The ACFM Inspection Method

David Topp TSC INSPECTION SYSTEMS Milton Keynes, England

Introduction to TSC
TSC

Inspection Systems is a trading name of Technical Software Consultants Ltd Privately owned Company registered in England Established in 1984 Develop and sell Non-destructive testing systems based on their own Technologies Operate Worldwide
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TSC
Provide

equipment based around ACFM, ACPD and ACSM inspection techniques Crack detection, crack sizing, stress measurement Main business sectors are Oil & Gas and Petrochem but also work in Power Generation (Nuclear and non-nuclear), Railways, Roads and Bridges, heavy engineering
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ACFM OPERATIONS

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Angola Australia Brazil Canada China France Holland Iran Italy Japan Korea Malaysia Malta

Mexico New Zealand Norway Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore South Africa Thailand Taiwan UAE United Kingdom USA Venezuela

ALTERNATING CURRENT FIELD MEASUREMENT (ACFM)

ACFM

is an Electromagnetic inspection technique providing one pass inspection has a high tolerance to lift off

It It

requires no electrical contact, so can be used through coatings crack detection and sizing (length and depth)

Provides

Does
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not rely on operator calibration

Why choose ACFM?

ACFM
Works through coatings All data stored for audit High and Low Temperature Defect Depth Suitable for remote deployment

MPI

PT

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APPLICATION AREAS

Inspection of a wide range of materials including carbon steels, stainless steels, duplex, super duplex, titanium, inconel and aluminium General Weld Inspection Thread Inspection High Temperature Applications In Air and subsea

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ACFM
ACFM

is a current perturbation technique Is is significantly different to conventional eddy current testing methods It works by making quantitative measurements of magnetic field disturbances which arise when an electric current is disturbed by the presence of a surface breaking crack
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Comparison of ACFM with conventional eddy current testing

ACFM U n ifo rm F ield S im p le sc an p attern R em ote p ro b e d ep loym en t In sen sitiv e to lift o ff A ll d a ta stored for rep la y / au d it C ra ck d ep th w ith o u t ca lib ra tio n C ra ck d ep th s size b eyo n d 5 -1 0 m m E d d y C ur r e n t X X X X X X X

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ACFM
The Bx sensor responds to current density and shows a reduction with crack depth

The Bz sensor responds to crack ends and shows a trough/peak as the probe passes over the crack, and indicates crack length
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Typical ACFM Defect Indication

The butterfly plot does not require uniform speed of probe movement

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Remote probe operator

This

offers very significant benefits and is being used to good effect with divers and rope access technicians. You no longer need to train an inspector to dive or hang off ropes, neither do you need to consider training climbers or divers to become inspectors. By working as a team, they each benefit from the others skills. In the case of rope access the client can save large amounts of money!
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Remote probe deployment

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One or 2 man operation?

MPI - one man and he needs to be the inspector as well as gain access
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ACFM - 2 men Inspector does not need to be an access specialist and visa versa

Inspection through coatings

ACFM

does not require the removal of paint coatings. Standard probes can operate through nonconductive coatings up to 5mm thick. This provides large cost savings compared to conventional inspection methods. (Magnetic Particle Testing or Penetrant Testing).
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ACFM through metal coatings

ACFM

can be used through metal coatings for crack detection and has been successfully used with flame sprayed aluminium, zinc (galvanising) and copper coatings. It is not always straightforward and coating thickness must be small Coating thickness variations can lead to spurious signals - these can be minimised using arrays

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INSPECTION THROUGH COATINGS

Example of inspection through epoxy coatings - one man operation

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HIGH & LOW TEMPERATURE APPLICATIONS

TSC have developed systems that can operate at high temperatures >500oC without any need for cooling. ACFM can also be used for Low Temperature inspections (-20oC )without modification Systems are available for: Crack Detection (scanning) Crack Monitoring (sensors fixed in place) For these applications, ACFM Provides: Potential for large cost savings by avoiding the need to shut down the plant for inspection

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Limitations of ACFM
Should

only be used for surface breaking cracks Sizing models available for some materials but not all - new ones being developed all the time Sizing models are based on planar cracks and so will not work on complex branched cracks Scanning with simple probes is in expected direction of cracking. Transverse cracks should still be detected but cant be sized without another scan
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Instruments for single probe ACFM Operation

TSC

provide a range of instruments and probes for manually deployed inspection. For in air site operations, the new TSC AMIGO provides portable, battery powered instrumentation. For underwater inspection the Model U31 ACFM Crack Microgauge, rated to 350m, is used with a range of probes and accessories.
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TSC AMIGO Portable ACFM Instrument

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Examples of Applications of Manual ACFM

Inspection of Dock Cranes

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Topsides Inspection

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Offshore Rope Access

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FPSO Inspection

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Process Plant & Refinery Inspection

Different Materials High / Low temperature Paint Coatings Different geometries

ALL CAN BE ACCOMODATED BY ACFM

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More Examples of Applications for Manual ACFM

Theme Park rides to ...

