Rental instruments help develop advanced gas pipe QC tests

Rental instruments help develop advanced gas pipe QC tests Forth Inspection Service (Aberdeen) recently hired advanced non-destructive testing (NDT) equipment from Ashtead Technology in order to develop sophisticated test methods as part of the quality control procedures for new gas pipelines. The test procedures were developed and validated with Alness-headquartered Scotia Automated Inspection Services (a division of ShawCor UK ltd), who are responsible for the ongoing QC work. The rented equipment included a second generation Olympus OmniScan MX2-P2 Ultrasonic Flaw Detector in conjunction with an Olympus CHAIN Scanner Kit. Forth Inspection’s Darren Kinsella says: “Phased array ultrasonics have replaced radiography for reasons of safety, speed and probability of detection, and are now allowed in construction codes for pipe welds to meet the quality control requirements of numerous standards. With the benefit of the Ashtead equipment, we manufactured welded reference samples with seeded defects and conducted blind trials to assist in the development and validation of the test procedures. “In addition to demonstrating compliance with ASME Code Case 181, the test procedures now offer a measure of weld quality and workmanship whilst also providing accurate sizing and defect characterisation. “The facility to hire selected instruments from Ashtead Technology’s large fleet of advanced NDT equipment means that we do not have to commit to a large capital cost, which saves money for both us and our clients.” The OmniScan® MX2 is the latest in a line of ultrasonic flaw detectors that stretches back over 20 years. Offering high acquisition rates, the MX2 comes with powerful software features for efficient manual and automated inspection performance, combined with a new streamlined software interface displayed on a large bright touchscreen. The next generation MX2 increases testing efficiency, ensuring superior manual and advanced AUT application performance with faster setups, test cycles, and reporting, in addition to universal compatibility with all phased array and ultrasound modules. The MX2 unit is equipped with advanced features such as the ability to use PA and UT channels simultaneously. As a modular platform, the MX2 houses more than 10 different Olympus modules and Ashtead Technology’s engineers are able to advise on the best setup for every application. To view Ashtead’s fleet of rental NDT instrumentation, visit www.ashtead-technology.com/ndt

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