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- Algeria
- Argentina
- Australia
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- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Brunei
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- Canada
- Chile
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- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Czech Republic
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Gabon
- Germany
- Ghana
- Guatemala
- India
- Indonesia
- Iraq
- Italy
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Madagascar
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
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- South Africa
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- Spain
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- The Netherlands
- Turkey
- UAE
- UK
- USA
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- GLOBAL SITE
- Chile
- China
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- Costa Rica
- France
- Germany
- Italy
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- Saudi Arabia
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- Spain
- USA
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Industrial and environmental inspection, vendor inspection, technical assistance, non-destructive testing (NDT) and technical staffing for all type of industries.
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Multidisciplinary laboratories.Testing and engineering for product development. Conformity testing and product certification. SYSTEMS CERTIFICATION.
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Statutory vehicle inspection services and emission & gas testing solutions worldwide.
IDIADA Division
Design, engineering, testing and homologation services for the automotive industry worldwide.
Ultrasonic testing
INTRODUCTION
Applus+ has an extensive range of tools and techniques to match every inspection challenge, from simple thickness measurement to fully automated inspections. We have offices located coast to coast with the ability to mobilize units on short notice, ensuring a prompt and timely response.
THE Applus+ SOLUTION
Ultrasonic testing uses high-frequency sound energy to perform examinations and make measurements. Ultrasonic testing may be used for dimensional measurements, thickness, material characterisation, flaw detection, and more.
Multiple advances in ultrasonics have taken place in recent times, evolving from the conventional thickness application to the use of more advanced methods encompassing various modes. At Applus, large efforts are employed to develop new applications and technologies surrounding ultrasonics as a whole, while staying abreast to current industry practices and methods.
Applus+ has developed a series of industry-leading technologies for the following key applications:
- RTD Vessel Scan: for weld inspections in pressure vessels
- RTD RotoScan: for butt-weld inspections in new pipes
- Beetle: for wall inspections in storage tanks
- Mapscan: for semi-automatic corrosion mapping around difficult geometries
- RTD LNG Scan: for weld inspections in large-grain materials
- Lorus: for corrosion and flaw screening in difficult to access areas, such as support contact areas and tank floors.
- RTD IWEX: an innovative, new, full volume, precision inspection technology
- EMAT: for corrosion screening and thickness measurements through coatings or at high temperature
- PIT: Pipeline Inspection Tool for unpiggable pipelines, adjustable for every challenge
Other ultrasonic testing solutions include time-of-flight diffraction (TOFD), guided-wave ultrasonics and ultrasonic phased array, among others, and these are fast becoming the industry standard in today's ultrasonic testing environment.
TARGET CUSTOMERS
Ensuring quality and integrity within various industries is vital to an operators continued success. Providing turnkey solutions through the employment of ultrasonics is a viable solution, providing operators the insight required to effectively manage assets and risks in today’s aging infrastructure.
Ultrasonic testing may be used at any point in the life-cycle of an item, from inspection of plates, forgings, castings or welded components to in-service corrosion monitoring.
Ultrasonic testing is used by many industries including:
- Food processing
- Paper production
- Oil and gas production and refining
- Power generation
- Aerospace
- Maritime
KEY CUSTOMER BENEFITS
Benefits of UT include:
- Most equipment is now semi-automated and or fully automated
- Produces a permanent electronic record of the inspections performed
- Leads to a marked increase in ‘probability of detection’ (POD)
- Improves inspection integrity
- Promotes asset integrity confidence, identifying the unknown
Manual UT Thickness Measurements
Manual ultrasonic thickness measurements is a technique using high-frequency sound energy to conduct examinations and obtain thickness measurements. A straight beam is introduced into the test object perpendicular to the surface and round-trip time is measured. Quantifiable information can be gathered for detection of localised or general wall-thickness changes.
Guided Wave Testing
Guided-wave testing has been identified within the industry as an effective pipe-screening technology capable of assessing damaged areas over extended lengths. With the minimal footprint of the technology sensors and bands, areas in which screening was previously hindered by insulation, poor access and coatings are now accessible, reducing the efforts clients need to go to in terms of mobilisation. Recent technological improvements mean that guided-wave testing can be deployed in an array of environments and product temperatures. Results obtained may be analysed on site, enabling technicians to focus their efforts on areas of concern and help reduce the overall costs of system assessment.
Ultrasonic Shear Wave
The ultrasonic shear wave method is a technique which encompasses the use of predetermined angles for the identification of subsurface anomalies not found directly underneath the transducer itself. Indications within a material and or weldement reflect ultrasonic energy back to the transducer, displaying as an A-scan, in which an operator may assess for relevant information concerning component integrity.
