Ultrasonic thickness measurements are used to assess the service condition of operated structures and equipment subject to technical inspection through monitoring the consequences of corrosion and erosion, material wear, or random damage. In view of the quantity of aging operating facilities and the need to ensure their safe operation, examination of wall thinning is a fundamental diagnostic feature.
Ultrasonic techniques applied
Spot measurements of wall thickness
Ultrasound wall thickness measurements are taken at measuring grid points defined by the supervisory authorities or the terms of the applicable standards. In this technique, the layout of points should be such that minimum wall thickness locations can be detected. The measurements are used to determine the minimum, maximum and average wall thickness. This technique is recommended when the tested piece underwent general corrosion or erosion, i.e. when the corrosion losses are distributed evenly or the thinning of the wall is uniform across the entire surface. The level of wear of the inspected item is determined on the basis of averaged test results. This technique is not recommended when localized pitting corrosion is present in the material because in such case, the deepest pits may be located in between the measuring grid points, which may be the reason of wrong assessment of the actual wear of the inspected equipment item or structure.
Corrosion mapping
Corrosion mapping with the use of advanced Phase Array ultrasonic testing technique offers measurement of wall thickness of plant and equipment with a complete record of results which are then represented as a map of defects within the scanned area, the outcome being much more accurate than in the case of localized measurements.
We perform our corrosion mapping jobs with OMNIX3-PATFM32128PR-KIT with the Hydroform -K-Manual Scanner kit.
