Sistema de inspeção para detecção de trincas de fadiga em juntas soldadas de dutos metalurgicamente cladeados

Abstract

The application of clad material to subsea pipelines is gaining ground in deep water oil exploration. Its bimetallic configuration presents an attractive combination of mechanical strength and corrosion resistance, ensuring the safety and integrity of pipelines that connect the reservoir to oil rig. The clad material for oil exploration consists of a base material, usually carbon steel, inner coated with a thin layer of corrosion resistance alloy (CRA), turning into an attractive economical solution for deep water exploration since only a small portion of the noble anti-corrosive alloy is required. The potential for fatigue cracks to occur in pipeline structures due to cycling loads inherent of offshore oil production, makes necessary have an inspection tool to carry out periodic non destructive inspection in the inner pipe surface. The most critical point of pipeline structures is the circumferential weld and demands special attention during inspection. The results achieved with the inspection system, hadware and sensors, developed in the current work, demonstrate the feasibility to apply eddy current technology to detect fatigue cracks in welded joints of clad pipes.