Nondestructive Evaluation:

Enhanced ID Pit Sizing for Heat

Exchangers

Technical Report

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10308195
Nondestructive Evaluation:
Enhanced ID Pit Sizing for Heat
Exchangers

1013454

Final Report, November 2006

Cosponsors
Exelon Generation Company
4300 Winfield Road
Warrenville, IL 60555
Project Manager: H. Smith
Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation
1550 Oxen Lane N
Burlington, KS 66839
Project Manager: J. Hall
PPL Susquehanna, LLC
707 Salem Blvd. (NUCSA1)
P.O. Box 467
Berwick, PA 18603
Project Manager: D. Leimbach
Progress Energy
410 S. Wilmington Street
M/S PEB-6
Raleigh, NC 27601
Project Manager: T. Bipes.

EPRI Project Manager

K. Krzywosz

ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE

3420 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304-1338 ▪ PO Box 10412, Palo Alto, California 94303-0813 ▪ USA
800.313.3774 ▪ 650.855.2121 ▪ askepri@epri.com ▪ www.epri.com

10308195
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITIES
THIS DOCUMENT WAS PREPARED BY THE ORGANIZATION(S) NAMED BELOW AS AN
ACCOUNT OF WORK SPONSORED OR COSPONSORED BY THE ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH
INSTITUTE, INC. (EPRI). NEITHER EPRI, ANY MEMBER OF EPRI, ANY COSPONSOR, THE
ORGANIZATION(S) BELOW, NOR ANY PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF ANY OF THEM:

(A) MAKES ANY WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION WHATSOEVER, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, (I)

WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF ANY INFORMATION, APPARATUS, METHOD, PROCESS, OR
SIMILAR ITEM DISCLOSED IN THIS DOCUMENT, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR (II) THAT SUCH USE DOES NOT INFRINGE ON OR
INTERFERE WITH PRIVATELY OWNED RIGHTS, INCLUDING ANY PARTY'S INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY, OR (III) THAT THIS DOCUMENT IS SUITABLE TO ANY PARTICULAR USER'S
CIRCUMSTANCE; OR

(B) ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY WHATSOEVER

(INCLUDING ANY CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF EPRI OR ANY EPRI REPRESENTATIVE
HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES) RESULTING FROM YOUR
SELECTION OR USE OF THIS DOCUMENT OR ANY INFORMATION, APPARATUS, METHOD,
PROCESS, OR SIMILAR ITEM DISCLOSED IN THIS DOCUMENT.

ORGANIZATION(S) THAT PREPARED THIS DOCUMENT

Image Analytics

Electric Power Research Institute

NOTE
For further information about EPRI, call the EPRI Customer Assistance Center at 800.313.3774 or
e-mail askepri@epri.com.

Electric Power Research Institute and EPRI are registered service marks of the Electric Power
Research Institute, Inc.

Copyright © 2006 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

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CITATIONS

This report was prepared by

Image Analytics
5728 Knobcone Drive
El Sobrante, CA 94803

Principal Investigator
T. Waite

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) Center
1300 W.T. Harris Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28262

Principal Investigator
K. Krzywosz

This document describes research sponsored by EPRI; Exelon Generation Company; Wolf Creek
Nuclear Operating Corporation; PPL Susquehanna, LLC; and Progress Energy.

The report is a corporate document that should be cited in the literature in the following manner:

Nondestructive Evaluation Center: Enhanced ID Pit Sizing for Heat Exchangers. EPRI, Palo
Alto, CA; Exelon Generation Company, Warrenville, IL; Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating
Corporation, Burlington, KS; PPL Susquehanna, LLC, Berwick, PA; Progress Energy, Raleigh,
NC: 2006. 1013454.

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10308195
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

This report summarizes results of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) involving enhanced pit sizing
from the inside diameter (ID) of condenser tubing made of Type 304 stainless steel. More
traditional ID pit sizing involves selecting one optimum sizing frequency to perform either
phase-angle- or amplitude-based eddy current signal analysis. A recent analysis approach relies
on both phase-angle and amplitude information from multiple operating frequencies to better
depth size ID-initiating pits. The resultant multivariate regression algorithms offer enhanced pit
sizing over the traditional univariate phase-angle analysis based on the destructive sectioning
results of selected field-removed pits.

Results and Findings

Eleven pits were selected for destructive analyses, and a comparison was made of the
multivariate regression analysis results with those from the traditional univariate phase-angle
analysis obtained from the 600-kHz data.
The comparative results clearly showed that the multivariate regression analysis produced better
overall pit depth sizing results than did the univariate phase-angle-based sizing. The selected pit
samples for destructive sectioning showed a wide range of “ground truth” pit depth information,
thus representing a good range of data for validation. The statistically compared ground truth
versus NDE estimates showed a smaller overall mean regression error for depth sizing based on
the multivariate regression analysis compared to the univariate phase-angle analysis.

Challenges and Objectives

The developed analysis algorithm is material-, damage-, and eddy current probe-specific, and as
such, similar but new algorithms need to be developed if any of the following parameters
change:
• Tubing material and wall thickness
• Damage mechanisms
• Types of bobbin coil, for example, use of a low- or high-frequency probe based on coil
widths, coil separation distance, and overall probe cable length
The developed regression-based algorithm needs to be validated by incorporating it as part of
existing data-analysis software. A concerted effort will be required to work with a vendor to
incorporate the software as an eddy current data analysis module. Ultimately, a library of
analysis algorithms for condensers and other heat exchangers can be built for material-, damage-,
and probe-specific applications found in power plants.

