniques, using
a powerful portable data acquisition unit
– On-board software tools allowing for efficient and reliable
interpretation of inspection data in cylindrical geometry `
Recommended UT Solution
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5. • Scanner with strong magnetic wheels
• Adapts to long seam welds in tubes down to 6" NPS
• Carries 4 probes, individually spring-loaded
• Automatic detection of encoder parameters
• One-line inspection sequence, manually driven or motorized
Zetec WeldCrawler® Scanner
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6. 6© Zetec Inc. All rights reserved
Inspection Technique
• Two-sided PA UT (SW sector scan)
• Excellent detection of planar and
surface breaking flaws
• Ray-tracing for cylindrical geometry
• Optimized data file size, via
« distance » time-base setting
• TOFD (LW) for detection and
sizing of embedded flaws
• Feedback on coverage, cross-
over depth and dead-zone
extent in cylindrical geometry
• Automatic time-base setting
+

7. 7© Zetec Inc. All rights reserved
• Portable PA UT unit
• Fully integrated
• 10.4” Multi-touch display
• PA UT 16/128 + 1 UT at 200 V
• Rugged, lightweight
• No air intake
• Battery operated
• Driven by UltraVision Touch
software
Zetec Instrument

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Results – OD Crack
toe crack
7.5 x 25 mm
Detection and accurate plotting of PA UT signals from OD crack,
after ½ and 1 skip

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Results – OD Crack
toe crack
7.5 x 25 mm
TOFD technique confirms length and depth of OD crack

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Results – Cluster Porosity
cluster porosity
7.5 x 16 mm
Excellent detection, positioning and length sizing of cluster porosity, using
12 dB software gain on PA UT signal

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Results – Cluster Porosity
cluster porosity
7.5 x 16 mm
Detection of cluster porosity confirmed with TOFD;
Interrupted lateral wave because of cylindrical geometry

12. 12© Zetec Inc. All rights reserved
• and systems,
capable of simultaneously performing TOFD and PA UT :
– High data throughput
– Capability to record large data files (up to 2 GBytes)
• Zetec WeldCrawler, easily adaptable for a wide range of
axial weld configurations
• Easy setup of PA UT and TOFD techniques using the
embedded UltraVision Touch software
• Stream-lined inspection process :
– Dynamic Merge views for on-line monitoring of inspection data
– Accurate positioning of flaws in on-board Polar View and TOFD Views
– Indication Table & Report Generation
Benefits of Zetec Solution

13. Thank You!
Learn more at: www.zetec.com
13© Zetec Inc. All rights reserved