# US 2013/0239688 A1 · Pipe processing device and pipe processing method

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- Number: US 2013/0239688 A1
- Document ID: US20130239688A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/990,477
- Filed: 2012-02-21
- Published: 2013-09-19
- Earliest claimed: 2011-04-04
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
- Inventors: Jun Fujita; Kyoichi Yoshioka; Yoshikatsu Takeda
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130239688A1

## CPC

- G01N 29/04: Analysing solids (using acoustic emission techniques G01N29/14)
- F22B 37/003: {Maintenance, repairing or inspecting equipment positioned in or via the headers}
- G01B 17/00: Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic vibrations
- G01N 29/043: {in the interior, e.g. by shear waves}
- G01N 29/225: {Supports, positioning or alignment in moving situation}
- G01N 29/265: by moving the sensor relative to a stationary material
- G21C 17/017: Inspection or maintenance of pipe-lines or tubes in nuclear installations
- G01N 2291/2636: cylindrical from inside
- G01N 2291/267: Welds
- Y02E 30/30: Nuclear fission reactors
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- F22B: METHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; STEAM BOILERS
- G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- G21C: NUCLEAR REACTORS (fusion reactors, hybrid fission-fusion reactors G21B; nuclear explosives G21J)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A pipe processing device provided with a subject insertion body (1) includes an insertion end portion (2) that is provided on a front side of the subject insertion body inserted into the pipe and is formed on an outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of the pipe, an axial ultrasonic sensor (21) that transmits and receives a sonic wave in an insertion direction with respect to a front end of the insertion end portion, a radial ultrasonic sensor (22) that transmits and receives a sonic wave in a direction intersecting a center axis at a side portion of the insertion end portion, and a control unit that controls the movement mechanism according to detection results of the axial ultrasonic sensor and the radial ultrasonic sensor.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A pipe processing device provided with an subject insertion body, which is inserted into a pipe from an opening portion of the pipe, to be movable by a movement mechanism in an axial direction along a center axis of the subject insertion body, a radial direction perpendicular to the center axis, a rotation direction of rotating about the center axis, and an oblique direction oblique with respect to the center axis, the pipe processing device comprising:
an insertion end portion that is provided on a front side of the subject insertion body to be inserted into the pipe and is formed in a smaller outer diameter than an inner diameter of the pipe;
an axial ultrasonic sensor that transmits and receives a sonic wave in an insertion direction with respect to a front end of the insertion end portion;
a radial ultrasonic sensor that transmits and receives a sonic wave in a direction intersecting the center axis at a side portion of the insertion end portion; and
a control unit that controls the movement mechanism according to detection results of the axial ultrasonic sensor and the radial ultrasonic sensor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The pipe processing device according to claim 1, wherein the insertion end portion is formed to be tapered toward the front side.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The pipe processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a sensor support portion that is provided on the side portion of the subject insertion body and in which a plurality of inspection ultrasonic sensors transmitting and receiving a sonic wave in a direction intersecting the center axis is disposed along the center axis,
wherein a plurality of the sensor support portions is provided at symmetrical positions about the center axis.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The pipe processing device according to claim 3, wherein the sensor support portions are supported to be slidable in a radial direction perpendicular to the center axis, and are elastically biased in a protrusion direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The pipe processing device according to claim 3, wherein the sensor support portions are supported to be tiltable in a front and back direction of insertion.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The pipe processing device according to claim 5, wherein the sensor support portions supported to be tiltable in the front and back direction are elastically biased in the front direction.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The pipe processing device according to claim 3, wherein the sensor support portions are supported to be tiltable in a circumferential direction.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The pipe processing device according to claim 3, wherein at least three inspection ultrasonic sensors are disposed along the center axis with respect to the sensor support portions, and the inspection ultrasonic sensor positioned on the intermediate side is supported to be slidable in a protrusion direction from an outer face of the sensor support portion and is elastically biased in the protrusion direction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 3)

The pipe processing device according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of protrusion portions provided to protrude on the side portion of the subject insertion body is provided at symmetrical positions about the center axis, is supported to be slidable in a radial direction perpendicular to the center axis, and is elastically biased in a protrusion direction.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The pipe processing device according to claim 9, wherein the protrusion portions are equally disposed in a circumferential direction about the center axis as a reference along with the sensor support portions.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The pipe processing device according to claim 9, wherein at least one outer corner of the subject insertion body, the insertion end portion, the sensor support portion, or the protrusion portion is arc or chamfered-processed.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

A pipe processing method for moving the pipe processing device according to claim 1 by the movement mechanism to insert the pipe processing device from the opening portion of the pipe into the pipe, the method comprising:
disposing the subject insertion body at a position of detecting a distance from an outer edge of the opening portion of the pipe by the axial ultrasonic sensor;
moving the subject insertion body in a radial direction to a position where the distance detected by the axial ultrasonic sensor is larger than the outer edge of the opening portion of the pipe;
moving the subject insertion body in an axial direction to a position where an inner face of the pipe is detected by the radial ultrasonic sensor;
detecting a distance from the inner face of the pipe by the radial ultrasonic sensor while rotating the subject insertion body in a rotation direction, and moving the subject insertion body in a radial direction to a position where the distance is the same;
moving the subject insertion body in an axial direction by a predetermined distance, detecting a distance from the inner face of the pipe by the radial ultrasonic sensor while rotating the subject insertion body in a rotation direction, and moving the subject insertion body in a radial direction to a position where the distance is the same; and
moving the subject insertion body in an oblique direction to a position where the center axis coincides with a line connecting two points with the same distance from the inner face of the pipe and moving the subject insertion body in an axial direction to insert the subject insertion body into the pipe.