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Applications, Value, and Use
Most essential and non-essential heat exchangers suffer from some form of corrosion inside the
tube surface that results in corrosion pits. The developed algorithm for enhanced ID pit sizing is
applicable to stainless steel condenser tubing, 1" (25.4 mm) outside diameter (OD) by 0.028"
(0.711 mm) nominal wall, affected by microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) pits. The
evaluated data were obtained using narrow-groove, high-frequency bobbin probes.
To have real impact with increased reliability for sizing MIC-type ID pits, the developed
algorithm will eventually be integrated as part of the commercially available data-analysis
software. This will increase the availability and wider use of the developed algorithm by eddy
current analysts.

EPRI Perspective
A first step has been taken by EPRI to demonstrate and introduce this first-of-a-kind data-
analysis algorithm for improving the depth sizing of ID pits found in typical stainless steel
condenser tubing.
Additional steps will be taken for follow-on efforts to commercialize the developed product by
communicating with a potential eddy current vendor. EPRI is hopeful that the developed
algorithm can be included as an add-on module to existing commercially available eddy current
data-analysis software.

Approach
Depth estimation of MIC-type ID pits using a multiple regression model has been developed
using two different models of ideal pit morphology: round pits with differing diameters and
elongated pits with differing diameters and differing length-width ratios. Analysis of multivariate
regression using frequency, amplitude, and phase, as compared to univariate phase, showed
superior results.

Keywords
Stainless steel tubing
Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) pits
Eddy current NDE
Multivariate regression analysis
ID pit sizing

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ABSTRACT

EPRI is funding a program to enhance and improve the reliability of ID pit sizing for balance-of
plant heat exchangers, such as condensers and component cooling water heat exchangers. More
traditional approaches to ID pit sizing involve the use of optimum sizing frequency-specific
amplitude or phase angles. Under this project, the enhanced multivariate regression algorithm for
ID pit depth sizing incorporates three simultaneous input parameters of frequency, amplitude,
and phase angle.

Calibration data sets consisting of machined pits of various rounded and elongated shapes and
depths were acquired in the frequency range of 100 kHz to 1 MHz for stainless steel tubing with
a nominal wall thickness of 0.028" (0.711 mm). To add noise to the acquired data set, each test
sample was rotated, and test data were acquired at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock positions. The ID
pit depths were estimated using second-order and fourth-order regression functions by relying on
normalized amplitude and phase-angle information from multiple frequencies. Due to unique
damage morphology associated with the microbiologically-influenced ID pits, it was necessary
to modify the elongated calibration-standard-based algorithms by relying on the algorithm
developed solely from the destructive sectioning results.

This paper presents the use of the transformed multivariate regression algorithm to estimate ID
pit depths and compares the results with the traditional univariate phase-angle analysis. The
multivariate regression analysis provided better pit depth sizing results in comparison to
univariate phase-angle analysis.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The work presented in this report was performed under EPRI contract by Tom Waite of Image
Analytics. His efforts for developing the research-grade multivariate ID pit sizing algorithms are
gratefully acknowledged.

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CONTENTS

1 BACKGROUND......................................................................................................................1-1

2 FIELD PITS.............................................................................................................................2-1

3 MULTIVARIATE FLAW DEPTH REGRESSION SOFTWARE ..............................................3-1

ID Pit Analysis Software Description .....................................................................................3-1
General Software Module Functions .....................................................................................3-2
Hidden File ............................................................................................................................3-3
Software Modules..................................................................................................................3-4
Calibration Tube Processing ............................................................................................3-4
Building the Calibration File .........................................................................................3-6
Building the Feature Database ....................................................................................3-7
Calibration Tube Regression ............................................................................................3-8
Field Tube Processing....................................................................................................3-13
Field Tube Analysis ........................................................................................................3-18
Shape Analysis...............................................................................................................3-23

4 EVALUATION RESULTS.......................................................................................................4-1

5 SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................5-1

A CALIBRATION DRAWINGS................................................................................................. A-1

