	US 12,072,317 B2
	Wall thickness detection of a material layer using ultrasound
Nourreddine Bouaoua, Karlsruhe (DE)
Assigned to ROSEN SWISS AG, Stans (CH)
Appl. No. 17/790,118
Filed by ROSEN SWISS AG, Stans (CH)
PCT Filed Jan. 6, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/050130 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 29, 2022, PCT Pub. No. WO2021/140120, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 15, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020/5004 (BE), filed on Jan. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0042853 A1, Feb. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. G01N 29/07 (2006.01); G01N 29/44 (2006.01)

CPC G01N 29/07 (2013.01) [G01N 29/4454 (2013.01)]

9 Claims

1. A method for determining a wall thickness (WT) of a material layer (2) of a pipeline wall (3) by means of an acoustic sensor system (1), with alignment tolerances of up to five degrees with respect to a surface normal (N) at a point to which an ultrasonic beam with the area of greatest intensity of a beam belt of the ultrasonic beam is directed,

wherein the method comprises the steps of:

operating (S100) at least one transmitter unit (4) in order to emit ultrasound toward the material layer (2) and to detect an ultrasound echo reflected from the material layer (2),

wherein the at least one transmitter unit (4) emits ultrasound with a wavelength (λ) satisfying the following condition:

λ>>|Dl−Dk|,

where Dl is an acoustic path of an ultrasonic beam emerging from a portion of the beam exit surface of the transmitter unit (4) remote from the pipeline wall (3),

and Dk is an acoustic path of an ultrasonic beam emerging from a portion of the beam exit surface of the transmitter unit (4) closest to the pipeline wall (3); and

operating (S200) a control unit (5) signally connected to the at least one transmitter unit (4) in order to determine a wall thickness (WT) of the material layer (2) based on the ultrasonic echo.