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1. Microwave Holographic Imaging of Non-Metallic Concentric Pipes

   https://doi.org/10.1109/TIM.2020.2980340  

   Wu, Hailun; Ravan, Maryam; Sharma, Raveena; Patel, Jay; Amineh, Reza K. (March 2020, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement)

   Recently, non-metallic materials which are resilient to corrosion, low cost, and light weight, have been exploited in many industrial sectors such as oil and gas field. A common application of them is in the form of pipes. Despite the advantages, these pipes can be damaged by delamination, defects, holes, and erosion, which may lead to major production failures or even environmental catastrophes. To prevent these issues, non-destructive testing (NDT) of these pipes is required to replace these components in a timely manner. Due to the fact that the traditional NDT methods are mostly effective for metallic pipes, microwave holographic imaging is proposed for inspection of multiple concentric non-metallic pipes. Besides, standardized minimum norm (SMN) is employed to mitigate the depth biasing problem in the proposed imaging technique. In order to reduce the complexity of the imaging system, we aim at using the narrowest possible frequency band by using an array of receiver antennas. The performance of the proposed NDT method is validated through simulation and experimental data in two scenarios including the antennas placed outside the pipes and inside the pipes. 

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2. Fast, Robust, and Low-Cost Microwave Imaging of Multiple Non-Metallic Pipes

   https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10151762  

   Gao, Yuki; Ravan, Maryam; K. Amineh, Reza (August 2021, Electronics)

   The use of non-metallic pipes and composite components that are low-cost, durable, light-weight, and resilient to corrosion is growing rapidly in various industrial sectors such as oil and gas industries in the form of non-metallic composite pipes. While these components are still prone to damages, traditional non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques such as eddy current technique and magnetic flux leakage technique cannot be utilized for inspection of these components. Microwave imaging can fill this gap as a favorable technique to perform inspection of non-metallic pipes. Holographic microwave imaging techniques are fast and robust and have been successfully employed in applications such as airport security screening and underground imaging. Here, we extend the use of holographic microwave imaging to inspection of multiple concentric pipes. To increase the speed of data acquisition, we utilize antenna arrays along the azimuthal direction in a cylindrical setup. A parametric study and demonstration of the performance of the proposed imaging system will be provided. 

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3. Effect of Eccentricity in Microwave Imaging of Multiple Composite Pipes

   https://doi.org/10.52214/cusj.v15i.7805  

   Gao, Yuki; Raisa, Noshin; Amineh, Reza (May 2021, Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal)

   null (Ed.)

   The use of non-metallic composites that are durable, low cost, and lightweight is growing fast in various industries. A commonly used form of these materials is in the shape of pipes that can be used, for instance, in oil and gas industry. Such pipes can be damaged due to material loss (defects and holes), erosions, and more which may cause major production failures or environmental mishaps. To prevent these issues, non-destructive testing (NDT) methods need to be employed for regular inspections of such components. Since traditional NDT methods are mainly used for metallic pipes, recently microwave imaging has been proposed as a promising approach for examination of non-metallic pipes. While microwave imaging can be employed for inspection of multiple layers of pipes, the effect of undesired eccentricity of the pipes can impose additional imaging errors. In this paper, for the first time, we study the effect of eccentricity of the pipes on the images reconstructed using near-field holographic microwave imaging when imaging double pipes. 

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4. Thickness Profile Estimation of Fluid-Carrying Non-Metallic Pipes

   https://doi.org/10.1109/IMS37962.2022.9865406  

   Shah, Maharshi B.; Gao, Yuki; Ravan, Maryam; Amineh, Reza K. (January 2022, 2022 IEEE/MTT-S International Microwave Symposium - IMS 2022)

   In oil, gas, transportation, and construction industries non-metallic pipes are rapidly replacing metallic pipes. Thus, it is crucial to have a reliable and robust nondestructive testing (NDT) technique to monitor the variation in the thickness profile of such pipes. Here, we propose a technique based on the near-field microwave holography and standardized minimum norm (SMN) to reconstruct the thickness profile of these pipes. We will also identify the fluid carried within the pipe which improves the thickness profile estimation process. The proposed methods are validated via simulation and experimental results. 

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5. Fast and Robust Capacitive Imaging of Cylindrical Non-Metallic Media

   https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetism1010006  

   Raisa, Noshin; Gao, Yuki; Ganesh, Mahindra; Ravan, Maryam; Amineh, Reza K. (December 2021, Magnetism)

   In this paper, a unique approach to the imaging of non-metallic media using capacitive sensing is presented. By using customized sensor plates in single-ended and differential configurations, responses to hidden objects can be captured over a cylindrical aperture surrounding the inspected medium. Then, by processing the acquired data using a novel imaging technique based on the convolution theory, Fourier and inverse Fourier transforms, and exact low resolution electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA), images are reconstructed over multiple radial depths using the acquired sensor data. Imaging hidden objects over multiple depths has wide range of applications, from biomedical imaging to nondestructive testing of the materials. Performance of the proposed imaging technique is demonstrated via experimental results. 

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