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1-1 ID Pit Signal Displayed as a Complex Lissajous Pattern with Associated X
and Y Strip Chart Components ..........................................................................................1-2
Figure 2-1 Cross-Sectional View of Different MIC-Type ID Pits ................................................2-2
Figure 3-1 PitMaster Control Functions .....................................................................................3-2
Figure 3-2 CalTube Feature Extractor Modules.........................................................................3-4
Figure 3-3 Cal File Setup for Building Elongated Pit Calibration ...............................................3-5
Figure 3-4 Selection and Normalization of Calibration Hole ......................................................3-6
Figure 3-5 Stored Training Database of Elongated Pit Signal Features ....................................3-8
Figure 3-6 3D Display of Elongated Pit Features.......................................................................3-9
Figure 3-7 Multivariate Regression Analysis Results from a Second-Order Mapping
Algorithm ..........................................................................................................................3-10
Figure 3-8 Multivariate Regression Analysis Results from a Fourth-Order Mapping
Algorithm ..........................................................................................................................3-11
Figure 3-9 Univariate Phase-Angle Regression Analysis Results ...........................................3-12
Figure 3-10 PitAnalyzer Module of Field Tube Processing Section .........................................3-13
Figure 3-11 Normalized Field Pit 0739 based on the 3-o’Clock Calibration DB.......................3-14
Figure 3-12 Field Pit Depth Estimates from Four Clock Angle Positions Based on the
Rounded and Elongated Ideal Pit Models ........................................................................3-15
Figure 3-13 Multiple Signal Features for Field Pit 4097 ...........................................................3-16
Figure 3-14 Regressed Pit Depths for Field Pit 4097 using Rounded and Elongated
Models..............................................................................................................................3-17
Figure 3-15 Field-PitAnalysis Window .....................................................................................3-18
Figure 3-16 Field Pit Features in 3D Display Box ....................................................................3-19
Figure 3-17 Second-Order Regression Function and Associated Pit Depth Errors .................3-20
Figure 3-18 Fourth-Order Regression Function and Associated Pit Depth Errors...................3-20
Figure 3-19 Univariate Phase-Angle Function and Associated Pit Depth Errors .....................3-21
Figure 3-20 Developed TER Model and Comparison of Pit Depth Estimates..........................3-22
Figure 4-1 Fourth-Order TER Model Analysis Results ..............................................................4-1
Figure 4-2 Univariate Phase-Angle Analysis Results ................................................................4-2
Figure A-1 ASME Calibration Standard .................................................................................... A-1
Figure A-2 Round Bottom Pit Calibration Standard .................................................................. A-2
Figure A-3 Elongated Pit Standard – 1/8” Long by 1/32” Wide................................................. A-3
Figure A-4 Elongated Pit Standard – 3/16” Long by 1/16” Wide............................................... A-4

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Figure A-5 Elongated Pit Standard – 3/16” Long by 1/32” Wide............................................... A-5
Figure A-6 Elongated Break-Through Pit Standard .................................................................. A-6

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 2-1 Destructive Sectioning Results of Field Pits ..............................................................2-1

Table 3-1 Elongated Pit Dimensions Associated with File Extensions ......................................3-7

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1
BACKGROUND

The nondestructive evaluation (NDE) method of multi-channel eddy current testing uses an array
of signals of up to four separate operating frequencies. An area of concern in balance-of-plant
(BOP) heat exchanger tube NDE is inside diameter (ID) pitting caused, for example, by
microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). The detection problem is to locate and
discriminate the relevant ID pit signals from nonrelevant tubing signals consisting of geometrical
change and possible inside-/outside-diameter (ID/OD) deposits. The sizing problem includes
measuring the ID pit depth from the signal.

The field of statistical pattern recognition deals with signal detection problems. The core idea in
pattern recognition is to reduce the signal in the region of interest to a set of features, for
example, a feature vector that (1) describes the signal in a low-dimensional space and (2) is
optimal for discriminating a signal of interest from other signals with minimal error.

The eddy current signal used in NDE is a complex impedance signal from induction bobbin
coils, excited at up to four different frequencies. The signal is multi-channel in that both in-phase
(real) and out-of-phase (imaginary) signal components can be acquired at up to four separate
frequencies in both absolute and differential modes. For pit depth estimation, only the
differential mode of signals is used. Each frequency has a different “skin” depth penetration, as
predicted by Maxwell’s equations, and can provide different material property changes,
including various flaw conditions.

The complex signal for each frequency can be processed in a Cartesian coordinate system of real
(x) and imaginary (y) components, or a complex polar coordinate system of vector quantities
involving amplitude and phase angle. Typically, the signal of interest is displayed as a vector
quantity in the form of a Lissajous pattern along with the respective x and y strip charts. In
general, the flaw depth estimates are made by measuring the sharp figure-eight transition line
defined by the signal phase angle. If the damage mechanism is known, the eddy current signal
amplitude can also be used at a lower operating frequency to equate signal amplitude to percent
of wall loss.

This report summarizes the effort and the results obtained to date based on the multivariate
regression analysis involving the use of phase-angle and amplitude features from up to eight
operating frequencies. The feature extraction process involved signal measurements from polar
(or Cartesian) coordinates of the normalized signals. In signal normalization, a calibration target,
a 0.067" (1.7 mm) diameter through-wall hole, is scaled and rotated to an angle of 40 degrees
from the 9:00 o’clock position in the polar plane. This normalization is applied to all calibration
signals.

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Background

In all cases, the traditional pit sizing is conducted using either phase angle or amplitude at a
pre-selected operating frequency. This represents a univariate depth estimation algorithm. The
current project involves a multivariate method and uses amplitude and phase, all measured as a
function of eddy current frequency. In Figure 1-1, a normalized field pit is shown in terms of
phase angle and amplitude at 800 kHz.

Figure 1-1
ID Pit Signal Displayed as a Complex Lissajous Pattern with Associated X and Y Strip
Chart Components

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2
FIELD PITS

Before the functions and merits of the developed ID pit sizing algorithm based on the
multivariate regression analysis are described, the following section offers the details of field pits
found in stainless steel condenser tubes.

Three different removed tubes containing MIC-type pits were destructively sectioned so that
selected destructive sectioning results could be used in the development and evaluation of the
enhanced ID pit sizing software. For pit identification, the last four digits were used to identify
the individual field pits, as shown in Table 2-1.