Railway Axles

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More Examples of Applications for Manual ACFM

TV Mast
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to . LPG Spheres

Underwater Inspection
TSC

have standard equipment for diver deployed inspection. Uses exactly the same principals as for in air inspection. Max water depth 350m - can be used offshore or in docks All data is transferred to the surface for analysis by the ACFM operator. Requires less cleaning than conventional methods for underwater inspection.
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DIVER DEPLOYED ACFM SYSTEM Deployment Schematic

Topside Printer PC Module

110v

350m Umbilical

ACFM Probe

Subsea Module

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Model U21 Underwater ACFM Instrument

Diver deployed ACFM, now used worldwide in the Oil & Gas Industry for structural inspection.
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New Smaller Model U31D Underwater System now available

U21

U31

Significantly easier to deploy than the original U21 model

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Diver deployed ACFM

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New U31D

Weld Probe with Position Encoder

Standard Weld Probe

Encoded Probe
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Encoded Probe
Belt Drive to Encoder

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Benefits of encoded weld probe

Presents

data with respect to a known position datum Reduced Wear Rapid crack sizing No need for repeat crack sizing scans Array capability Twin Field capability Uses new ASSIST Lite software
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ACFM Arrays
Manual

inspection probes inspect a narrow strip, centred on the probe sensors. In some situations it is desirable to cover wider areas with a probe. ACFM array probes contain a number of sensors. In this way, larger areas can be covered either by scanning a 1 dimensional array or statically using a 2D array.
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Scanned ACFM Array inspect a wider area than single probes

Single probe inspects a narrow strip

Array probe inspects wide strip

Multiple sensors
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ROV Inspection with ACFM

There

are basically two options: Replace diver with a manipulator and use diver type probes Design probes or deployment frames that make less reliance on ROV dexterity has now been used with more than a dozen different workclass ROV/Manipulator configurations in water depths down to 500m

ACFM

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Considerations when using large ROVs

Hard

marine growth needs to be removed The probe needs to be held steady in position for 5-10 seconds The probe needs to then be moved to an adjacent position in order to build up a complete scan of the chosen area Holding a large vehicle steady in shallow water can be difficult due to current and tides

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ROV RIGID ARRAY PROBE

Rigid array built for deployment by ROV, fitted with a stainless steel nose for impact protection.
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RIGID ARRAY PROBE FITTED ONTO A WORK CLASS ROV

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ROV Arrays designed for Norske-Shell Incorporated suction cups to hold the probe steady while the data was taken

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Deepwater ACFM - 490m

Manipulator Scan

Scanning Frame

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ROV Operation Modeling

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Twin Field Arrays

Standard

probes have a single field and so are directional. If you want to characterise defects in more than 1 direction you need to scan in more than 1 direction Array probes can be fitted with twin fields. This allows inspection in two directions with a single scan Very useful for scanning large areas or where multidirectional cracking exists
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Inspection of aluminium bronze thruster blades

An area measuring 300mm x 300mm currently requires 42 manual scans to inspect in both directions. An array probe provides the same coverage in just 7 scans. TSC have now developed an Underwater Array Probe for this application

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MECHANISED SYSTEMS
TSC have developed a number of mechanised systems for automated/semi automated inspection BENEFITS

Reduce the operator requirement Can be fitted with feedback for position reporting Interpretation can be automated to reduce the operator skill requirement Removes operator from hazardous areas Reduces operator boredom in repetitive tasks

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SCANNED ARRAY PROBE

This probe contains a row of 8 sensors arranged along the probe. When this is scanned around a pipe it inspects a circumferential strip. Developed for inspecting Titanium pipe and installed in a mechanised system

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Titanium Riser Inspection System

Automated ACFM Array Inspection System

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ACFM Array probes for the nuclear industry

Scanned array probe

Array probe for robotic deployment

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Radiation Hardened System

Alternative data display from an array probe

Plan of inspected area showing crack depth

Plan of inspected area showing crack end signals

Arrays give the opportunity for additional displays. The butterfly plot has been replaced by a plan view showing clearly the defect location within the area covered by the probe.
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Array Probes for different geometries

