TPi November 2017

products & developments Remote pipe inspection

David Alleyne

inspect areas that would be very costly to test using other methods, for example the buried sections of road crossings or insulated pipelines. However, where changes are detected, more detailed inspections are required to determine the extent of corrosion. Such accurate measurement was

A new inspection technology makes it possible to remotely scan and map areas of corrosion in inaccessible pipe walls for the first time. QSR (quantitative short range) – a new type of guided wave technology – can provide accurate measurements of pipe wall thickness in hard-to-reach areas such as behind wall supports. It is the latest innovation from Guided Ultrasonics Limited (GUL) whose CEO, David Alleyne, developed the original guided wave technique over 20 years ago as a student at Imperial College London. The original long-range guided wave technology is now used worldwide, and provides a fast and effective way to screen large sections of pipe to identify any locations showing changes. As guided waves can propagate tens of metres, it is possible to remotely

solutions have been proposed, but they can only give an estimate and are not a reliable way to measure thickness. QSR allows you to rapidly scan wall thickness and provides an accurate measurement.” As with the original long-range guided wave technique, Mr Alleyne believes QSR will find wider applications beyond pipelines. BINDT – UK www.bindt.org The device also features a robotised exit system that moves the cut tubes to the next machining stage or on to storage. Equipped with Danobat’s proprietary software, the system enables com- munication with the production plant’s central control system, which sends production orders directly to the device. Danobat’s development integrates Industry 4.0 technology, fits within the zero-defect manufacturing framework, and complies with requirements for minimisation of kerf, reducing the amount of waste material generated in the cutting process. The system can be integrated with other equipment already installed in the plant, with the aim of working on-line, but also allowing cut parts to be palletised to be stored and delivered to another destination. Danobat – Spain

previously only possible by removing obstacles and testing directly at the exact position on the pipe wall. Mr Alleyne, who founded GUL in 1999 as a university spin-out, said the company recognised the need for a way to measure wall thickness remotely. “Often the places you really need to measure are in positions that you can’t reach directly, and up to now there has been no technology available to do this. It is a major problem and all sorts of

Multi-blade cutting solution Machine tool manufacturer Danobat has developed a high-precision multi-blade solution aimed at cutting high-added- value steel tubes used in strategic sectors such as oil and gas, automotive and bearing manufacturing.

The solution, conceived for a steel industry multinational company, facilitates cutting steels of different qualities in diameters from 60 to 280mm, with a maximum thickness of 40mm and lengths ranging from 25 to 400mm. However, the system has the flexibility to adapt to other parameters depending on the client’s requirements. The system is envisaged to be inte- grated into the production plant manu- facturing execution system (MES). Its operation is fully automated and it is equipped with a load bed that places tubes in the exact position ready to start cutting operations. The three-blade machine is assem- bled on a rotating head.

danobat@danobat.com www.danobatgroup.com

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TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL November 2017

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