Table 2-1
Destructive Sectioning Results of Field Pits

Tube Thickness at Maximum Pit Depth

Condenser Tube
Maximum Pit Depth in μm Indication in Percentage of
Identification No.
in μm Wall Loss

FC R1 – T3 – 4097 453 670 68

FC R1 – T3 – 3977 635 674 94

FC R1 – T3 – 3895 673 673 100

FC R1 – T3 – 3873 686 686 100

FC R1 – T3 – 3155 133 697 19

FC R1 – T3 – 0739 511 700 73

FC R1 – T5 – 3268 586 639 92

FC R1 – T5 – 3245 364 641 57

FC R1 – T5 – 3224 < 186 649 < 29

FC R1 – T5 – 1617 576 672 86

FC R1 – T5 – 1576 496 648 77

EX-R1 – T5 – 1961 361 695 52

EX-R1 – T5 – 2023 314 699 45

1 μm (or micron) = 0.0394 mils

Figure 2-1 shows the morphology of different MIC-type ID pits, which were evaluated for this
pit sizing project.

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Field Pits

1 μm (or micron) = 0.0394 mils

Figure 2-1
Cross-Sectional View of Different MIC-Type ID Pits

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3
MULTIVARIATE FLAW DEPTH REGRESSION
SOFTWARE

The information in this section explains the functions of the research-grade multivariate analysis
software functions that were developed.

The multivariate flaw-depth regression software builds a mapping function, F(x), that maps
normalized features into ID pit depth, where x represents vector features, and F() represents a
linear function. For linear functions, F() is a second- or fourth-order polynomial function.

The overall approach for this ID pit depth sizing project was two-fold. The first was to construct
multivariate depth regression functions for rounded and elongated ID pits of simulated but
known size in 1.0" (25.4 mm) diameter tubes and to compare the depth estimates with the
univariate phase estimation method. The second approach was to use, directly or through an
additional transformation, the rounded or elongated regression models to estimate the pit depth
from the real field-removed tube samples.

ID Pit Analysis Software Description

The ID pit software tools are a collection of programs designed to:

• Process acquired, raw multi-channel eddy current signals
• Extract signal features
• Build regression functions for depth estimation
• Validate the functions on field-removed tube samples
• Provide statistical information regarding the accuracy of the developed algorithms by
comparing estimates to known pit depths

The developed research-grade software functions are described here in more detail.

The ID Pit software tools are a collection of programs and support files that you load on the C
drive in a directory named EPRI (C:\EPRI). The programs are run from a master control program
called PitMaster Tools Control. The opening window for the PitMaster software is shown below
in Figure 3-1. As shown, there are three major sections and a total of six modules or functions.

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Multivariate Flaw Depth Regression Software

Figure 3-1
PitMaster Control Functions

The tube database (DB) consists of two types of eddy current data runs. The first is 0.75"- and
1.0"- (19.05- and 25.4-mm-) diameter calibration tubes that contain round and elongated pits of
varying depths and diameters and axially oriented elongated pits. The second is field-removed
tubes that contain real MIC ID pits.

General Software Module Functions

The three major sections in the application and their modules are:
• Build/Process Database.
– The CalTube Processing module generates signal features that are saved in feature files
(designated with the file extension .FTR). It operates on calibration tubes, displays
multichannel/multifrequency signals, and is used to interactively extract signal features.
– The CalTube Regression module processes and displays in three dimensions (3D) the
acquired features and generates multivariate linear regression functions that are used in
field pit depth estimation.

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 Multivariate Flaw Depth Regression Software

• Field Analysis.
– The FieldTube Processing module analyzes field tubes and uses the elongated and round
pit depth regression functions to estimate features and depths in field ID pits. Depths are
based on the ideal pit module. The DB generated from this module is used to build real
pit-depth functions using either direct field pit regression or transformed ideal pit (round
and elongated) regression functions.
– The Field Tube Analysis module inputs the field feature data with the ground truth and
the ideal elongated estimates and generates a first-order correction, called the
Transformed Elongated Regression (TER). In addition, the module generates a direct
field regression and displays the mean and standard deviations of the mapping. The Field
Tube Analysis module also allows interactive construction of regression functions and
appears as similar to the CalTube Regression module. This module also imports the
CalTube elongated file, allows isolation of individual field pits, and displays the raw
elongated features that are close in depth (following the TER mapping of the elongated
pits) for further analysis.
• Shape Analysis.
– The Tube AutoShape module builds classifier functions that estimate pit shape. The
shape modules are used with the depth estimation functions for pit property estimation.
This function is not currently utilized.

Select Terminate to end the program.

Hidden File

Every directory of tubes contains a file called settings.set. This file is present because of the
unique MIZ 27 data header structures. The file contains the necessary four frequency header
information to allow display of acquired MIZ 27 data.

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Multivariate Flaw Depth Regression Software

Software Modules

Calibration Tube Processing

1. On the PitMaster Tools Control window, select CalTube Processing to launch the CalTube
Feature Extractor program, as shown in Figure 3-2.

