(Tiny Rotating Ultrasonic Tube Inspection Equipment)

Determine Asset Condition - Optimize Utilization and Life

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A unique tool

The Tiny Rotating Ultrasonic Tube Inspection Equipment (TRUSTIE) system was developed for the ultrasonic inspection of thin-walled, small diameter tubing. Economical and high quality, TRUSTIE can be custom-built to meet the unique tubing and piping inspection specifications of high-value components in the nuclear, aerospace, and petrochemical industries.

Specialized client needs

You have a steam generator or heat exchanger with degrading, or damaged small diameter tubing. You need a knowledgeable, professional partner with an effective system to assist in inspecting and monitoring the tubing where eddy current techniques cannot supply the information and the accuracy you require.

Expert solutions

Kinectrics’ experts designed TRUSTIE to solve a problem with steam generator tubing at a North American nuclear facility. The TRUSTIE system consists of an ultrasonic inspection head, a high-speed rotary/axial drive mechanism, and Winspect™ advanced software for data analysis and display. The TRUSTIE technology has also been expanded to include thicker walled and larger diameter tubing. Kinectrics’ can custom build a TRUSTIE system to meet your specific tubing and piping requirements.

Proven technology and expertise

The TRUSTIE system’s pit sizing, which is significantly more accurate than that of eddy current, eliminates the need to plug a number of major utility steam generator tubes. The accurate flaw sizing provided by TRUSTIE can be used to efficiently monitor growth rates of low-level pit and fret indications for units remaining in service. Accurate circumferential crack depth profiling has been demonstrated in laboratory and field inspections. Kinectrics has done extensive performance demonstrations on determining indications due to fretting damage.

Kinectrics has also designed many other non-destructive evaluation (NDE) systems to meet the particular needs of our customers, including OPIT (Optical Profilometry Inspection Tool), FRILS (Flaw Replica Inspection Laser Scanner) and EPIC (End Plate Inspection for Cracks). The TRUSTIE system was designed for both nuclear and non-nuclear applications.

Probe Types

• Normal beam (wall thickness and ID profilometry)
• Shear wave (axial and circumferential crack)
• Multiple mode combination (normal beam, circumferential and axial shear waves)

Analysis Methods

• A, B, C and full waveform scans
• Line plots, colour plots, isometrics
• Echodynamics
• Integrated signal processing (i.e. filtering, spectral analysis)

TRUSTIE Specifications

• Tube IDs from as small as 8 mm (0.310")
• Tube lengths up to 15 m (50’)
• Ultrasonic inspection frequencies from 5 to 25 MHz
• Rotation speeds up to 1,000 rpm
• Typical data collection speeds:
  • 120 mm/min @ 0.2 mm resolution (5"[Root]/min @ 0.008"resolution)
  • 600 mm/min @1 mm resolution (2’/min @ 0.040’ resolution)
  • U-bend inspection on 40 cm (16’) radius for 10 mm (0.400’) ID tubes
• Remote operation up to 600'

Cost-effective client benefits

Kinectrics’ TRUSTIE system provides clients with several important benefits, including:

• Enables effective plant life management
• Minimizes repair and replacement expenditures
• Optimizes inspection and maintenance scheduling
• Improves prediction of expenses
• Protects investment

For more information, contact:

Kevin Maynard, 416.207.6000, x5477, kevin.maynard@kinectrics.com

John D’Angelo, 416.207.6193, john.dangelo@kinectrics.com