Tube Inspection

High-speed inspection of non-ferromagnetic tubing for wall loss, pitting and cracking.

Working Principle

An excitation coil induces eddy currents in the tube wall. Discontinuities disturb the current flow, producing measurable impedance changes.

Typical Indications

• Pitting
• General wall loss
• Cracking
• Erosion
• Baffle-cut wear

Applications

• Stainless steel and copper alloy exchangers
• Titanium and brass condenser tubing
• Air cooler bundles with non-ferrous tubes

Equipment

Multi-frequency eddy current instruments with bobbin probes sized to the tube bore.

Reporting

Tube-by-tube results with percentage wall loss estimation and tube map presentation.

Volumetric screening of ferromagnetic tubing where conventional eddy current is not effective.

Working Principle

The remote field zone allows the signal to pass through the tube wall twice, giving comparable sensitivity to internal and external wall loss.

Typical Indications

• General wall loss
• External corrosion
• Erosion
• Grooving

Applications

• Carbon steel exchanger and boiler tubes
• Ferromagnetic air cooler bundles
• Feedwater heaters

Equipment

Remote field instrumentation with probes matched to tube diameter and wall thickness.

Reporting

Wall loss estimation per tube with indication location along the tube length.

Focused technique for internal-surface condition assessment of ferromagnetic finned tubing.

Working Principle

A near field probe responds primarily to the tube inner surface, making it well suited to internal corrosion and fouling-related wall loss.

Typical Indications

• Internal corrosion
• Internal pitting
• Inlet-end erosion

Applications

• Carbon steel air cooler tubes
• Finned tube bundles

Equipment

Near field probes with instrumentation matched to the tube geometry.

Reporting

Internal wall loss assessment with tube-position mapping.

Ultrasonic tube inspection providing quantitative wall thickness measurement around the full tube circumference.

Working Principle

A rotating ultrasonic mirror scans the tube wall while the probe is withdrawn, producing a thickness profile along the tube length.

Typical Indications

• Quantified wall loss
• Pitting depth
• Erosion profiles
• Baffle wear

Applications

• Verification of ECT/RFET screening results
• Ferrous and non-ferrous tubing
• Detailed condition assessment of selected tubes

Equipment

IRIS turbines and probes with water supply, suitable for cleaned tubes.

Reporting

Quantitative thickness data with B-scan and C-scan style presentation where applicable.

IRIS requires clean, water-filled tubes; tube cleaning quality directly affects data reliability.