Figure 3-2
CalTube Feature Extractor Modules

The CalTube Feature Extractor program runs in two modes:

• The first mode, Build Calibration, (see Building the Calibration File below) builds a
calibration from each of the eight frequency channels so that the 0.067" (17.02 mm)
diameter reference hole will be normalized to 1.0 amplitude and 40 degrees phase angle.
This is done manually by selecting through-wall reference signals, performing the
normalization process, and saving the normalized through-wall signals.
• The second mode, Build Features, see (Building the Feature Database below) of the
CalTube Feature Extractor processes calibration tubes by acquiring and normalizing
individual signals representing 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% wall losses with either
rounded or elongated reference holes.
2. To select the round or elongated mode of the calibration program, go to the Setup menu on
the toolbar, and a CALFile Setup dialog box is displayed, as shown in Figure 3-3.

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 Multivariate Flaw Depth Regression Software

Figure 3-3
Cal File Setup for Building Elongated Pit Calibration

3. Select the Build Calibration mode in the Mode section, and enter the name of the calibration
file, which is called OneInchCal here. After you complete building the calibration file, you
can select the Build Features mode, and specify either round or elongated pits in the Feature
Data section. The example presented below focuses on building an elongated pit feature DB
named ElongPits.
Initially, you can use any name when you save the calibration file; however, when it is
completed, you MUST rename it to feature.cal (the software uses the feature.cal file) and
store it in the EPRI\Labdata directory path. When you have done this, select Update on the
CALFile Setup window.
The first example builds the OneInchCal file. The file is built from all eight frequencies
based on 10 random pulls at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock positions. The calibration data are
found in dir11 with frequencies of 1000, 800, 600, and 400 kHz and in dir12 with
frequencies of 700, 500, 300, and 100 kHz.

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Multivariate Flaw Depth Regression Software

Building the Calibration File

1. Open dir11 by selecting Read Directory in the Files section of the CalTube Feature Extractor
window (see Figure 3-2).
2. Right click on the 0.067" (17.02 mm) diameter hole in the Overview window, which appears
when you select a file in the previous step.
3. Select Single-channel display in the View section as shown in Figure 3-4.
4. Select the region of interest (ROI) around the hole on the strip chart with the left mouse
button as shown in Figure 3-4.

Figure 3-4
Selection and Normalization of Calibration Hole

5. Select the Calibrate button in the Cal section. Note that the two-dimensional (2D) Lissajous
pattern in solid blue is now shown normalized to 40 degrees with an amplitude of 1.0.
6. Select CH-2 and select Calibrate again.
7. Perform this operation for all four channels. A red bar appears in the Overview window when
the calibration is completed.
8. When completed, select Save Calibration in the Cal section, and the program saves the
current calibration data in the OneInch.cal file. Note that the next file in the directory is
automatically selected for the next round of calibration.
9. Complete the calibration process from dir11, and repeat this process on the 0.067" (17.02
mm) diameter holes found in dir12.
10. When completed, rename the OneInch.cal file to feature.cal.

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 Multivariate Flaw Depth Regression Software

This completes the calibration phase of the CalTube Feature Extraction program.

Building the Feature Database

After the calibration database is built, build the feature database:

1. Exit the program (select Exit on the toolbar). Start the program again, and go to the Setup
menu.
2. Select Elongated Pits and the Build Features mode (see Figure 3-3). Under the C:/EPRI
directory, both rounded and elongated pits are found in dir9 and dir10. Rounded pits are
found in files with the extension .999. Table 3-1 details the elongated pit dimensions and file
extensions.

Table 3-1
Elongated Pit Dimensions Associated with File Extensions

File Extensions Pit Dimensions (inches) Pit Dimensions (mm)

.888 3/16" long by 1/32" wide 4.672 mm long by 0.794 mm wide

.777 3/16" long by 1/16" wide 4.672 mm long by 1.588 mm wide

.666 1/8" long by 1/32" wide 3.175 mm long by 0.794 mm wide)

3. Select Read Directory (in the Files section of the Feature Extractor window) to read the
elongated pits directory 9 or 10.
4. After opening the selected directory, read the calibration file first (now renamed as
Feature.cal) by selecting Read Calibration in the Files section.
5. Select the Select File button, and start with an .888 extension file.
6. There are two modes of operation after you select an ROI . In this case, the ROI represents
25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% through-wall signals. You can go to each channel, select
Normalize in the Features section, and then select Use ROI for each signal, or you can use a
more semi-automated tool by selecting AutoPilot in the Process section. The manual mode is
tedious.
A. In AutoPilot, individually select the ROI representing each pit depth starting with the
25% signal, and then select AutoPilot. All channels are processed automatically and
stored in the DB.
B. Next, select the 50% signal on the strip chart, and select AutoPilot. The stored DB will
now contain the combined 25% and 50% features.
C. Repeat the process until all signals of interests are captured.
7. Select Show Features in the Features section to display and close the stored training DB
features. Figure 3-5 contains an example of stored DB features from one of elongated pit
directories.

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Multivariate Flaw Depth Regression Software

Figure 3-5
Stored Training Database of Elongated Pit Signal Features

The Training Database window has a Save and Clear menu, which when selected will save the
features that you have collected to the DB file and zero the memory. Perform this operation after
all pits have been captured from four elongated pits in the .666–.888 files and 12 rounded pits in
the .999 files.

A third mode under development is called Auto-Process. This will be implemented only for
elongated tubes, and its real application is for a final field application to automatically detect all
targets and align multiple pulls to get confidence measures of depth estimates in multiple pulls.
In the current version, this module is not used to create the training DB.

