Most standards for ultrasonic testing (UT) of seamless pipe require the inspection of the following defect types:

Emerging longitudinal cracks (parallel to pipe axis), from internal and external surface Emerging transversal cracks (in the circumference of the pipe), from internal and external surface Lamination defects (parallel to the surface) and pipe wall thickness variations. In addition to these typical standards, oblique flaw testing for one or multiple defect orientations is recommended or required by international state-of-the-art standards for oil country tubular goods, more commonly referred to as OCTG, and line pipe testing.

High sensitivity, repeatability, and productivity of the UT testing system are key features for customers producing OCTG and line pipes. Depending on the inspection requirements, UT testing machines linear with rotational transport systems can be used - especially phased array technology which has demonstrated its capability to cope with the high-performance requirements previously mentioned.

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