CASE STUDY | High-temperature UT Inspection of Coarse-Grained Stainless Steel Using HotSense™ UT
Inservice, UT to ensure reliable thickness data on Inservice, UT to ensure reliable thickness data on coarse-grained stainless steel.
Inservice, UT to ensure reliable thickness data on Inservice, UT to ensure reliable thickness data on coarse-grained stainless steel.
Conventional TOFD struggles with high-temperature inspections due to transducer limitations and signal interference. In this case, Ionix high-temperature TOFD transducers with integrated wedges enabled reliable inspection of a carbon steel pipe weld at 200 °C. Mounted on a modified EddyFi Lyncs scanner and paired with a Mantis UT system, the setup successfully identified weld root corrosion, demonstrating suitability for continuous operation up to 350 °C.
IRISNDT sought a solution for automated corrosion mapping of a high-temperature pipeline prone to sulfidation. Using ultrasonic testing (UT), they measured remaining wall thickness in refinery piping circuits, ensuring reliable scans with durable transducers to maximize productivity.
Mistras, a leader in inspection services, faced a challenge at a US West Coast refinery. They needed to perform Ultrasonic Testing (UT) on pipework and equipment operating at high temperatures (350 °F to 700 °F) using specialised transducers. The goal was to measure thickness at corrosion monitoring locations with minimal downtime, ensuring system integrity.
High-temperature TOFD inspection was conducted during weld repairs at elevated temperatures and varying fill levels, providing accurate, repeatable defect detection. This approach eliminated the need for cooling and reheating, reducing maintenance time and increasing productivity by performing both welding and inspection simultaneously.
Wright Quality Services (WQS), a leading Canadian NDT service provider, conducted routine maintenance inspections on a high-pressure steam line for a refinery operator. Utilizing advanced Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) and high-temperature Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD) methods, WQS effectively detected weld root erosion under extreme conditions exceeding 300 °C. The inspection, focused on identifying early signs of deterioration, provided high-resolution imaging and superior accuracy, ensuring the reliability of critical welds in high-pressure steam systems.
Significant corrosion can occur in stacks and flares due to the presence of acidic compounds in the gases, in the presence of moisture and at elevated temperatures.
A refinery operator sought to inspect their stacks, onstream at high-temperatures using aerial drone platform with a HotSense UT payload to determine fitness for service.
Read our latest case study that highlights why on-stream inspection requires robust transducers with high sensitivity and temperature resilience , and which can reliably make high-temperature wall thickness measurements to prevent the need for shutdown and maintain productivity while reducing costs.
Switching to biofuel feedstocks introduces new integrity risks, such as increased water content and variable contaminants, that can accelerate corrosion in critical units like alkylation. Remote monitoring was essential to manage these risks, maintain safe operation, and protect throughput in a changing refining environment.
A solution was sought by a large chemical refinery for conducting in-service corrosion surveys across their facilities infrastructure. Read the full case study here.
A large chemical refinery sought a solution for conducting multiple point and scan measurements for on-stream, in-service corrosion surveys across their facilities infrastructure.