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Tubesheet Welding
HEAT EXCHANGERS DRY COOLERS CONDENSERS
C and D scan view . The scan is shown from 0-250deg . Image courtesy of FORCE Technology .
in A , C and D scan . The scan is from a tube with dimensions 57.0 x 4.0mm . Defect 1 has a 30deg . circumferential extent , corresponding to 12.8mm circumferential length with amplitude 11dB above ref . 0dB and defect 2 has a 5deg . circumferential extent , corresponding to 2.1mm circumferential length with amplitude 2dB above ref . 0dB . The red colour from 0-4mm in C-scan image , is signals from the tube back wall , recorded prior to the UT transducer enter the weld area . The weld-root area starts at the yellow horizontal line . From the D-scan we see defect no . 1 has maximum amplitude at approx . 4mm ’ s depth , which is in the weld root area .
Fast-rate inspection The technique has good versatility and adaptability to various tube dimensions , from 12mm in internal diameter . It finds various types of weld defects and weld leg-length can be determined as well . Maximum scanning length is up to 80mm in standard scanner setup . An important requirement is that the inner surface of the tubes must be clean , free of scale , corrosion or other impurities . As the equipment needs both power and water supply , normal safety and security measures for such cases apply , but no additional measures are required during inspection . The equipment is easily portable , which makes it easy to reach customers anywhere in the world . During a 12-hour shift , around 500-600 welds are examined and a preliminary report stating any severe findings will be issued prior to the inspection team leaving from the site . Such high inspection rate significantly reduces downtime of the system and , combined with the high quality of data and documentation , provide a clear advantage over the more traditional inspection methods .
Conclusions FORCE Technology ’ s tube-to-tube sheet weld scanner provides fast and accurate detailed data on the condition of the welds in the inspected tube sheet and thus represents a better solution than alternative traditional inspection techniques . The technique has been successfully applied for tube-to-tube sheet weld inspection on a number of projects worldwide . For years , FORCE Technology has been on the front edge of innovation in many fields , including NDT education and inspection . Our tube-to-tube sheet weld scanner is a prove of that .
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