Internal riser inspection device and methods of using same

An apparatus for inspecting vertically supported fluid filled drilling riser, comprising:

• a body adapted to be filled with an acoustic liquid and adapted to be connected to a wireline for deployment in the drilling riser;
• a video module carried by the body, the video module including a video camera positioned to view an inner diameter of the drilling riser to detect a position of a weld in the drilling riser;
• a time of flight diffusion (TOFD) module positioned within the body, the TOFD module including a rotatable shaft positioned parallel to a longitudinal axis of the body, a TOFD transmitter transducer connected to a first TOFD mount and positioned to transmit an acoustic signal through a weld volume, a TOFD receiver transducer connected to a second TOFD mount and positioned adjacent to and spaced apart from the first TOFD transmitter transducer along the longitudinal axis of the body and positioned to receive a portion of the acoustic signal defining a weld volume data signal, each of the transducer mounts connected to the rotatable drive shaft to provide a rotational platform for the TOFD transmitter transducer and TOFD receiver transducer;
• a wall thickness module positioned non-rotatably within the body, the wall thickness module including a plurality of fixedly mounted wall inspection transducers positioned to transmit a pulse echo signal and receive at least a portion of the pulse echo signal defining a wall thickness data signal;
• a data module within the body electrically connected to the TOFD module, the wall thickness module, and the video module, and adapted to gather signal from the TOFD module, the wall thickness module, and the video module;
• a centralizer connected to an external surface of the body and adapted to conform to varying drilling riser inner diameter sizes to maintain the body substantially in the center of the inner diameter of the drilling riser;
• and
• a controller electrically connected to the data module and remotely positioned to receive data signals from the TOFD module, the wall thickness module, and the video module.

An apparatus for inspecting vertically supported fluid filled drilling riser pipe, comprising:

• means for deploying an inspection apparatus on a line into the drilling riser, the inspection apparatus including at least one acoustical transducer placed within a housing;
• means for centralizing the apparatus in the drilling riser with the transducer spaced inward from a wall of the riser by an annular clearance;
• means for periodically causing the transducer to emit an acoustical signal through the housing and through the seawater in the annular clearance and into the wall of the drilling riser;
• and
• means for detecting a return acoustical signal from the wall of the drilling riser.