Framatome Technologies, Inc.

Michael Paul Levesque

Matthew W Ales

John Paul Sheppard, Ii

A probe for inspecting the inside of a large diameter, substantially vertical, limited access pipe. The probe includes an elongated probe housing having a series of flexible joint along its length to permit the probe to be positioned within the pipe. A plurality of radially extendable guide arms are attached to the lower end of the probe housing for positioning the probe within the pipe and, in the preferred embodiment, a stabilizer weight is attached to the elongated housing adjacent to the guide arms for preventing unstable movement of the probe much like a tail on a kite. In the preferred embodiment, the probe further includes a rotational drive for rotating the plurality of radially extendable guide arms with respect to the elongated housing. In addition, sensors are located on the ends of each guide arm to permit the inside surface of the pipe to be more completely inspected for defects. Also, an axial drive moves the probe along the length of the pipe and is controlled by an output from the drive for rotating the plurality of radially extendable guide arms with respect to the elongated housing.

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Lynchburg, VA, United States of America

Michael Paul Levesque