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Monitoring Welded Joints of Steel Pressure Vessels Using Acoustic Emission: Case Study

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Abstract

Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring was conducted to detect and assess crack initiation and/or growth activity at welded joints of a steel pressure vessel. AE characteristics and source localization were dynamically monitored during normal vessel operation in a refinery environment. Possible noise sources were identified and related signals were filtered out. A signal-parameter approach used to analyze AE data generated from flawless and defective welded joints showed that AE energy is a reliable feature to confirm crack activity in a high-noise environment. Crack growth rate was evaluated from changing rates in AE parameters which were correlated to ultrasonic measurements. Sensors placement at seven times the vessel wall thickness is recommended as optimal spacing between sensors and an experimental equation for crack growth evaluation is proposed. This procedure is a cost-effective AE nondestructive examination method to confirm or deny cracking activities, classify damage related to failure mechanisms and assess structural integrity.

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source location accuracy

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source location for online monitoring before filtering

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source location for online monitoring after filtering using FE100

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source location for online monitoring after filtering using FE1000

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering, Menoufia University, Shebeen El-Kom, Egypt

    Wael A. Megid

  2. TISEC Inc., Morin Heights, Canada

    Juan Mejia, Rohit Modwel & D. Robert Hay

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  1. Wael A. Megid
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  2. Juan Mejia
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  3. Rohit Modwel
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  4. D. Robert Hay
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Correspondence to Wael A. Megid.

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Megid, W.A., Mejia, J., Modwel, R. et al. Monitoring Welded Joints of Steel Pressure Vessels Using Acoustic Emission: Case Study. Trans Indian Inst Met 75, 2199–2209 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12666-022-02599-1

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