ESR Technology. Engineering, Safety & Risk
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CHIME®
Conventional ultrasonic techniques such as corrosion mapping can be relatively slow and costly to apply to large areas of plant. In addition, they cannot be applied to areas which are inaccessible due to clamps, saddles and pipe supports.
Quickly screen large areas for corrosion and cracking
CHIME® provides engineers with the information they need to establish the presence and location of defects in assets which are traditionally difficult to inspect. It is a digital ultrasonic technique which provides large area, single pass screening by inspecting the full volume between the probes (which can be separated by up to 1 m). It can be used on both pipes and plate and is suitable for inaccessible geometries.
The method uses a pair of probes mounted on angled shoes, designed to produce the unique combination of head and creeping waves which completely fill the plate or pipe with little attenuation. Corrosion or cracking defects reduce the magnitude of the signal transmitted between the probes and also affect the arrival time of the signal peaks.
Benefits
- Large areas can be inspected with a single pass
- Estimates the severity of the defect
- The full volume can be inspected with probes up to 1 m apart
- Sensitive to defects on both internal and external surfaces
- Suitable for pipe diameters from 75 mm
- Suitable for inaccessible geometries such as pipe supports, clamps and saddles, tank floors and partially buried pipes
A CHIME® process patent is held by ESR Technology Ltd - so to apply CHIME® a licence is needed from ESR Technology. CHIME® is a registered trademark.