METHOD OF MEASURING CORROSION OF MAIN PIPELINES Russian patent published in 2012 - IPC G01N29/07 G01N29/11 

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: method of determining thickness of a corrosion layer on the length of a pipeline is based on the functional relationship between the degree of corrosion of the pipeline and the speed of sound in the wall of the pipeline and sound damping. In order to measure corrosion on a pipeline, reversible piezoceramic receiver-emitters are installed on the pipeline, spaced apart by a few kilometres and longitudinal sound wave signals are picked up using said receiver-emitters. Sound speed and attenuation values in the pipeline are determined via mathematical analysis and the thickness of the corrosion layer of the selected area of the pipeline between neighbouring receiver-emitters is determined from said values. The sound signal source used is the noise of the pumped product, and on a pipeline switched off for maintenance, active noise-like probing pulses, which are generated by a computer and emitted by piezoceramic receiver-emitters, are used.

EFFECT: high sensitivity and longer range of inspection.