Ultrasonic pipeline inspection device

Claim 2

Apparatus for determining pipe wall thickness comprising: a housing; fluid sealing means associated with said housing to cause same to travel through said pipe by the force of the fluid flowing therein; a plurality of ultrasonic transducers rotatably attached to said housing to transmit energy pulses into said pipe and to receive reflected signals from an abnormality and/or the I.D. and O.D. of said pipe; means within said housing to rotate said transducers in a plane transverse to the axis of travel and as a function of the rate of travel of said housing; circuit means carried and contained within said housing to cause transmission of said energy pulses, to receive said reflected signals, and convert said reflected signals to a sIgnal which is a direct relationship of presence of said abnormality and/or the distance between said I.D. and said O.D. of said pipe without regard to the locus of said transducers relative to said pipe wall; and means to record said converted signal as a direct relationship to the rate of travel of said housing and location along said line of travel of said transducers at the time said signals are reflected.

Claim 3

Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said transducers are three in number and are substantially equally spaced within the same plane of reference.

Claim 4

Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said transducer is located adjacent the trailing end of said housing.

Claim 5

Apparatus of claim 1 including means to detect and record each revolution of said transducer.

Claim 6

Apparatus of claim 1 including in combination therewith, ultrasonic transducer means attached to said housing to transmit energy pulses into said pipe wall and to receive reflected signals representing flaws in said pipe wall, means to cause transmission of said pulses and means to record said reflected signals.

Claim 7

Apparatus of claim 5 wherein said transducer means comprises: a first plurality of ultrasonic transducers circumferentially spaced about said housing and oriented to transmit energy pulses at one angle into said pipe to detect substantransverse flaws or defects in said pipe; a second plurality of ultrasonic transducers spaced about said housing and oriented to transmit energy pulses at another angle into said pipe to detect substantially longitudinal flaws or defects in said pipe; and a third plurality of ultrasonic transducers spaced about said housing and oriented to transmit ultrasonic energy pulses angularly into said pipe to detect flaws in said pipe other than substantially transverse or substantially longitudinal.

Claim 8

Apparatus for determining pipe wall thickness comprising: a housing; fluid sealing means associated with said housing to cause same to travel through said pipe by the force of the fluid flowing therein; a plurality of ultrasonic transducers circumferentially spaced and supported by said housing in a plane transverse to the axis of travel to transmit energy pulses outwardly into said pipe and to receive reflected signals from an abnormality and/or the I.D. and O.D. of said pipe; means supported to said housing to detect and record the location of said housing travel; circuit means carried and contained within said housing to sequentially switch each of said transducers to cause transmission of said energy pulse, to receive said reflected signals including a signal from said I.D., a signal from said O.D. of said pipe, and a signal indicating presence of any abnormality within said pipe wall thickness, said circuit including means recording only those reflected signals after receiving that signal reflected from said I.D. of said pipe; and means contained within said housing to record said signals as a direct relationship to the location along said line of travel of said housing at the time said signals are reflected.

Claim 9

Apparatus for determining pipe wall thickness comprising: a housing; fluid sealing means associated with said housing to cause same to travel through said pipe by the force of the fluid flowing therein; a plurality of ultrasonic transducers circumferentially spaced and supported by said housing in a plane transverse to the axis of travel to transmit energy pulses outwardly into said pipe and to receive reflected signals from an abnormality and/or the I.D. and O.D. of said pipe; means supported to said housing to detect and record the location of said housing travel; circuit means carried and contained within said housing to sequentially switch each of said transducers to cause transmission of said energy pulse, to receive said reflected signals including a signal from said I.D., a signal from said O.D. of said pipe, and a signal indicating presence of any abnormality within said pipe wall thickness, said circuit including means recording only those reflected signals after receiving that signal reflected from said I.D. of said pipe; and means contained within said housing to record said signals as a direct relationship to the location along said line of travel of said housing at the time said signals are reflected.

Claim 10

Apparatus of claim 7 wherein said transducers are located adjacent the trailing end of said housing.

Claim 11

Apparatus of claim 7 wherein said transducer means comprises: a first plurality of ultrasonic transducers circumferentially spaced about said housing and oriented to transmit energy pulses at one angle into said pipe to detect substantially transverse flaws or defects in said pipe; a second plurality of ultrasonic transducers spaced about said housing and oriented to transmit energy pulses at another angle into said pipe to detect substantially longitudinal flaws or defects in said pipe; and a third plurality of ultrasonic transducers spaced about said housing and oriented to transmit ultrasonic energy pulses angularly into said pipe to detect flaws in said pipe other than substantially transverse or substantially longitudinal.