METHOD AND DEVICE FOR EXTERNAL INSPECTION OF WELDS OF PIPELINES Russian patent published in 2014 - IPC G01N23/04 

FIELD: measurement equipment.

SUBSTANCE: scope of application: invention is used for inspection of welds of a pipeline by means of penetrating radiation on the outer side of the pipeline. Essence of the invention consists in the fact that a device for external inspection of a circumferential weld of the pipeline includes radiation source (5) and radiation detector (3). Both units are moved in a controllable manner around a drive strip or guide (7), which is installed around the circumferential weld. In order to align the source with the detector, they are moved in relation to each other in a clockwise direction and opposite the clockwise direction near initial position by sampling the data on radiation detected in several positions. Then, position of maximum force of the detected radiation signal is defined, which corresponds to the place of a central point of the radiation source. After that, the source and the detector, which are aligned relative to each other, are moved in a circumferential direction around the weld; with that, they are left in coaxial positions.

EFFECT: providing a possibility of inspecting welds of a pipeline by penetrating radiation on the outer side of the pipeline through both of its walls at maintenance of sensitivity comparable to the sensitivity obtained at ray test of a weld into a film through one wall of the pipeline.

13 cl, 3 dwg