Tag:Nondestructive Examination

How do you find corrosion under insulation (CUI) and what nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques are best? These are questions conscientious system operators should ask when trying to hold off the costly problem of hidden corrosion in their systems. CUI is one of the most difficult corrosion processes to prevent but adoption of proactive measures, such as the development of an inspection program intended to detect early signs of corrosion and mitigate potential piping failures, is critical. In fact, corrosion is so costly that the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) estimates that the global cost of corrosion is approximately $2.5...

In the nondestructive testing (NDT) field, industrial radiography is, arguably, one of the most expensive methods to perform. With regard to safety, however, it stands alone due to the risk of exposure to ionizing radiation. Many NDT methods share an inherent safety risk due to environmental hazards, but radiography is the only major method with high-dose radiation concerns. Due to the introduction of digital radiography techniques, those concerns are growing smaller with every innovation. Modern equipment reduces the required overall radiation exposure to fractions of the original dose. This reduction in total dose allows the operation to take place in...

For decades in the Nondestructive Testing (NDT) industry, film has been the Radiographic imaging method of choice. Its evolution and industry competition has driven film into a high quality-level with many options that cover virtually anything requiring radiography. Slow film is used for fine resolution options while faster speeds cover larger or less critical materials. Today, we have many new competitors attempting to dethrone film as the industry king. Many of these options share a single result: digital imaging. The transition from traditional to digital images has been a gradual one with very small leaps and bounds. We’ve all, likely,...

Throughout my career in NDT consulting, there’s one question that gets asked more frequently as the years go by: “Can our operation change to Computed Radiography?” This question is a bit like asking how a piano works. The basic functions are easily understood, but the actual motions of operation are much more complicated. Like a piano, Computed Radiography has lots of moving parts that are unseen by even a skilled user. Parts that spark little interest from the chair in front of the keyboard. I am no musical master or even a musical novice, however, I can shed light on...