TPT March 2011
I nspection , T esting & Q uality C ontrol New inspection tools for pipe manufacture Unfortunately, when he questioned the inspector he was informed that he estimated the distance by eye. The supervisor asked him to find a ruler and he was not able to find one.
ON numerous visits to pipe mills around the world, Optical Metrology Services (OMS) has noticed that the tools being used to inspect pipes are not up to the standard expected by demanding clients in the oil and gas sector. One example is the case of a quality control manager explaining how pipe straightness is measured. He illustrated how the fishing line was tightened between the ends of the pipe and the gap between the line and the pipe was measured.
straightness of a pipe at any point along its length. Dr Clarke, founder of OMS, commented, “I am personally amazed that pipe mills do not have technology like this to understand their manufacturing processes in more detail. We are often brought in to provide missing information about dimensions such as pipe shape, ovality, end-squareness, bevel geometry, weld geometry, and counterboring, to name but a few.” The pipe straightness tool consists of a laser, which is magnetically clamped to a pipe. The laser beam is steered until it aligns with a line at the opposite end of the pipe which is at exactly the same height as the laser beam. As the laser beam is straight, does not bend under gravity and is not deflected by wind, moving a measuring device between the two ends of the pipe allows the pipe straightness to be measured from a digital readout. Optical Metrology Services – UK Fax: +44 8700 940014 Email: sales@omsmeasure.com Website: www.omsmeasure.com
A number of Pipe Checker TM tools have been developed byOMS to provide accurate, traceable quality control information to pipe mills. Pipe straightness is measured using a laser tool that is calibrated and enables an operator to easily determine the out of
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M arch 2011
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