Eddy Current Testing of Heat Exchanger Tubes

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IRISNDT uses ECT (including Eddy Current Array) to detect pits, corrosion, erosion, cracking, and other imperfections, in stainless steels, brass, titanium, Inconel, copper, copper-nickel, and other non-ferrous tubes.

ADVANTAGES​ 

  • This technique is fast, with up to 1.2 m/s (4 feet/s) pulling speed through tubes
  • A couplant is not needed
  • Contaminants are not introduced during the inspection
  • The technique identifies large and small volume pits
  • 100% of the surface of the tubes is inspected, with 360o coverage through the length
  • All the data is stored for review.

LIMITATIONS​

  • Depending upon the type of probe used, circumferential cracks can be missed due to no disturbance in the flow of eddy currents
  • Ferromagnetic deposits on the tubes will lead to erroneous assessments
  • The probe needs a minimum 80% fill factor for maximum sensitivity to defects
  • The technique has a ±10% variance in call accuracy assessments
  • The tubes must be free of obstructions, however the cleaning required is minimal