REMOTE ULTRASONIC TESTING

Remote ultrasonic testing is performed in areas unsafe for personnel or where significant time and expense are required to facilitate access. These systems attach themselves to the ferromagnetic test part using magnetic crawlers and wheels. A joystick controller guides the crawler to the areas of interest. The wall thickness and shear wave data from transducers are collected and sent to a computer for analysis and reporting. The scanner must have enough area available on the tested part to obtain proper coupling and ultrasonic data .

The scanner eliminates the need for scaffolding to reach critical areas. Most remote ultrasonic testing systems can acquire both A-Scan and B-Scan data. This testing technique is normally performed on aboveground storage tanks and pressure vessels. Remote ultrasonic testing can be used to detect general wall loss and cracking.

Poor surface conditions such as scale, debris and roughness, may limit the integrity of the inspection. Thin wall paints and other coatings are acceptable, as long as no disbonding, flaking or other anomalies are present. For inspection on large areas, a nearby water supply must be available. The system cannot operate at extremely high temperatures due to restrictions on the magnetic wheels. The scanner can easily travel over welds, but it cannot travel over nozzles and appurtenances, or other similar surface barriers.

For tanks, a typical report contains vertical B-Scans of the wall thickness that allows the customer to visualize a complete thickness profile of the equipment. The system has several tools to facilitate the analysis of the stored data by a qualified inspector. An electronic report is generated after completing the data analysis. The data can be accessible for future analysis or corrosion rate calculations. Data analysis and reporting may be performed on site.