It is well known and documented that corrosion and erosion are universal integrity threats across many industry sectors. Inspecting for the reduction in wall thickness of industrial components can help asset managers calculate corrosion rates, plan remedial maintenance, and most importantly, prevent potential loss of containment incidents that have significant cost and environmental impact.

Ultrasonic Testing (UT) is regarded as the most accurate NDT method for locating corrosion and providing measurements for remaining wall thickness and corrosion depth. This UT information feeds into integrity management systems, and engineers can determine the fitness-for-service and remaining life of components.

Conventional UT can only provide a certain level of component coverage and is typically only used on spot readings at thickness measurement locations (TML) where corrosion rates are calculated at a known and consistent location. Although this information is invaluable for engineers, there is always the concern of missing defects. Corrosion can manifest itself in many morphologies and many industry trials have shown that conventional UT is not suitable for 100% coverage of the component.

With this in consideration, automated UT systems have become increasingly popular for asset integrity assessment and by using Phased Array our customers can maximize productivity without compromising on data quality or resolution. Automated systems can provide full coverage, and with the Eddyfi Corrosion Mapping packages, there are software features that assist in automatic defect recognition.

Eddyfi Technologies recognizes that corrosion mapping is a significant industry and have developed a series of solution packages that suit our customer technical requirements and also budget. We understand that one solution is not suitable for all situations and this article illustrates the various packages we offer.

Corrosion mapping is typically offered in two distinct forms: manually encoded or fully automated. Manually encoded scanners are often less expensive, portable —and although they are manually operated— still provide fully recordable data sets. Manually operated scanners are usually the preferred choice when access is suitable and for pipework and vessels. Fully automated systems are robotic crawlers that have pre-set scanning sequences within the software, therefore removing the manual requirements for data collection. Automated systems are usually preferred for large assets such as storage tanks and larger vessels.

All the phased array corrosion mapping solutions from Eddyfi Technologies use the same probe, water wedge, mechanical bracket and is called the Aqualock. The Aqualock has been designed with improved water flow, consistent and linear interface response, and can be removed and placed into all solutions without the requirement of any tools. The Aqualock is the universal core that is used across all Eddyfi Technologies corrosion mapping solutions and detailed below are the various scanning options.

R-Scan Array

This is the entry level phased array corrosion mapping solution from Eddyfi Technologies. It is a single axis manually encoded scanner that has integrated electronics to enable one-person operation. The R-Scan Array has an ergonomic handle, quick release probe holder, breaking system, and has two options for magnetic wheels that can be interchanged per application. The one-handed solution is ideal for small area corrosion mapping, can work from 100-millimeter (4-inch) outside diameter to flat plate, and our customers use it for dome end inspection or areas of restricted access.

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LYNCS CM

The LYNCS™ CM is also a manually encoded scanner, but this system has 2-axis data collection. 

The operator has the ability to collect 500 millimeters (20 inches) of axial coverage per probe placement so has increased productivity for straight sections of pipe or grid collection on vessels. The LYNCS CM has been designed with consideration to many years of field experience and has subtle features that we know benefit the technician in the field. Also built with breaks, the LYNCS CM has rope access deployment benefits and integrated user controls. The real benefit of LYNCS CM is that the Aqualock is centrally mounted between the magnetic tractors which means that setup time is almost eliminated. Users can move from 100-millimeter (4-inch) pipe to any other diameter, and the probe will automatically be normal to the scanning surface.

LYNCS CM

RMS PA

RMS PA

The RMS PA system is an evolution of the well-established RMS scanner from Eddyfi Technologies. Building on the success of the original RMS, Eddyfi took the opportunity to combine the robotic performance of the automated scanner and combine it with the industry leading phased array instruments from its Center of Excellence for PAUT (M2M). Having onboard motor control software, the RMS PA is the only fully integrated automated phased array system on the market. The RMS PA includes the R-Scan Array as the front-end phased array buggy, and therefore customers can remove the scanning head around restrictions to perform manual scanner with increased dexterity. The RMS PA is the fastest automated corrosion mapping system on the market, available in three size scanning heads that cover 150-millimeter (6-inch) pipework to flat plate. Being fully integrated with motor control capabilities, it is also the only system that can be remotely controlled through cloud-based integration. Experienced operators can sit in their office and remotely perform system calibrations, data collection, analysis, and robotic manipulation.

At the core of all these systems is the powerful phased array instrumentation from Eddyfi Technologies. These instruments, with the forever evolving Capture™ software, gives customers the option to perform all types of corrosion mapping or simply choose the system that suits the requirements. Capture software has dedicated features for motor control setup for corrosion mapping and also analysis tools that provide assisted defect recognition and automatic sizing of corrosion.

The ‘pick a mix’ corrosion mapping suite at Eddyfi Technologies is the first of its kind. Customers can select the system that best fits the inspection needs, but also upgrade or interchange between the systems at a reduced purchasing cost and maximizing utilization. Phased array for corrosion mapping has really become the technology of choice. With assisted analysis software, 3D data representation and 1 x 1mm (0.04 x 0.04in) resolution accuracy, the decision making for engineers is that much easier.

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If you’re in the market for the best phased array corrosion mapping solution, contact Eddyfi Technologies to have your precise needs paired today and stay Beyond Current!