TAKING ULTRASONIC PIPE INSPECTION TO A NEW LEVEL WITH THE ECHOMAC® 500MM TESTER
Responding to the expanding supply of natural gas and oil which has spurred a need for larger diameter tube and pipe, Magnetic Analysis Corp. (MAC) has supplied its largest ever model Ultrasonic Rotary tester to a major Russian pipe producer. Part of MAC’s line of Echomac® nondestructive Ultrasonic testers, this model can inspect tube and pipe up to 500mm (19.6”) diameter. The Rotary test technique spins large numbers of transducers around the pipe as it passes through an enclosed rotary test chamber continuously supplied with pressurized water couplant. This design offers advantages of higher throughput speeds, quicker reconfiguration of transducers for different diameter material, repeatable test results, and 100% coverage.
The new 500mm UT tester can detect longitudinal and transverse crack type defects on OD and ID pipe surfaces, and throughout the product’s cross section, meeting standards that require finding artificial notches at a 5% or 10% level of the wall in pipe with any wall thickness. Many pipe grades require that the producer monitor the wall thickness for variations in dimensions, and some quality levels also require checking for lamination conditions. The Echomac UT test system, which also features MAC’s wireless transmission of test signals, can handle these tasks and ensure compliance with industry standards at throughput speeds up to 1 m/s.
A large multi-test system, recently supplied by MAC to the Russian pipe mill, combined the new 500mm UT Rotary with 500mm Transverse and Longitudinal Rotoflux® flux leakage testers to meet the specific needs of this mill for testing their pipe up to 426mm diameter. Together, the dual technologies deliver a far more comprehensive test. The ultrasonic technology provides critical full inspection capability, including shear wave inspection of longitudinal and transverse defects at any quality level and wall thickness measurement and lamination detection. The addition of the UT rotary to the magnetic flux leakage testers provides complete all-direction test capability and gives the user full flexibility to optimize the pipe inspection process.
Echomac® 500mm UT Rotary and 500mm Transverse & Longitudinal Rotoflux® System
