Tube & Heat Exchanger Inspection

Eddy Current Inspection (High Speed for Condensers)

Eddy Current Testing is a non-contact method used to inspect non-ferromagnetic tubing. This technique is suitable for detecting and sizing metal discontinuities such as corrosion, erosion, wear, pitting, baffle cuts, wall loss, and cracks in nonferrous materials.

Two coils are excited with an electrical current, producing a magnetic field around them. The magnetic fields penetrate the tube material and generate opposing alternating currents in the material. These currents are called eddy currents. Any defects that change the eddy current flow also change the impedance of the coils in the probe. These changes in the impedance of the coils are measured and used to detect defects in the tube.

Magnetic Flux Leakage

Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) is a fast inspection technique, suitable for measuring wall loss and detecting sharp defects such as pitting, grooving, and circumferential cracks. MFL is effective for aluminium-finned carbon steel tubes because the magnetic field is almost completely unaffected by the presence of such fins.

Remote Field

Remote Field Testing (RFT) is being used to successfully inspect ferromagnetic tubing such as carbon steel or ferrite stainless steel. This technology offers good sensitivity when detecting and measuring volumetric defects resulting from erosion, corrosion, wear, and baffle cuts.

IRIS Ultrasound

The Ultrasonic IRIS option is used to inspect a wide range of materials, including ferrous, nonferrous, and non-metallic tubing. This technique detects and sizes wall loss resulting from corrosion, erosion, wear, pitting, cracking, and baffle cuts. The MS5800 IRIS inspection technology is used extensively as a prove-up technique for remote field testing, magnetic flux leakage, and eddy current inspections.

Near Field Testing (NFT)

Near Field Testing (NFT) technology is a rapid and inexpensive solution intended specifically for fin-fan carbon-steel tubing inspection. This new technology relies on a simple driver-pickup eddy current probe design providing very simple signal analysis.

NFT is specifically suited to the detection of internal corrosion, erosion, or pitting on the inside of carbon steel tubing. The NFT probes measure lift-off or “fill factor,” and convert it to amplitude-based signals (no phase analysis). Because the eddy current penetration is limited to the inner surface of the tube, NFT probes are not affected by the fin geometry on the outside of the tubes.

TubePro 4.0

InCon use TubePro 4.0 software for our Heat Exchanger Inspection service. Please see our informational PDF about TubePro 4.0.