Calibration Tube Regression

Selecting CalTube Regression on the PitMaster Tools Control window launches the Cal-
PitRegression program, which interactively displays the rounded or elongated pit calibration data
and generates user-selected depth regression functions. In the display, elongated pit features are
displayed in a 3D cube that can be rotated. The cube is color coded for pit depth as shown in
Figure 3-6.

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 Multivariate Flaw Depth Regression Software

Figure 3-6
3D Display of Elongated Pit Features

The text in the figure indicates that the current file is from elongated pits with the DB that
includes tubes with the file extensions 666, 777, and 888 and from four clock views (6, 9, 12,
and 3 o’clock). The pit depths are color coded as shown. The four pits are shown as white lines
in the color palette (labeled True Depth Data at the top of Figure 3-6) for their respective pit
depths.
1. In the Tube Type section of the View Control window, select 1" tubes with the checkbox.
2. Select round or elongated pits with the radio buttons. The option to merge both is provided,
but it is not activated because the rounded linear regression model showed less reliable depth
estimates in comparison to the elongated model for sizing MIC-type ID pits. More focus was
devoted to establishing the linear regression model using the elongated pits.
3. After selecting the pit type, select Read Features in the Input/Output section to display the
data in an interactive 3D cube. The cube is rotated in three dimensions about the alpha (A),
beta (B), and gamma (G) axes, using the up and down scroll bars in the Cube Rotate section
of the View Control window.

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Multivariate Flaw Depth Regression Software

4. Use the individual keys to rotate the cube for the desired 3D display.
5. Select Draw to display stored DB features that are represented by small crosses. The larger
crosses represent mean and standard deviation values for each pit depth feature. With three
different elongated pits, three large crosses will be shown for each of the four known pit
depths.
6. Build and display regression functions of various pit depth sizing algorithm using the
controls in the Regression Mapping section. There are four linear regression methods:
second- and fourth-order multivariate regression, and phase and amplitude univariate
regression (see Figure 3-7). Regression is implemented on the data set by taking the features
with known depth and building the selected mapping function that maps features to depth.
The linear regression method minimizes the least squares error of the mapping function.
After selecting 2nd Order Multivariate, select Display and then Build.
Figure 3-7 shows an example of the regression analysis for a second-order multivariate
mapping algorithm.

Figure 3-7
Multivariate Regression Analysis Results from a Second-Order Mapping Algorithm

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The display of regression mapping has two parts. The first part is a display of the color-coded
regressed depths in the 3D cube. The error in the regression can be seen from the changed
color display for each pit depth. To be more precise, a Regression Analysis window, the
second part of the display, is shown that presents: 1) the calculated regression function, 2) the
overall mean regression error, and 3) the estimated mean for each pit depth and the standard
deviation about each pit depth.
Figure 3-8 shows the multivariate regression analysis results from a fourth-order mapping
algorithm.

Figure 3-8
Multivariate Regression Analysis Results from a Fourth-Order Mapping Algorithm

The regression analysis results from the fourth order showed slightly better performance in
comparison to the second order, as evidenced by the respective mean regression errors of 6%
and 7%. In both cases, the standard deviation of the estimated mean pit depth in the 25–100%
wall loss range was below 11%. In comparison, the standard deviation of the estimated pit
depth by univariate phase-angle regression was 17%. The univariate phase-angle regression
analysis results are shown as Figure 3-9.

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Figure 3-9
Univariate Phase-Angle Regression Analysis Results

7. Select Save Mapping to save the current regression function in a file that you designate. This
file should have an .RGR extension and can be used in the analysis of field samples.

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Field Tube Processing

Select FieldTube Processing on the PitMaster Tools Control window to launch the PitAnalyzer
program. The control window for this program is shown in Figure 3-10.

Figure 3-10
PitAnalyzer Module of Field Tube Processing Section

PitAnalyzer works much like the CalTube Feature Extractor in terms of the user interface and the
processing options; however, there are differences that are related to unknown scan issues with
field tube samples. In calibration tubes with known-size pit targets, the angular location of the
target in the tube was known. The calibration target of a 0.067" (1.702 mm) diameter hole was
scanned at four equally spaced clock angles. For field tubes, each reference scan was used, and
the “correct” reference scan for target normalization was the reference that produced the smallest
spread (lowest value range) in phase and estimated pit depths over the full frequency range. You
can manually try each calibration reference, or the program can run in AutoPilot mode and
implement the above optimization.

Before starting the PitAnalyzer module, select the Model menu on the toolbar, and select either
the stored second- or fourth-order model to use for pit depth sizing. You can use other user-
developed elongated or rounded models from other calibration standards by selecting either
Round Model or Elongated Model. As mentioned earlier, this program will allow estimation of
features and associated field pit depths based on the ideal round and elongated pit-depth
regression functions, that is, second- and fourth-order regression models.

