Performance Estimation of a Remote Field Eddy Current Method for the Inspection of Water Distribution Pipes
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 137, Issue 6
Abstract
Remote Field Eddy Current (RFEC) technology allows the in situ inspection of metallic water distribution pipes. RFEC tools provide the location and magnitude of corrosion defects on the inspected pipes. The capacity of an RFEC tool to detect corrosion defects is evaluated in this paper by comparing its results with those obtained from the analysis of computed tomography (CT) scan images of the inspected pipes. Localization and characteristics of defects identified with the RFEC tool and from the CT scan images were compared for six cast iron pipes. An original method is proposed for the analysis of the CT scan images from which wall thickness losses were estimated by using the basic principle that the attenuation coefficient of X-rays in a homogenous material is a linear function of its density. The results show that the RFEC tool is able to localize most of the defects identified from the analysis of CT scan images. These findings reveal that the tested RFEC probe provided reliable information on the main corrosion defects, and thus on the general structural integrity of the inspected pipes.
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Acknowledgments
The writers are grateful to the City of Quebec for providing the analyzed pipes and, more specifically, to Marjorie Ramirez Ortega, who managed to collect the pipes and bring them to the laboratory. The collaboration of Marc Grenier from Laval University, who analyzed the results from the inspection tests in the laboratory, and of Jacques Pineault from Aqua Diag, who performed the inspection, is also acknowledged. The writers would also like to thank Bernard Long and Francis Moore from the INRS; their help has been essential for the interpretation of the CT scan images.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 137 • Issue 6 • November 2011
Pages: 521 - 530
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 19, 2010
Accepted: Oct 24, 2010
Published online: Dec 4, 2010
Published in print: Nov 1, 2011
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