Rapid Ultrasonic Gridding and Its Impact on RBI Effectiveness

As new inspection methods enter the industry, owners-operators are challenged with vetting them and determining their roles in the mechanical integrity program. Inspectioneering (IJ) recently had the opportunity to chat with Preston Canada, Director of Sales for Oil and Gas at Gecko Robotics, about one of the newer inspection methods to hit the market: rapid ultrasonic gridding (RUG). We specifically discussed which damage mechanisms RUG is suitable for detecting and how RUG can be utilized to reduce risk in risk-based inspection (RBI) programs.

IJ: Preston, thank you for taking a few moments to chat with us. What exactly is Gecko Robotics; a service company or a tech company? What do you do? What problem do you solve in the industry?

Preston Canada (PC): Gecko Robotics is a service company that has developed our own robotic systems to perform inspection methods such as visual inspections and rapid ultrasonic gridding (RUG). We have created a number of robotic platforms with magnetic wheels, equipped with cameras and numerous ultrasonic thickness probes – currently up to 96. We travel with the robots anywhere by land and air and provide the technicians. The data is validated and managed digitally. We pride ourselves in our reporting and believe our approach is changing what industry expects from their inspection service providers.

RUG has been a hot topic, lately. It’s a nondestructive examination (NDE) method that produces UT grids at a high rate of speed and coverage. Correct?

PC: Correct. RUG is a method of performing ultrasonic thickness measurements in which multiple ultrasonic thickness probes are used, simultaneously, to rapidly...