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The main steps for processing and generating a field DB are as follows:
1. Select the Read Directory button to open the file containing the field pits of interests, and
click the Select File button in the Files section to open the data file.
2. Scroll down, using the Offset Scroll bar found inside the Overview window. When the region
of the first pit is located, switch to Single Channel display, CH-1 (in the View section). For
the directory containing the 1M–400K tubing data, CH-1 is 1MHz. Similarly, CH-1 is 700
kHz for the directory containing the 700–100K tubing data.
3. Using the mouse, place the cursor above the pit of interest. Press the left mouse button and
hold it. Drag the cursor to below the target, and release the button. An ROI, shown in purple
is displayed. The main transition signal is automatically drawn with a thick line in both the
resistance (X) and inductance (Y) strip chart channels, and the same is done for the Lissajous
transition line.
4. Using the default 3 o’clock calibration, select Normalize in the View Angle section. Figure
3-11 shows the display of field pit 0739 after it has been normalized based on the 3 o’clock
calibration DB. Manually changing the view angle to other clock positions changes the
normalized phase and amplitude values.

Figure 3-11
Normalized Field Pit 0739 based on the 3-o’Clock Calibration DB

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5. The program makes depth estimates on the field samples using the default rounded and
elongated ideal pit models. You can override the estimates using the Model menu on the
toolbar (see Figure 3-10). Read in separate round and/or elongated models (.RGR files), or
reset the defaults.
6. Select AutoPilot in the Regression Model section to normalize with all calibration view
angles. The phase, amplitude, and rounded/elongated regression depths for the selected pit
are displayed in a Depth Profile window as shown in Figure 3-12. The algorithm selects the
averaged pit depth based on the optimal clock angle position that produces the smallest
phase-angle and pit depth changes over the entire frequency range. This window becomes
hidden when you select AutoPilot again.

Figure 3-12
Field Pit Depth Estimates from Four Clock Angle Positions Based on the Rounded and
Elongated Ideal Pit Models

7. To save the pit in the field DB:

A. Name the pit. In the Field Pit ID section, you can see the name of the file for these data.
Add a 4-digit ID assigned to the field pits (see Table 2-1). For this example, the Pit ID
was 0739.

B. Select Save In DB in the Regression Model section.

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8. Perform this for all data runs containing the field pit of interest. This allows analysis of
multiple files of the tube, represented by multiple random angle pulls. For each data run, the
pit ID will be the same (0739).
9. After the field pit DB from multiple tubing runs is acquired, all of the features and estimated
pit depth information is added to the field DB. Name the field DB file using the SaveName
menu on the tool bar. All of the Save in DB information will be stored under the same name
during the multiple tube analysis session, so this data file name should be set at program
startup.
10. To view the DB for this pit, select View in the DataBase section. Figure 3-13 shows the pit
specific “signal” features. This example shows the amplitude and phase-angle features from
pit 4097 from 700–100K tubing data.

Figure 3-13
Multiple Signal Features for Field Pit 4097

View is a toggle button; it shows and hides this window. The data from up to 10 pulls on the
current pit can be displayed in one of two forms. The Depth form is the regressed round and
elongated depths for each pull, plus the mean and standard deviations for all pulls. Figure 3-
14 shows the example of regressed pit depths based on rounded and elongated pit models for
field pit 4097.

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Figure 3-14
Regressed Pit Depths for Field Pit 4097 using Rounded and Elongated Models

11. Save the current multiple pull pit by selecting Save in the DataBase section. After the save,
select Init in the DataBase section to clear memory for the next directory tube (the data are
already saved in the DB file).
12. With multiple pulls, you can easily perform manual pit detection on some tubes but not on
others. A basic multiple file alignment tool is provided to help identify the pits of interest:

A. For an easy-to-detect-pit tube, add the tube file to the Align DB by selecting Add File
in the Align Tool section.

B. Add hard-to-detect-pit files to this. Select Run Align Tool in the Align Tool section to
run the multiple file comparison program. The align tool will display all saved files
side-by-side. Each file will have a different velocity and offset to the tube start.

C. To align the files, go to each channel in the Overview window, and place the cursor at
the top of tube. Press the left mouse button, and drag it to the bottom of the tube. The
channel is now filled with the actual tubing data.

D. Perform this operation for each channel. The side-by-side channels now show tube
start-to-end data in a side-by-side display. Use this feature to correctly identify the pit
of interest from those tubing data that were run with poor signal-to-noise ratio.

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E. Locate a pit in a channel, and mark it with the right mouse button. Find the same pit
in the other channels, and do the same. In the selected points window is the file name
and sample location of the target pit; this can be used as a guide to go back to the
channels and manually detect and process the relevant pits.

It should be noted that field pit DB is stored as .csv file, which can be viewed and edited using
Microsoft Excel.

Field Tube Analysis

Select Field-Tube Analysis on the PitMaster Tools Control window to launch the Field-
PitAnalysis program. The control window for Field-PitAnalysis is shown below in Figure 3-15.
The Field-PitAnalysis program takes the DB created from the Pit Analyzer and generates the
Transformed Elongated Regression (TER) and Field Model Regression (FMR). In the current
model of operation, the data that are generated are from sectioned field pits that have ground
truth. This means that the DB for field pits that has been created (*.csv) MUST be modified by
adding (in the last column) the ground truth in terms of the percentage of wall loss.

Figure 3-15
Field-PitAnalysis Window

1. To read the field DB, select Read Features in the Input/Output section. For this example, the
KK-FieldPits_WO739_WO3977.ftr file is opened to show the stored field pit features from
11 pits in 3D display as shown in Figure 3-16.

