OEMS provides hazardous material services using computed radiography
20/02/2025
Orion Enviro Marine Services (OEMS) in Freeport, Bahamas, was founded in 2014 and is a leading provider of hazardous material services for marine insurers, shipping lines, pharmaceutical manufacturers, industrial contractors and ship repairs.
OEMS specialises in many different services, from hazardous materials spill clean-up to health and safety training to shoreline demolition and recovery. Perhaps the most critical service the company provides is non-destructive testing (NDT). It specialises in industrial radiography, ultrasonic testing, penetrant testing and magnetic particle testing to evaluate materials, components and assemblies without affecting their serviceability.
In the past, OEMS performed radiographic inspection using conventional films. Due to the rising cost of the film and the challenges and costs associated with disposing of chemicals and recovering the silver produced during film processing, OEMS decided to look into computed radiography (CR). After looking at several CR systems, the company acquired a Dürr NDT HD-CR 35 computed radiography system and D-Text X software to completely replace using film and their film processor.
The HD-CR 35 is said to be one of the most flexible and advanced CR scanners on the market, with the ability to provide the highest resolution images in the industry, it is claimed. In addition, because of its unique TreFoc technology, which offers an adjustable laser spot size, it can also provide high-contrast images when necessary.
An example of how computed radiography has helped OEMS to provide hazardous material services was on a project where the company was asked to perform radiographic inspection on the primary containment welds on pressure vessels.
p>The buildings at the factory where the pressure vessels reside took a direct hit when category 5 hurricane Dorian struck on 24 August 2019. Wind speeds reached a maximum of 296 km/h and caused heavy damage to the buildings and some of the equipment inside. Before these pressure vessels could be used again, 100% of the circumferential and attachment welds had to be visually and radiographically inspected to ensure their integrity.
The wall thickness of the tanks and attachments varied quite a bit, creating differences in densities within the radiograph. Using the powerful image adjustment tools built into the software, it was possible to focus on the different density areas of the tank without using multiple exposures, as would typically be necessary with film radiography. There was also an area where some linear indications were present. Using the magnification tool, it was possible to better evaluate the discontinuity, which would not have been possible with film radiography.
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| The CR system has made it easy to create image test reports and sharing digital images has increased efficiency, it is claimed |
On a separate project, the customer required that the radiographic images and test reports were reviewed and signed by a radiographic testing (RT) Level 3 technician. Using the D-Tect X software, OEMS was able to easily generate customised test reports and share each image via email with an RT Level 3 technician. This would not have been possible if they were still using film radiography. They would have been required to either bring the Level 3 on site to review the radiographs or they would have had to mail them to that person, which would have caused the project to be delayed by days or even weeks.
Future projects where OEMS plan to use the Dürr HD-CR 35 scanner and the D-Tect X software are in the aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry. MRO service providers in the Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean have reached out to OEMS to perform X-ray inspection of ageing aircraft. These inspections focus on airframe structures and power plants to identify discontinuities and defects such as cracks and corrosion, assess internal damage and detect foreign materials in components.
Darren Rollins, Managing Partner and Director at Orion Enviro Marine Services, commented that he is extremely happy with the image quality produced by the HD-CR 35 scanner and D-Tect X software. He added that he is also happy with the ease of creating image test reports and that sharing digital images has increased efficiency.
