Thesis

Deployment of pulsed eddy current technology for non-destructive testing using unmanned aerial vehicles

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2025
Thesis identifier
  • T17207
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 201965018
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • The necessity to inspect essential infrastructure such as oil and gas pipelines for wear, and deterioration highlights the critical role of enhancing Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) methods. Routine inspections, including assessments of wall thinning, are essential for ensuring the structural integrity of these assets and preventing serious accidents. Although Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with high-resolution cameras offer a safer and more efficient alternative for remote visual inspections, they are limited to surface-level assessments and cannot detect subsurface defects or measure wall thickness beneath coatings. This limitation reduces their effectiveness for industrial pipe inspections. Pulsed Eddy Current (PEC) technology, on the other hand, provides a promising solution, capable of assessing the thickness beneath coatings and addressing the shortcomings of camera-based inspections. However, traditional PEC systems are effective but bulky and difficult to incorporate within mobile platforms, limiting their versatility and ease of deplorability. This thesis describes the challenges facing the energy and petrochemical sectors when considering remote asset inspection and proposes new innovations and techniques to improve such inspections. The thesis presents on the benefits related to remotely deployable inspections, particular those from UAVs and investigates quantifiable PEC inspection from such platforms. Firstly, the performance of a conventional commercial PEC sensor is evaluated for its suitability in autonomous airborne inspections. The PEC sensor is affixed to a robot manipulator and precisely controlled to simulate airborne inspections across various alignment angles. Through systematic analysis, the impact of sensor alignment on inspection accuracy is comprehensively assessed, demonstrating critical factors influencing the reliability of UAV-based PEC NDT. Building on these findings, the thesis introduces a novel, compact PEC sensor system to address the global challenges, enhancing PEC inspections for mobile platforms. The system can be effectively mounted on a crawler-hybrid UAV, facilitating detailed 360-degree inspections of pipe surfaces. Findings detail the autonomous deployment of this PEC system via an UAV for the non-intrusive assessment of wall thickness. Finite element analysis was used for the design and performance evaluation of the PEC system. When finally, integrated with a multirotor-crawler UAV engineered for navigating through complex and dangerous pipeline environments, this mobile PEC system can conduct thorough evaluations of steel pipeline wall thinning. The system delivers a sensing method that achieves accurate thickness measurements, with errors under 4.8%, facilitating reliable and comprehensive asset inspections.
Advisor / supervisor
  • MacLeod, Charles
Resource Type
DOI

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