Used drill pipe inspection tools and services
Sonoscope Standard Rack Inspection
This inspection service may be performed on the pipe racks at the well site or in the pipe yard.
It is designed to locate service induced defects in used drill pipe and to determine compliance with established specifications. There are six steps performed in the inspection service.
• Each length is serially numbered with metal stencils on the pin – end upset taper. A service mark “V” and the month and year of inspection are also stenciled in this area.
• The outside diameter of the pipe tube body is gauged full length and the tube is visually examined for cuts, mashes, gouges and other defects. Special attention is given to the slip areas.
• An ultrasonic reading is taken at the point of maximum reduction as determined by the OD gauge.
• SONOSCOPE, a magnetic induction search coil technique, is next performed on the tube body. This technique utilizes a magnetizing coil and detector unit which are secured around the pipe and self – propelled the full length of the tube body. A series of detectors completely encircling the pipe measures magnetic variations caused by transversely oriented internal or external fatigue cracks, corrosion pits and other defects on the pipe surfaces . Variations are amplified and recorded in graph form for evaluation by the unit operator.
Information gained from these inspections is correlated and final classification of each length is determined. Pipe is classified and identified to customer or API-AAODC established specifications.
Determination of Minimum Body Wall and / or Cross Section Area
Drill pipe may be inspected for wall reduction either inside or out. Compression wave ultrasonic equipment is used. TUBOSCOPE's inspection accuracy complies with API-AAODC requirements for body wall measurement and cross-sectional area determination.
Electronic End-Area Inspection
The concentration of torsional stress is particularly heavy at the junction of the pipe body and tool joint (the end area). Both torsional and bending stresses concentrated in this area can produce fatigue cracking and, ultimately, failure, TUBOSCOPE has developed an electronic end area inspection tool for this specialized inspection.
Electromagnetic induction techniques are employed to inspect the end areas of the tube from the tool joint taper 18” into the pipe body for fatigue cracks, corrosion pits and other transversely oriented and 3-dimensional service-origin defects.
Caliper OD Inspection of Tool Joints
Abrasive wear in a tool joint area is located by the mechanical means of callipering each tool joint. Outside diameter is callipered to the customer specifications. One or more caliper settings may be employed.
Special Slip Area Inspection
The magnetic particle inspection technique is employed on both inside and outside slip area surfaces to locate longitudinal cracks and other longitudinal defects.
Magnetic Particle Inspection of Tool Joints
The tool joint area of a drill pipe is inspected by including a magnetic field and inspecting the area with magnetic particles. Transverse service-origin defects are located and identified by the distribution patterns of the magnetic particles. Threads and seals are visually examined for service damage.
Getting maximum value from used tubing
TUBOSCOPE helps you identify which used tubing is suitable for further service: that which is suitable for limited service and that which may be discarded.
A competent TUBOSCOPE inspector can identify service – induced damage such as corrosion pitting, cracks, splits, rod wear, erosion and mechanical damage.
TUBOSCOPE's inspection techniques have been developed to identify each of the different defect characteristics.
Considering today's new pipe replacement and work over costs, the savings realized by TUBOSCOPE's inspection services are quite substantial, here are several money – saving benefits.
• Cut lost production due to premature failures.
• Reduce new pipe purchases by determining the condition of existing tubular goods.
• Drastically reduce or eliminate pulling jobs caused by premature pipe failures
Recover, by inspection, 20% to 30% of usable pipe affording enough savings to pay for the inspection. Recovery of pipe in excess of 30% means dollars saved.
VETCOSCOPE
Work induced defect as slip marks, cracks, corrosion etc. possess directional components perpendicular to the pipe axis. Therefore, the pipe has to be magnetized in a longitudinal direction.
With a circumferential coil an active. Longitudinal magnetic field is induced into the pipe wall.
This equipment allows inspection of tabular while the magnetizing current is energized, i.e. inspection in the active field thus allowing detection of internal defects in addition to external defects.
During magnetization and optimum point is reached where the pipe is very close to the point of maximum capacity or very close to saturation. At this point stray flux susceptibility is at it's highest.
By use of this technique we are in the position, using sophisticated electronics and circuitry to accurately locate and detect internal and external defects, within ferric tabular.
Detectors coils or shoes are used to locate defects by collecting the stray flux created by the defect. As the magnetized pipe is propelled past the shoe, which is tailored in such a way as to fit exactly to the pipe diameter and is maintained in contract with the pipe, stray flux generates as induced electro-magnetic force within the coil in the shoe. This signal is usually in the order of two mill volts and hence must be amplified and filtered before it can be of any use.
The amplified signal is then conveyed to a pen graph recorder to produce a visual display in chart form.
Depending on the type of pipe to be inspected and whether these are new or used pipe , special type of inspection equipment are used .
In the following paragraphs we will describe some of our units and their application for the oil industry.
• Drill pipe Vetcoscope
This unit has to be designed to inspect used drill pipe by means of the Electromagnetic Stray flux procedure for transversal oriented defects and corrosion pitting at the inside /outside of the pipe. The procedure itself requires the axial magnetization above the point of the maximum of permeability and a Stray flux-collecting device scanning 100% of the pipe surface. In case of employing electro -inductive collecting sensors as the VETCOSCOPE does, a constant speed along the axis of the pipe is needed to create reliable defect indication. The voltage as such defect signals in the range of milivolts or less and has to be amplified to indicate the signals at the imployed galvos.
Capability and Parameters
The tools are specially designed for inspection of upset pipe as drill and similar. The inspection capability refers to a complete pipe body (except 1,5” length at the beginning of the upset) as the pick - up buggy should ride on the upset when proper adjustment is made.
O.D. RANGE
Standard Inspection pipe sizes: 3 ½” 4 ½” 5”
Special Inspection Pipe Sizes: 2 3/8” 2 7/8” 5 ½”
And all other sizes of 4 ½” to2 3/8”
Inspection Speed
15 m/min along the pipe. If necessary the speed can be increased by operating the multiple contact switch.
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