Ultrasonic Inspection of Heat Exchanger Tubes

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  9. Ultrasonic Inspection of Heat Exchanger Tubes

IRISNDT uses specialized equipment to perform ultrasonic inspection of heat exchanger tubes to detect general corrosion/erosion and localized volumetric defects such as pitting, fretting, and others in ferrous (carbon steel tubes such as SA214 and SA179 tubes) and non-ferrous (stainless steel) tubes. The technique measures tube wall thickness values based on ultrasound pulse echo techniques.

ADVANTAGES​ 

  • Measures the absolute wall thickness value, as well as the internal and external diameters of the tube
  • Is accurate to ±127 mm (0.005 inch)
  • Can be used for ferrous and non-ferrous tubes
  • Is excellent for identifying support wear

LIMITATIONS​

  • This technique cannot detect cracking
  • Internal cleaning must allow access to surfaces free of heavy scale and debris
  • Compared to techniques such as eddy current, the scan speed is slower