Probes can be built to suit particular applications. This probe has been delivered to a client who needed to inspect turbine discs. These can be used with TSCs AMIGO

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Array Probes for different geometries

Probes can be built to suit particular applications. This probe has been developed specifically for the inspection of sloped furnace wall tubes in coal fired power stations

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Thread Inspection
ACFM

can be used to inspect a variety of component shapes. ACFM is now used widely for inspecting threaded components and in particular, those used in the oil and gas industry. Standard instrumentation can be used to manually inspect threads and special probes are available for this application. Automated ACFM Thread Inspection systems are also available.
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MANUAL THREAD INSPECTION

Manual Inspection of a drillpipe thread

Inspection of a titanium stud using a single probe in a special purpose jig

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AUTOMATED THREAD INSPECTION FOR DRILLPIPE

Thread surfaces difficult to clean to bright metal Access to female threads is difficult Operator interpretation of MPI very subjective Large components difficult to manipulate An ACFM inspection system can use an array probe above the uncleaned surface and can traverse the full thread. On-line data interpretation gives detection and sizing automatically WITHOUT ANY OPERATOR INTERPRETATION

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ATI PIN PROBE ON DRILLPIPE THREAD

The probe head contains position encoder and shoulder proximity gauge to ensure data quality and allow automated data analysis
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ATI Box Probe

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Automated Pass/Fail

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ACFM Approvals
ACFM

has been accepted by all major offshore Classification Societies including Det Norske Veritas Bureau Veritas Lloyds Register OCB / Germanischer Lloyd American Bureau of Shipping
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ABS Hull Inspection

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New ASTM Standard Practice 2003

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Plans for including ACFM into new NACE document for wet H2S cracking

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Cost Savings with ACFM

Because

ACFM does not require coating removal and re-application, large cost savings can be achieved compared to conventional inspection techniques. The ability to deploy probes using rope access methods means that expensive scaffolding can be avoided. Inspections can be conducted on live plant thereby reducing shut-down time.
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Examples of Cost Savings Reported

PETROBRAS have reported cost savings in excess of $2,000,000 by switching from MPI to ACFM for subsea inspection Longview have reported cost reductions in excess of 60% on process plant inspection when switching from MPI to ACFM MQS have reported 60% cost savings with ACFM during Petrochemical plant inspections ETRS have suggested savings of Au$1.5m using new scanned array probes for furnace wall tube inspection

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Process Plant Savings

Courtesy Longview

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Process Plant Savings

Courtesy Longview

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Improved Efficiency with ACFM

Less

reliance on operator improves overall reliability of inspection. Data is available for review by a third party without need for reinspection. Data available electronically for audit and integration into plant management software. Information on crack depth means resources can be prioritised.
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Other TSC Technology

Proximity

Sensing - has been used for pipe ovality measurement or marine fouling thickness gauging - diver deployed or ROV

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Proximity Sensing
TSC

have developed a number of probes for proximity sensing These have been successfully deployed by ROV for:
Marine Fouling Measurement Pipe ovality measurement

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Pipe ovality Measurement

The sensor is held in a frame which allows it to be scanned at a fixed circumference. By taking measurements during the scan, the difference between the diameter of the frame and the diameter of the pipe can be calculated to give out of roundness.
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Pipe ovality Measurement

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Measurement of marine fouling

Caliper Measure

Member

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Marine Fouling Probe

These probes can make spot measurements of fouling up to 300mm thick

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Operator Training & Certification

General

ACFM Training is currently available through TWI in the UK - now EN473 compliant Operator Certification is available through TWI under Lloyds and CSWIP Schemes Walking Stick specific training scheme has been set up under the CSWIP scheme (EN473 compliant) and is available through TWI
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Summary

TSCs ACFM technique represents a significant advance in inspection technology. Applications range from simple manual scanning through to complex automated and semi-automated systems. Fully automatic systems can provide simple PASSFAIL reporting for specific applications. ACFM offers improved reliability and significant cost benefits compare to conventional inspection methods.

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Contacts
TSC INSPECTION SYSTEMS
6 Mill Square Featherstone Rd Wolverton Mill Milton Keynes MK12 5RB England Tel. +44 (0) 1908 317444 Fax. +44 (0) 1908 220959 Email sales@tscinspectionsystems.com www. tscinspectionsystems.com
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