Patent ID: 8395376

Claim:
A method for monitoring corrosion and deterioration of a ferromagnetic vessel having a vessel wall, including the steps of: providing a plurality of drive coils and securing said drive coils to the exterior surface of said vessel wall, said drive coils being spaced apart on said vessel wall; providing a plurality of response coils and securing said response coils to the exterior surface of said vessel wall, said response coils being spaced apart on said vessel wall; transmitting a drive current through at least one of said drive coils to create a magnetic signal that propagates through the magnetic domains of said vessel wall; at least one of said response coils receiving said magnetic signal which in turn generates a response signal in said response coil; quantifying said drive current and said response signal and recording said drive current and response signal; and, comparing said drive current and response signal to previous data and threshold levels to determine corrosion and deterioration in said vessel wall.