Ultrasound devices and methods for fuel channel inspection

A device for inspecting a conduit, comprising:

• a body configured to be inserted into an interior cavity of the conduit along an axial dimension of the conduit, such that a longitudinal axis of the body is substantially aligned with the axial dimension of the conduit;
• a plurality of UT arrays, each UT array being located at a respective axial location along the longitudinal axis and defining an arc along a portion of a circumference of the body, each UT array comprising:
• a plurality of ultrasound transducer (UT) elements, each respective UT element being located at a respective circumferential position along the arc of the UT array, the circumferential position corresponding to a circumferential portion of the conduit;
• control circuitry configured to activate the UT elements of the UT arrays according to an activation pattern such that each UT element transmits ultrasound at each of a plurality of axial locations of the respective circumferential portion of the conduit;
• and
• data collection circuitry configured to collect ultrasound data from the UT elements of the UT arrays according to a collection pattern such that the ultrasound data is collected from each respective UT element with respect to each of a plurality of axial locations of the respective circumferential portion of the conduit;
• wherein the plurality of UT arrays includes:
• a first pair of UT arrays each defining an arc of less than 180 degrees on a pair of substantially opposite circumferential portions of the body, at a first axial position;
• and
• a second pair of UT arrays each defining an arc of less than 180 degrees on a pair of substantially opposite circumferential portions of the body, at a second axial position, and wherein area covered by the first pair of arrays and area covered by the second pair of arrays collectively encompasses an entire longitudinal axis of the conduit.

A method for inspecting a conduit, comprising:

• inserting, into an interior cavity of the conduit along an axial dimension of the conduit, a device;
• such that a longitudinal axis of the device is substantially aligned with an axial dimension of the conduit;
• the device including a plurality of ultrasound transducer (UT) elements including:
• a first plurality of UT elements at a first axial location along the longitudinal axis and defining a first partial circumferential portion of the device with respect to the longitudinal axis;
• a second plurality of UT elements at a second axial location along the longitudinal axis and defining a second partial circumferential portion of the device with respect to the longitudinal axis;
• the first partial circumferential portion and the second partial circumferential portion having a non-zero circumferential overlap;
• displacing the device with respect to the axial dimension;
• and
• while displacing the device with respect to the axial dimension:
• activating the UT elements according to an activation pattern such that each UT element transmits ultrasound at each of a plurality of axial locations of the conduit;
• and
• collecting ultrasound data from the UT elements according to a collection pattern such that the ultrasound data is collected from each respective UT element with respect to each of a plurality of axial locations of the conduit.