Time of Flight Diffraction
Time-of-flight diffraction (TOFD) is typically used in conjunction with phased-array applications as a rapid screening tool for the detection and sizing of circumferential- and axial-weld imperfections. TOFD setup involves placing two transducers on opposite sides of the area to be inspected. Sound waves are then refracted into the specimen at angles appropriate to component thickness.
Phased Array PAUT
Ultrasonic phased array provides a fast and reliable solution for flaw detection and characterisation across multiple presentations simultaneously. This technology uses multiple elements fired in quick succession to produce beams that can be steered, swept and focused electronically. Inspections across multiple angles are performed concurrently, creating significant cost savings and providing recordable results for further analysis and/or future inspections.
This technique is capable of performing multiple applications including weld quality, corrosion mapping, composites and components of complex geometry. Through use of accurate scan-planning and beam-steering capabilities, probability of detection is heightened while inspection times are reduced to a minimum.
Short Range LORUS
Various locations within a facility have the potential to see the release of product due to hidden corrosion. These locations are referred to as 'difficult to inspect' and include equipment and piping which is partially buried, soil-to-air interfaces, concrete-to-air interfaces, piping encased in a sleeve or concrete, the support-to-equipment interface known as the 'touch point' and the critical area inside a storage tank.
Unless the equipment is lifted, taken out of service or un-earthed, the owner/user is usually unaware that issues exist.
LoRUS (Long-Range Ultrasonics) is capable of detecting external or internal corrosion within ferrous or non-ferrous material at a distance of up to 90cm (3 feet) depending on the material and its surface condition, corrosion, coatings and temperature.
Rotoscan Automated Ultrasonic Weld Inspection
The Rotoscan system was developed in house by Applus+ RTD for the inspection of girth welds during the construction of long-distance pipelines, both onshore and offshore.
Rotoscan detects and measures welding imperfections within the weld and associated heat-affected zone, determining both the circumferential length and the through-thickness dimension.
The system couples a low false-call rate (FCR) with flaw-sizing capabilities, a user-friendly presentation in colour using customised software and storage of results.
Automated Ultrasonic C-Scan
Automated ultrasonic C-scan is a technique that utilises ultrasound and mechanised scanners to build a comprehensive plan view of the component being inspected. Typical plan-view imaging is displayed in colour-coded maps according to the thicknesses obtained throughout the inspection area. Calibrated dual-axis encoders provide a scale map to measure the lengths and widths of the indications found.
Internal Rotating Inspection IRIS
IRIS (internal rotating inspection system) is a technique that can be applied to both ferrous and non-ferrous materials and even non-conductive materials like plastics. With IRIS, the remaining wall thickness of tubes can be accurately measured. IRIS inspection is more accurate than other tube-inspection techniques and has the advantage of presenting information about the geometry of defects. Local defects and wall loss on both sides of the tube can be accurately measured. Defects under support plates can be measured without any limitations.
The probe used in IRIS examination is made up of a centering device, an ultrasound transducer and a rotating mirror. An ultrasound pulse is generated in the transducer that is mounted in an axial direction, then a 45-degree rotating mirror in the probe will guide the sound bundle towards the tube wall. Next, there will be an ultrasound reflection (echo) at the inner and outer walls of the tube. These echoes are reflected back and processed by the equipment. The time between these two echoes represents the wall thickness of the tube. Knowing the sound velocity in the material under test enables the wall thickness to be calculated. Water is used to rotate the probe mirror and is also needed as a couplant between the transducer and the tube wall.
A calibration standard of the same material and dimensions as the tubes to be examined is used to check the IRIS system response in preparation for the inspection. The tubes should also be cleaned to an acceptable standard.
Ultrasonic testing (DTI Trekscan)
RTD DTI Trekscan is the first free-floating pipeline in-line inspection tool designed to traverse back-to-back one-dimensional (1D) bends, with an optimum speed of one-metre-per-second (2.2 mph). It can run in pipelines previously considered to be 'unpiggable'. The bi-directional tool measures the return echoes of a transmitted ultrasound beam. The amount of time it takes to receive an echo provides highly accurate information on the remaining wall and enables the detection, characterisation and sizing of metal-loss anomalies. Using the latest ultrasonic technology and high-density transducer-carrier design, most refined petroleum products, water and crude oils can be used as a medium to run this tool.
Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer EMAT
Applus+ has developed proven and tested procedures for EMAT inspections in accordance with applicable codes. Our technicians are rigorously assessed and trained, both internally and externally, on data acquisition and interpretation.
NDT3D IWEX
IWEX is a full matrix capture (FMC) technique using ultrasonic (UT) inspection in which individual A-scans are recorded for each and every element of an array transducer, and these A-Scans are processed in a similar way to seismic processing and medical imaging. Advances in computer-processing hardware and software are making these techniques possible in real-time in the field.