Professor Atherton has acted as specialist consultant to TransCanada Pipelines and Pipetronix Ltd advising on the development of advanced in line pipeline monitoring tools for more than 17 years. He is also a consultant to Russell Technologies, the world leader in the use of the Remote Field Eddy Current (RFEC) technique for inspecting heat exchanger tubes. His Applied Magnetics Group is currently collaborating with Pipetronix on R&D on advanced magnetic flux leakage (MFL) tools and the remote field eddy current inspection technique and are conducting research on RFEC defect interaction mechanisms and the effects of line pressure stress on MFL signals sponsorsed by Gas Research Institute. They are particularly concerned with the development of tools for smaller diameter and thicker walled lines and with the effects of line pressure stress and tool speed on MFL signals. This work is supported by fundamental research on the effects of stress on the magnetization of pipeline steels, ferromagnetic hysteresis theories and surface magnetic Barkhausen noise studies. Professor Atherton's Applied Magnetics Group are well known internationally for their work in all these areas and were honored in 1990 with the American Society for Nondestructive Testing's Achievement Award and in 1995 with an NSERC - Conference Board of Canada Prix d'Excellence for R&D Partnership with Pipetronix Ltd.
The Applied Magnetics Group is supported under long term, 3 year grants, currently totalling more than $750,000 p.a. from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Pipetronix Ltd., Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities and U.S. Gas Research Institute.
In recent years additional contracts have been received from Atomic Energy of Canada, Pipetronix Ltd., National Research Council of Canada (Industrial Materials Research Institute), Department of Energy Mines and Resources (CANMET) and Canadian Centre for Minerals and Energy Technology.
Advanced Magnetic Flux Leakage Inspection Tools
Remote Field Eddy Current Through Wall Technique
Effect of Stress on Magnetization of Pipeline Steel
Ferromagnetic Hysteresis Theory
Other
The majority of graduates from Prof. Atherton's AMG are employed in
industry. Several of these have continued to practice non-destructive evaluation
and testing. AMG graduates are currently employed by all the institutions
that the group collaborates with including Pipetronix Ltd.(5), Russell Technologies
Over seventeen years ago, I was asked, as a Specialist Magnetics Engineer, to consult for TransCanada PipeLines and advise them on the development of their magnetic flux leakage detectors. This opportunity has proved to have a major impact on my own research, and I have continued to work very closely with TCPL and their subsidiary, Pipetronix, who later joined Preussag AG, ever since.
It soon became apparent that some of my suggestions were better suited to university research. So, in 1979, I obtained a 3-year $20,000 p.a. NSERC Strategic Grant for magnetometer development for pipeline inspection. Our efforts at Queen's and TCPL grew along complementary lines, and we also became interested in the magnetic monitoring of stress in pipelines.
In 1981, we were awarded a 2-year $113,000 contract from EMR (CANMET) and NRC (IMRI) in order to investigate the effects of stress on the magnetic properties of pipeline steels. This research eventually led to two important breakthroughs: (1) the first theory of ferromagnetic hysteresis to include interaction between domains and pinning effects and (2) the first coherent qualitative explanaion of the effects of cyclic stress on magnetization.
Our initial NSERC strategic grant was followed in 1982 by a second 3-year $70,000 p.a. grant for the development of magnetic inspection techniques for pipelines. In 1982, we were awarded an Ontario BILD Equipment Grant for instrumentation.
This was followed in 1984 by a $39,000 NSERC Strategic Equipment Grant to construct a rotating drum test rig, measure the dynamic performance of detectors, investigate the effects of hydraulically simulated line pressure stress on detector performance, and develop both multi-detector and signal correlating systems. We also received a 2-year $137,000 continuation to our CANMET/IMRI contract, in order to extend our studies of the effect of stress on magnetization. We were also awarded a joint NSERC Strategic Equipment Grant of $64,000 with colleagues in Electrical Engineering, for a finite element field analysis facility. We have upgraded several this often since and use it extensively for field calculations and detector design.
In 1985, we were awarded another 3-year NSERC Strategic Grant totalling $200,280 in order to use the rotating drum rig to examine detector performance in detail, develop new sensors, and use the finite element package to examine the use of high strength permanent magnets for detectors.
