This is the first in a series of three articles that will introduce Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) and its practical applications in the field of nondestructive testing (NDT). EMAT, or Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducer, is an Ultrasonic Testing (UT) technique that generates the sound in the part inspected instead of the transducer.

This article is the third of a series of articles that will focus on one critical sub process within a PEIP that is key in managing the integrity of process piping: thickness monitoring programs for internal corrosion. These articles will discuss what constitutes an effective piping thickness monitoring process and will present several practices that may be new to some readers, but these practices have produced beneficial results in other major piping reliability programs.

The refining industry has applied ultrasonic-based intelligent pigging to inspect serpentine coils in fired heaters since the 1990s. Today, thousands of serpentine coils in fired heaters are inspected annually at process facilities around the globe. Many plants have drastically reduced or completely eliminated the practice of applying manual NDE spot checks (e.g. ultrasonic, diametrical tube strapping, etc.) and now apply ultrasonic-based intelligent pigging as a matter of routine practice.

Over the past 100 years, Nondestructive testing has made tremendous advances. New NDT methods have been introduced, while old "tried and true" methods continue to be improved. Although some NDT methods have drastically changed or "evolved" over time, the principle behind each method has remained the same; "To ensure the safety and integrity of manufactured items or goods."

The ultrasonic Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD) technique was developed for the UK nuclear industry during the 1970s to provide a method for measuring the height of planar flaws. TOFD is now generally recognized as the most accurate ultrasonic technique for measuring the height of embedded planar flaws (eg. Cracks, lack of fusion, etc.) that lies perpendicular to the surface.

LRUT for the in-service surveying of metal loss in pipelines and pipingwas introduced by Plant Integrity (Pi) Ltd in the form of the Teletest® in 1998. Pi is a subsidiary of TWI (formerly The Welding Institute) andprovides a commercial outlet for TWI's technologies.The impetus for the development of LRUT is that ultrasonic thicknesschecks for corrosion, erosion, etc. are localised, in that they only measurethe thickness of the area under the UT transducer.

John has primary responsibility for NDE consulting and troubleshooting for BP around the world in the refining, chemical and gas processing industries. We at the IJ thought it might be valuable to spend some time chatting about his background, challenges he has faced recently and what he feels are some of the biggest challenges ahead for the Inspectioneering community.

In part 1 of this article we covered the importance of quality assurance of UT data, that is, understanding for each particular application, the accuracy required of the UT data, and new ways/graphical program to analyze and show the interrelationships of data by location for trending. Part 1 article areas then included:-UT Data Reporting and Evaluation-Imaging UT DataEvaluating the Quality of Static UTData-Visual Trending of UT data-Mathematical Trending of UT DataNow, in Part 2, we will cover data quality issue statistics and possible sources of poor quality UT data.

The American Paper Institute Recovery Boiler Reference Manual Volume 1, October 1979, indicates that the two main goals of conducting ultrasonic thickness (UT) inspections are to determine (1) the current tube wall thickness and (2) the rate of tube wall metal wastage. The analysis of tens of thousands of UT readings from black liquor recovery boilers is an intimidating and time-consuming task. Problem areas in the boiler are easily identified and many engineering hours of labor are saved. The graphical prensentation permits the quality (accuracy and consistency) of the UT data to be carefully examined.

Do You Know All You Need To Know About The People Who Perform Your NDT?Could the following scenario be played out in your plant, on your equipment, on your watch?The year is 1968. The time is 3 PM on Friday. Two fairly young men are traveling east-bound on I-10 from Houston, Texas to "Off-Shore", Louisiana. The trip will take about 8 hours, six by car and two by boat.The new hire's supervisor / trainer, hands him a thin booklet that provides a brief description of the nondestructive testing method known as ultrasonics.The last few pages of the book contain glossary terms relating to the test method. The supervisor tells the trainee that he should study the material, especially the glossary terms, while they make the trip to "Off-Shore".

Our proprietary furnace tube inspection system, FTIS™, is an ultrasonic inspection technology capable of rapid, automated fired heater coil inspection in refinery fired heaters. The data captured by our furnace tube inspection system is exceptionally powerful when combined with our LifeQuest™ remaining life assessment capabilities, providing an integrated solution set for refinery fired heaters in the refining and chemical industries.

This article covers the use of permanently attached ultrasonic transducers for inspection and process plant equipment condition monitoring while in service.

Inspection data analysis tools, like risk-based inspection help us to focus on quantitative reliability targets. When considering thinning mechanisms, there is a certain probability that a piece of equipment will reach retirement thickness before or at the next inspection or the next turnaround. Statistical techniques can help us understand and control the probability of early retirement, allowing us to make better remaining life and re-inspection decisions.

Ultrasonic thickness monitoring programs represent one of the most intensive inspection activities in refining and petrochemical facilities. Despite numerous improvements in ultrasonic testing equipment and inspection techniques, however, there has been little advancement in analyzing this valuable data since the early 1980's.In this multi-part series, we will review statistical tools for analyzing ultrasonic thickness data. Most of the examples will focus on piping systems, which often account for the largest volume of data and demand the most inspection resources.

The debate about advantages and drawbacks of the application of the TOFD (time of flight diffraction) approach for ultrasonic weld inspection should not forget the original reasons for it’s introduction in the 1960’s. The major advantage at that time had been the better crack detection in comparison to x-ray techniques, especially in view of an increased use of steels and welding technologies with a the presence of diverse cracking phenomena (e.g. cold cracking, transverse cracks etc.).

New inspection technology, when added to the proven practice of using tell tale holes (TTHs), proves effective in reducing significant releases and or catastrophic events that are related to internal corrosion / erosion of process piping. In fact, one facility's experience indicates that this practice, when used in conjunction with current and newly advanced technology such as automated ultrasonic (AUT) and profile radiograph (PRT), is more effective than using only new technology.

Our proprietary furnace tube inspection system, FTIS™, is an ultrasonic inspection technology capable of rapid, automated fired heater coil inspection in refinery fired heaters. The data captured by our furnace tube inspection system is exceptionally powerful when combined with our LifeQuest™ remaining life assessment capabilities, providing an integrated solution set for refinery fired heaters in the refining and chemical industries.