Usage of Drones in NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) of Industrial Infrastructure

by Gohar Najeeb

What is Non-Destructive Testing?

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NDT (short for Non-Destructive Testing) refers to an inspection process that allows information about a material or structure to be gathered without damaging it.??Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) is used to gather information about a substance without altering it (i.e. without destroying it). This Doc will focus on one type of NDT, namely Ultrasonic NDT (UT), currently used in commercial drone applications.

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The main difference between NDT and DT is that NDT does not require inspectors to destroy test materials while DT does. For example, in destructive testing, a piece of material may be scraped off, removed for analysis, or otherwise modified at the site (e.g., Macro sectioning, tensile testing, 3-point bend testing).

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Why choose NDT methods?

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The importance of non-destructive testing to ensure equipment is properly maintained cannot be underestimated. Here are the main reasons why NDT is used by so many companies around the world:??

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Savings: The obvious answer to this question is that non-destructive testing (NDT) is preferable to destructive testing because the test material or item survives the inspection without damage and valuable resources are saved.

Safety: NDT is particularly fascinating because, with the exception of X-rays, virtually all NDT techniques are safe for humans.

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Efficiency: NDT methods allow for a complete and relatively quick review of assets that can be critical to ensuring a project's safety and efficiency.?

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Accuracy: Non-destructive testing methods have proven to be accurate and predictable, a desirable attribute of maintenance processes designed to ensure worker safety and equipment life.

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Where is NDT used?

Depending on the domain of the definition of non-destructive testing, it could be argued that it is used in virtually every industry in the world since visual inspection (formal or incidental) takes place in one form or another in almost every workplace. However, many industries require non-destructive testing and have structured methods for its application.

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The industries that require NDT with UT include:

·???????Oil & Gas

·???????Power Generation

·???????Chemicals

·???????Mining

·???????Aerospace

·???????Automotive

·???????Maritime

Inspectors at all of these businesses use three different methods to get into hard-to-reach or high-altitude locations:

Scaffolding

Scaffolding requires inspectors to work at height to obtain inspection data.

Rope Access

Inspectors also work at height when using rope access to obtain inspection data.

Drones

Inspectors can use drones to collect inspection data remotely, allowing them to be safe outside of enclosed spaces or in high-risk areas.

Using drones for NDT

Camera-equipped drones have been another widely used tool in NDTs in recent years to obtain visual data. Due to technological limitations, drones could only provide inspectors with additional visual data for a period of time, but they could not replace inspectors who physically collected visual data. However, with the development of drone technology, inspectors could use drones as such.?

RVI (Remote Visual Inspection) more and more tools, which in some cases completely eliminate the manual collection of visual data.

1.?????Safety?

Drones help improve workplace safety by eliminating the need for inspectors to enter dangerously confined spaces to obtain visual data.?

Using a drone to record visual data from objects such as power lines or poles minimizes the time it takes for a human to be physically airborne over a tower or line. When inspecting internal objects such as pressure vessels or boilers, using a drone to capture visual data eliminates the need for the inspector to enter tight spaces, reducing risk.?

Non-Destructive Inspections are a safe and effective method of finding faults that can lead to hazardous situations, breakdowns, or catastrophic failures. They reduce the number of incidents that occur during test operations as employees try to gain access to hard-to-reach regions and hostile locations. It also reduces the risk of fire and other risks associated with traditional destructive testing such as welding or the use of open flames.

Early error detection allows maintenance personnel to fix problems before they occur. This effectively eliminates interference that could lead to fires and accidents to employees and people in the vicinity of the affected facility.

2.?????Reduce Downtime

Drones can help businesses improve their return on investment (ROI) both indoors and outdoors. Non-destructive testing with drones makes it easy, quick, and inexpensive to identify flaws and defects in materials. This allows maintenance personnel to perform quick repairs and replacements before problems arise. Each of the technologies performs a unique function by reducing the cost and time required to perform a specific inspection. In addition, continuous testing of operations saves the organization time and production losses.

Few, if any, should go into the field for inspection. In addition, non-destructive inspections using drones eliminate the need for huge transport vehicles and helicopters to reach inaccessible locations.

3. Reliable Inspection Data

NDT can inspect facilities and provide details that would take days using standard access methods by using a drone to visit inaccessible regions.?drone inspections in the oil and gas industry can provide reliable and accurate test data for a variety of properties. Best of all, the inspection process is usually repeatable and can be extremely helpful in determining the effectiveness of a repair.?Drones can use location and other parameters to replicate the same experience from the same location and angle. This allows maintenance personnel to get accurate results and eliminate errors that would otherwise occur when testing at different locations.

4. Fewer Expenses on Lodging and Allowances

The technologies reduce transportation and insurance costs and, since testing takes less time, the business spends less on housing and benefits.??

NDT drone inspections can quickly identify most faults and provide enough information for maintenance personnel to troubleshoot and prevent leaks and pipeline damage.?Because drone inspection can be performed quickly, inspections can be performed more frequently, enabling early detection of defects and extending the life of assets. With just one study, these early results could save companies hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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Ultrasonic Drone Inspections

A drone equipped with an ultrasonic thickness gauge can contact test surfaces to measure the metal thickness and ignore paint coatings. An example of a drone already on the market is the Skygauge ultrasonic inspection drone.

The Skygauge is a drone-mounted ultrasonic thickness gauge designed for visual and wall thickness inspection. Rather than jeopardize worker safety by placing them on ropes, hoists, and scaffolding during industrial inspections, Skygauge allows personnel to remain on the ground while the drone inspects dangerous areas.

The Skygauge drone process is divided into three main categories: land acquisition, flight path planning, and final analysis. Before inspecting a specific facility, workers must ensure that the environment around the inspection area is clean. The drone uses a force-sensitive probe to apply the precise force needed to obtain thickness measurements and maintain surface contact during scanning.

The Skygauge’s design allows for precise flight studies, force contact, drag, and angles.

There are many applications where the use of drones is better than conventional inspection methods in many ways. With the increasing use of these drones for non-destructive testing in the industry, the resulting benefits are very gratifying. The combination of drones and non-destructive testing allows you to take advantage of the mobility and flexibility of drones and the non-destructive nature of the inspection. This increases security, reduces costs, and avoids the manipulation of test materials.

A properly conducted NDT drone inspection can provide useful information while keeping structures intact. However, it is important to understand the task and the type of information being searched for. It is very important to understand both the possibilities and the limitations. In addition, it is essential to understand the basic standards and specifications of the test.

The Drone NDT is a worthwhile investment as it reduces risks to the safety of the NDT technician and in certain situations provides access to key areas that the NDT technician may not be able to explore.