This post was
initiated by a LinkedIn post giving a strong endorsement from a colleague who
is an accomplished petroleum engineer:
“While I try to maintain professional decorum in my
LinkedIn posts save for the occasional light-hearted photo or comment, let me
be much more blunt.”
“DarkVision's Kraken ILI tool is a complete game
changer. More data, more resolution, the ability to look at crack, corrosion,
and deformation all in one run. This is an absolute tectonic shift in
technology.”
That post made me want to
look further into this technology. It is good to know what new technologies are
impacting industries and how they work.
The company, Dark Vision, provides acoustic imaging for industrial processes. This imaging utilizes thousands of signal arrays, and data processing is done via cloud computing and machine learning. The company keeps the world’s largest industrial acoustical datasets; the datasets collected for each project are converted via software with AI/machine learning into photorealistic high-fidelity visuals.
In the case
of pipelines, it allows for better imaging of vulnerable points in pipelines
and the small cracks that can later become bigger cracks. Better imaging =
better monitoring. It also works in high-pressure/high-temperature
environments.
Dark Vision’s in-line inspection
(ILI) tool called Kraken can evaluate all major pipeline damage types,
including metal loss, axial cracks, and dents. Importantly, it can do this with
a single tool in a single run. The detailed 3D images of pipeline anomalies can
assist evaluators in finding the root causes of anomalies. For unraveling crack
morphologies, Kraken can exceed legacy amplitude-based inferred measurement
methods. It provides ultra-fast acoustical imaging at very high resolutions.
Kraken’s results were validated against industry-standard tools, including a
metrology-grade laser scanner and a phased-array ultrasound handheld tool. It
also performed well in challenging anomalies such as stress corrosion cracking
(SCC), hook cracks, and lack of fusion. The product was first introduced and
featured in 2025’s 37th International Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Management
Conference. The abstract is below.
At 2026’s 38th International
Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Management Conference Proceedings, Dark Vision
submitted a paper detailing Kraken’s capabilities, including its ability to
measure “misaligned and over/under trimmed weld profiles, short
lack-of-fusion (LoF) penetrators, and hook cracks in welds,” as
well as “stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and complex laminations with
surface breaking features.” The paper’s abstract is below.
A tool such as this can reduce the
downtime associated with using multiple pigging tools, multiple tool runs, and allow
for more pigging over a company’s assets. This means it can support better
pipeline integrity monitoring.
References:
Beyond
the Surface: Dig Results from Direct Imaging ILI of Seam Welds and Complex
Crack Defects in Pipelines. Greer Simpson, Corey Richards, Marshall Lu, Aaron
Schwing, Jason Moritz. 38th International Pipeline Pigging and Integrity
Management Conference (PPIM 2026). Held 19-22 January 2026, Houston, Texas,
USA. Pages
625-656. (Abstract)
Beyond the Surface: Dig Results from
Direct Imaging ILI of Seam Welds and Complex Crack Defects in Pipelines -
proceedings.com
The
Future of Industrial Acoustic Imaging is Here: Discover what makes DarkVision’s
technology the world leading solution in industrial asset inspection.
DarkVision Technology. Our Technology | Advanced Industrial Imaging |
DarkVision
PPIM
2025 Paper: Introducing Triple-threat Detection and Sizing in a Single Pass. 37th
International Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Management Conference (PPIM 2025).
January 28, 2025. (Abstract). PPIM 2025 Paper: Introducing
Triple-threat Detection and Sizing in a Single Pass | Whitepapers | DarkVision
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