We have also investigated various eddy current techniques. In 1983, T. R. Schmidt, then with Shell Development in Houston, piqued our interest in the unusual through-wall remote field (RFEC) eddy current technique. We obtained a 3-year $32,354 p.a. contract from AECL to work with CRNL on the application of this technique to CANDU reactor pressure tubes. Tom Schmidt retired from Shell in 1987, and has joined us as a Visiting Adjunct Professor for 5 months every summer since then.
Early in 1988, we started a three year collaborative program with Pipetronix in order to develop advanced magnetic inspection tools for pipelines, and further investigate the potential application of the remote field eddy current technique to pipeline monitoring. Our research was supported by an NSERC/Pipetronix $210,000 p.a. U.I. grant, and a $70,000 p.a. Ontario URIF award for equipment.
This was followed in 1991 by a second three year collaborative program with Pipetronix for development of small diameter tools and investigation of remote field techniques for detection of stress corrosion cracking in pipelines. This research was supported by an NSERC/Pipetronix $180,000 p.a. C.R.D. grant, and a $60,000 p.a. Ontario URIF award for finite element field calculations for remote field and flux leakage inspection tools.
In 1994 we were awarded a third NSERC/Pipetronix three year collaborative $199,100 p.a. R&D grant for work on nondestructive characterization of pipeline steels and tool development.
Our work on the remote field eddy current inspection technique has also progressed very well. This progress can be partly attributed to the fact that we are the only group using combined analytic, finite element and experimental investigations. Our group can lay good claim to being amongst the world leaders and was awarded the 1990 American Society for Nondestructive Testing's Achievement Award for some of this work. We also organize and host an International Conference on the Remote Field Eddy Current Technique every third year. The fourth of these conferences was held in August 1997.
In 1991 we were awarded a new 3-year NSERC Strategic Grant worth $61,800 p.a. for research on the use of remote field eddy current inspection for heat exchanger tubes. This enabled us to expand collaboration with Russell Technologies, Edmonton, who are the world leaders in the use of remote field techniques for inspecting small diameter tubing. Additional support for this work was received in 1993 from an NRC IRAP award to Russell Technologies.
This was followed, in 1995, by a further 3-year $75,000 p.a. NSERC Strategic Grant for research on RFEC defect responses in bends and near heat exchanger support plates. This allows further collaboration with Russell Technologies and also investigation of the potential use of RFEC for inspection of large water supply pipes.
In 1992 we also received a 3-year contract for US$458,817 from Gas Research Institute, Chicago for an investigation of remote field slit defect interactions using a special "phantom exciter coil" simulation.
In 1993 we received a second 3-year contract for US$536,760 from Gas Research Institute, Chicago for research on the effects of line pressure stress, magnetic properties and test conditions on magnetic flux leakage signals. In 1994 Pipetronix were awarded a large contract to develop special inspection tools for a very high performance pipeline. Five graduates from the Applied Magnetics Group have been hired by Pipetronix and are working on this project. Pipetronix also awarded us a further $100,000 subcontract to make detailed measurements of the magnetic properties and the effects of stress on pipe samples and to collaborate on the development of the new tools.
The result of this support has both helped to establish our group as amongst the world experts in the five fields of our R&D (ferromagnetic hysteresis theory, the interaction between magnetic and stress effects, magnetic Barkhausen noise, the remote field eddy current technique and magnetic inspection techniques for pipelines), and to produce a large number of publications, and also to generate many techniques with industrial importance.
ion, particularly with Pipetronix and also with AECL Research and, more recently, with Russell Technologies. All of these organizations now employ graduates from my Applied Magnetics Group. We have written more than 300 reports for these groups, have exchanged test samples, equipment and software as well as personnel for training. We put considerable effort into technology transfer. This was recognized a the 1995 Award to Pipetronix and ourselves for Best Practices in University-Industry R&D Partnerships by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Conference Board of Canada.
Created by Inba Kehoe (KEHOE@QUCDN.QUEENSU.CA)
Maintained by Pat Weyman(weymanp@physics.queensu.ca)
URL:http://phy-server.phy.queensu.ca/wwwhome/atherton/magnetics_intro.html
