The in-line inspection of pipelines has been the domain of magnetic flux leakage (MFL) tools for half a century; however, there are many pipelinecs that cannot be inspected with MFL tools. Internal scale and deposits in water and sewer pipes; wax and low-flow conditions in oil pipelines; elbows and pipes with multiple diameters can be insurmountable challenges for MFL tools. For the past decade, Remote Field Technology (RFT) has been increasingly applied in these challenging conditions with good success. This paper discusses the basic principles of RFT and describes several case studies where RFT has been successfully used to inspect pipelines for corrosion, through thick liners and scale. MFL and RFT are compared for their respective strengths and limitations.
Increased Use of Remote Field Technology (RFT) for In-line inspection Tools
