NDT of on and offshore oil and gas installations using the alternating current field measurement (ACFM) technique
- Technical Software Consultants Ltd., Milton Keynes (United Kingdom)
- IESCO Inc., San Pedro, CA (United States)
Offshore inspection has been carried out in the UK waters for the last 25 years, but the techniques used have until recently remained stagnant. Innovative work carried out by University College London produced the mathematical modeling of the alternating current field measurement technique, which was then further developed and commercialized into a field usable technique. During detection and sizing trials, this technique proved to be better than even MPI for detection and as good as the existing sizing techniques. This was a major advance in NDT technology, a technique that could detect surface breaking defects through paint and other coatings of various thickness, then accurately size them in terms of length and depth. The technique was adopted for subsea inspection of welds and was then used for topside applications of numerous types. The adaptability of the technique to different materials and coatings has made it acceptable to not only the offshore industry, but it is now widely used in the petrochemical industry, the power generation industry, and in aerospace and outer space. A range of equipment and probes has allowed this new technology to be used where other techniques could not be applied.
- OSTI ID:
- 227923
- Journal Information:
- Materials Evaluation, Journal Name: Materials Evaluation Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 54; ISSN MAEVAD; ISSN 0025-5327
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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