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Figure 3-16
Field Pit Features in 3D Display Box

In comparison to ideal pit features shown in Figure 3-6, the field pit features display two
noticeable differences:
• Field pits exhibited higher phase angles than those found in ideal pits.
• Field pit signal amplitude is smaller than the reference pit signal of 1.0 that corresponded
to the 0.067" (17.018 mm) diameter through-wall pit.
2. To build and display the full regression model and the associated error statistics, select 2nd
Order Multivariate in the Regression Mapping section; then select Build and next Display.
Similarly, perform the Build and Display operation for the fourth-order regression function.
The resultant second- and fourth-order regression functions and the associated error statistics
are shown in Figures 3-17 and 3-18, respectively.

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Figure 3-17
Second-Order Regression Function and Associated Pit Depth Errors

Figure 3-18
Fourth-Order Regression Function and Associated Pit Depth Errors

Based on the field pit models, the mean absolute regressions errors were 10% and 8% for the
second- and fourth-order regression models, respectively. In comparison, a larger 15% error
was noted when the univariate phase-angle model was used as shown in Figure 3-19.

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Figure 3-19
Univariate Phase-Angle Function and Associated Pit Depth Errors

3. Since desirable pit depth estimates were obtained from the field pits, especially from the
second- and fourth-order regression models, the next step is to generate the TER model from
the ideal pit model.
With the field pit DB open, perform this function by selecting Build Models in the Field
Analysis section.
Following the construction of the TER and FMR models, the statistics are displayed in two
windows. The current default mode is fourth-order TER and FMR models. In the Pit
Statistics window (see Figure 3-20) are shown the Pit ID, true depth, mean phase and
amplitude over all data pulls and frequencies, the FMR and TER estimates and absolute
errors. The equation of the TER (an affine transform between ideal and field pit feature
space) is also shown. In addition, the curves of the fourth-order FMR and TER are shown
relative to ground truth. The nodes in the Figure 3-20 curve are means of the saved data pulls
over eight frequencies.

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Figure 3-20
Developed TER Model and Comparison of Pit Depth Estimates

4. To save the fourth-order TER and FMR mappings or functions, select Save TER and Save
FMR, one after the other. You can then use the saved functions in field testing (by selecting
Test Samples in the Tube Type section to open the specific tube DB file and or by selecting
Show Test Analysis in the Tube Type section to display analysis results).

The actual field program to be implemented will use the developed second- or fourth-order
TER and FMR functions, integrated as an augmented analysis module, to estimate the field
pit depth from the single- or multiple-pull data runs.

Following the construction of the fourth-order TER and FMR models, other test samples with
known ground truth data can be evaluated based on the constructed TER and FMR models.
The pit depth estimates for these samples can be viewed by selecting Show Test Analysis in
the Input/Output section.

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Shape Analysis

This function is not currently utilized.

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EVALUATION RESULTS

Eleven pits were selected for destructive analyses, and the fourth-order TER analysis results
were compared with the traditional phase-angle-based analysis results.

Figures 4-1 and 4-2 compare NDE estimates with destructive estimates for the two analysis
methods. The comparison shows better pit sizing results based on the TER analysis than the
univariate phase-angle analysis, as evidenced by the smaller root-mean-squared (RMS) error (7%
versus 15%). The data samples showed a wide range of pit depths and thus presented a good set
of data for comparison.

The field pit analysis results confirmed the earlier results shown with the elongated calibration
pits, where multivariate analysis showed smaller overall mean regression error for depth sizing
when compared with univariate phase-angle analysis.

Figure 4-1
Fourth-Order TER Model Analysis Results

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Figure 4-2
Univariate Phase-Angle Analysis Results

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SUMMARY

The following actions have been taken and observations have been made based on the work done
to date:
• Research-grade software has been developed and its functions demonstrated.
• Multivariate regression analysis based on the elongated pit standard provided superior sizing
results over the rounded pit standard.
• Destructive sectioning of field pits confirmed the presence of more elongated than rounded
pits with tunneling and cavernous pit morphology.
• The multivariate regression analysis based on the elongated pits represented more accurate
pit depth sizing than the phase-angle analysis for actual field pits.

It should be noted that the developed analysis algorithm is tube/damage specific with data
acquired with specific probe designs. As such, new algorithms will need to be developed if any
of the following parameters change:
• Damage mechanism
• Types of bobbin coils, for example, narrow-grooved coil width versus regular- or wide-
grooved coil width
• Overall shaft and extension cable length

Finally, the developed multivariate regression-based algorithm needs to be validated by

comparing the results with additional field pits to ensure accuracy and applicability. Also,
increasing the database and adding pit complexity will lead to model refinements and more
robust pit depth estimation algorithms.

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A
CALIBRATION DRAWINGS

1 inch = 25.4 mm

Figure A-1
ASME Calibration Standard

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Calibration Drawings

1 inch = 25.4 mm

Figure A-2
Round Bottom Pit Calibration Standard

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 Calibration Drawings

1 inch = 25.4 mm

Figure A-3
Elongated Pit Standard – 1/8” Long by 1/32” Wide

A-3
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Calibration Drawings

1 inch = 25.4 mm

Figure A-4
Elongated Pit Standard – 3/16” Long by 1/16” Wide

A-4
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 Calibration Drawings

1 inch = 25.4 mm

Figure A-5
Elongated Pit Standard – 3/16” Long by 1/32” Wide

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Calibration Drawings

1 inch = 25.4 mm

Figure A-6
Elongated Break-Through Pit Standard

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