Subtera introduces corrosion under insulation screening solution
31/10/2025
Subtera, a UK-based company headquartered at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, started developing breakthrough corrosion under insulation (CUI) detection technology about ten years ago.
CUI is a significant challenge for process industries such as oil & gas, petrochemical and chemical sectors worldwide. CUI, a type of corrosion of pipework that arises when water becomes trapped within insulation, has contributed to more than 20% of all major oil & gas accidents in the European Union (EU) alone over the past 35 years. Such integrity failures can result in catastrophic damage to process plants.
Using passive terahertz sensors to see through the protective outer layers on live operational industrial pipework and process vessels provides visibility of the asset’s surface behind the layers of non-metallic cladding and thermal insulation. Earlier this year, after an 18-month project, DNV announced that it had qualified Subtera’s core CUI detection sensor technology.
Subtera has now launched its new screening solution, named STAR, which enables asset integrity teams to efficiently and cost-effectively screen insulated live operational pipework protected with non-metallic cladding. In recent technology trials, STAR achieved a CUI detection rate of 85% and a 100% moisture detection rate.
STAR is an acronym for scan, track, analyse, report. Subtera’s STAR cloud software helps engineers to create workflows, which are uploaded to a voice-controlled hard-hat- worn computer. The hand-held STAR sensor, named Pi360, scans assets to detect CUI and trapped moisture and helps to assess the condition of fabric layers.
During the screening process, Pi360 tracks its operation to ensure that it has been conducted correctly.
All STAR screening data is uploaded to Subtera’s secure cloud, where it is analysed using signal processing algorithms and artificial intelligence. Additionally, engineers can record voice notes while using STAR in the field; these qualitative insights are converted to text and can be included in reports.
Reports are instantly generated by combining all of the rich sensor data and voice notes.
David Haskett, Subtera’s CEO, said: “The Subtera team has worked hard over the years to develop STAR and we are delighted to be collaborating with early customers to detect CUI, reduce costs and safely extend the operational life of their existing infrastructure.”
www.subtera.tech
