L51728 Feasibility of a Pipeline Field Weld Real-Time Radiography (Radioscopy) Inspection System

Inspection of pipeline field girth welds during pipeline construction is accomplished by film radiographic: methods. Film radiography of materials is a 70 year old technology. There have been many advances in that 70 year history in equipment and films, but the process of making the radiograph is essentially the same. The film radiography process is time-consuming, costly, environmentally impacting and very operator (inspector) dependent. There are recent and almost daily advances in technologies using x-ray imaging other than film. Double-jointed pipe welds at pipe mills and at double-joint operations have been inspected with stationary real-time radioscopic systems for many years. This electronic imaging technology, known as "œradioscopy", has the potential to significantly improve pipeline project schedules and cost by eliminating some of the shortcomings of film radiography. Radioscopy is currently accepted for use by many nationally accepted standards including API-SL, Specification for Line Pipe, and API-1104, Welding of Pipelines and Related Facilities.

Most of the real-time systems in use today are fixed installations in pipe mills, foundries or fabrication shops. The ability to produce the required image sensitivity with real-time has been established by these fixed installations. These systems have proven to be very cost effective. In the course of conducting this study, QCC attended several conferences, including the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) Conference in Boston, contacted several hundred potential vendors of radioscopic and radiographic equipment, witnessed demonstrations on existing radioscopic imaging systems and conducted several breadboard system demonstrations. The enclosed exhibit section contains a list of vendors that have products applicable to a radioscopic system.