Advanced Non-Destructive Testing (ANDT) Inspection
ANDT Inspection Services
Advanced non-destructive testing (ANDT) inspection methods often require more advanced training and technician skill than traditional NDT inspections, but offer greater insight into asset damages. MISTRAS’ ANDT inspections services are performed by trained experts who are well-versed in their correct application and operation.
ANDT inspection methods utilize state-of-the-art equipment and technology to provide quick, precise, and detailed asset integrity data. There’s a higher probability of flaw detection than with traditional inspection methods. Common uses of ANDT techniques include:
- Corrosion
- Cracking
- Corrosion under insulation (CUI) inspection
- High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA)
- Weld inspection
Read more below about MISTRAS’ ANDT inspections.
Acoustic Emission (AE)
Powerful method for examining the behavior of equipment performing under stress. Materials “talk” when they are in trouble: through AE testing, MISTRAS “listens” to the sounds of cracks growing, fibers breaking, and many other modes of active damage in stressed materials.
Acoustic Emission Applications
- Through-valve leak detection and quantification
- Stress cracking
- Fatigue
- Creep
- Weld monitoring
Automated Back Scatter Technique (AUBT)
MISTRAS’ Advanced Ultrasonic Backscatter Technique (AUBT) services are a reliable method of detecting and quantifying damage from High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA), which can occur in steel and steel alloys. This proven ultrasonic inspection technology is applicable to materials of any geometry with or without cladding. AUBT inspections are able to determine damage progression through walls, and determine between fissures and other internal defects.
Automated Back Scatter Technique Applications
- High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA)
Computed/Digital Radiography (CR/DR)
Computed Radiography (CR) and Digital Radiography (DR) are advanced NDT techniques that deliver timelier, safer, and more detailed inspection data than traditional radiography. There is no film time required to produce imagery, and images can be digitally enhanced for increased detail and easily archived.
Computed/Digital Radiography Applications
- Weld Inspection
- Corrosion under insulation (CUI) inspection
- Piping thickness profiles
Eddy Current (EC)
Eddy Current testing (EC) is a highly versatile and efficient branch of nondestructive testing. It is sensitive to small cracks and is able to detect surface and near-surface defects. Since EC inspection equipment is often portable, immediate results are available and minimum part preparation is required. Probes also do not need to directly contact the material, so Eddy Current’s inspection capabilities extend to conductive materials with complex shapes and sizes.
Eddy Current (EC) Applications
- Crack detection
- Conductivity measurements
- Corrosion under insulation (CUI) inspection
- Material identification
Large Structure Inspection (LSI™)
Designed and manufactured by MISTRAS, the LSI™ is a robotic, high-speed erosion/corrosion scanning system, ideal for scanning large areas of storage tanks, pipelines, piping, and pressure vessels.
Large Structure Inspection (LSI™) Applications
- Corrosion/erosion scanning
- Wall thickness mapping
- Weld quality imaging
- Time-of-Flight Diffraction (TOFD) applications
Phased Array (PAUT)
Phased Array (PAUT) inspection can identify defects on a variety of equipment, including welds, pressure vessels, piping, tubing, turbine blades, landing gear cylinders, castings, and many others. The versatility of the technology allows for simultaneous views of different representations, making defects such as corrosion and cracking apparent in a material. PAUT produces measurements that are synchronized to make the detection, location, and characterization of defects much more reliable and exact.
Phased Array Applications
- New vessel and piping code inspection
- In-service inspections for damage mechanisms
- High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA)
Real Time Radiography (RTR)/Fluoroscopy
Real-time radiography (RTR), or fluoroscopy, is a popular advanced non-destructive testing technique that reduces the time between the asset being inspected and the resulting image over traditional radiography. MISTRAS applies RTR for pipeline weld inspection, and as RTR is able to penetrate through insulation, RTR is frequently applied to corrosion under insulation (CUI) inspection for pipelines and refinery piping, storage tanks, and vessels. Digital images provide a quick and easy process for analyzing inspection results, and they don’t require the storage and transfer hassle that accompanies film.
Real Time Radiography/Fluoroscopy Applications
- Weld inspections for new construction pipelines
- Corrosion under insulation (CUI) inspection
Time-of-Flight Diffraction (TOFD)
Time-of-Flight Diffraction (TOFD) enables the rapid scanning of welds and the heat-affected zones of in-service components. Frequently applied to the examination of heavy wall pipes and pressure vessels, TOFD allows the inspector to image discontinuities and analyze data for location and sizing. Assets can remain in service and accurate results are produced in real-time. TOFD inspection is sensitive to all types of weld flaws.
Time-of-Flight Diffraction Applications
- New vessel and piping code inspection
- In-service inspections for damage mechanisms
- High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA)
