Sonomatic announces strategic working partnership with TSC Inspection Systems
07/03/2017
Sonomatic, a market leader in the provision of automated inspection services, has announced a strategic working partnership with TSC Inspection Systems, a recognised leader in the fields of NDT, robotics and fracture mechanics. The partnership will span across the region of Southeast Asia and extend from subsea projects to refineries, with an emphasis on high-temperature work in Singapore.Sonomatic’s in-depth knowledge of non-destructive testing, along with how it is applied in the integrity management process, is supported by a strong internal capability for the development of ultrasonic systems, software, scanners and associated equipment. Sonomatic is said to be the world’s leading provider of automated subsea ultrasonic inspection services. The technology is designed and developed by an in-house team of experts for use by Sonomatic service teams. This closely-knit process ensures that delivery is fit for purpose and equipment has the highest level of reliability in order to ensure availability at all times.
“Sonomatic is committed to providing inspection solutions that best meet our clients’ needs and we are pleased to be working with TSC in order to extend our offerings,” said Sonomatic’s Regional Manager of Australasia, Zach McCann. “We understand that effective integrity decision-making depends on reliable information on asset condition.”
Sonomatic’s high-temperature capability for refinery applications is the result of an intensive R&D programme in which effective methods of high-temperature coupling and probe cooling have been developed. The techniques are deployed by a range of scanners that are developed in house. Sonomatic’s high-temperature inspection capability allows process equipment operators to perform inspections without the need to shut down plant. This delivers significant economic benefits through uninterrupted production and, at the same time, ensures that the risks involved with the operation of pressure equipment are managed more effectively.
ACFM® is an electromagnetic inspection technique that has been developed by TSC and is widely used across high-integrity industries such as oil & gas, defence, nuclear, transport and mining. The ability to inspect at elevated temperatures can provide significant cost savings by avoiding plant shutdowns and, importantly, also eliminates the problems caused by cracks closing up when the structure is cooled down. ACFM is routinely used for high-temperature inspection in applications such as the inspection of hot pipework in petrochemical plants and ongoing monitoring of defect-prone sites under lagging using permanently-installed high-temperature array probes. Interpass inspection during welding is also possible, removing the need for beads to cool and then be reheated. TSC can build and design ACFM probes to inspect at temperatures of 500°C (930°F), or more, for long periods of time.
“This partnership brings together the strengths of TSC and Sonomatic to provide customers with a comprehensive and advanced NDT inspection solution. We look forward to working closely with Sonomatic in delivering high-quality inspection services to customers in the Southeast Asia region,” said Business Development Manager of TSC Inspection Systems Singapore, Nickson Khoo.
Sonomatic is a market leader in the development and provision of automated non-destructive ultrasonic inspection and related integrity services for the oil & gas, power generation and defence sectors. It has operational bases in Aberdeen and Warrington in the UK, Perth and Brisbane in Australia, Abu Dhabi and Muscat in the Middle East, Johannesburg, Secunda and Vanderbijlpark in South Africa and North Carolina and Houston in the USA.
TSC Inspection Systems is the developer and sole provider of ACFM technology, which is now widely recognised and accepted as one of the most reliable methods of detecting surface-breaking cracks in steel structures and metallic components, being able to measure both crack length and depth. Today, TSC offers clients a wide range of support in the execution of inspection programmes around the world, from product sales and inspection services through to technical support and procedural development, from bases in Milton Keynes, Aberdeen and Singapore.
www.sonomatic.com
