‏ ‏Evaluation of Manual Radiography Versus Digital Radiography for High-‎Pressure Pipeline Weld Inspection

Abstract

This study compares manual film radiography and digital radiography for high-pressure pipeline girth weld inspection. The comparison was based on a representative inspection scenario for API 5L X65 steel pipelines with 30 in outer diameter and 20 mm wall thickness. The evaluated indicators included image sensitivity, probability of detection, false call rate, inspection time, radiation exposure, and relative cost per weld. The results showed that digital radiography improved image sensitivity from 2.5% of wall thickness in film radiography to 2.0% for computed radiography and 1.8% for digital detector array systems. For small defects of 1–3 mm, the probability of detection increased from 78% to 88%. Digital radiography also reduced false calls from 12 to 7 per 100 welds and decreased exposure time by about 40–50%. Overall, digital radiography showed better technical and operational performance, especially for medium and large pipeline inspection projects.