Detection tool in the pipeline
3 Dec 2014
Applus RTD, a global provider of integrity technology services, last month showcased its new RTD DTI Trekscan pipeline inspection tool.
It is the first free-floating inspection tool designed to traverse back-to-back onedimensional bends, with an optimum speed of one meter per second (2.2 mph), the company said.
This means it can run in pipelines previously considered to be ‘unpiggable’.
The RTD DTI tool has many benefits … not least is it’s ability to measure metal loss anomalies in pipelines that would have previously been considered unpiggable
Kiefner president Martin Fingerhut
The bi-directional tool works by measuring the return echoes of a transmitted ultrasound beam.
The amount of time it takes to receive an echo provides information on the remaining wall and enables detection and sizing of metal loss anomalies, said Martin Fingerhut, president of Kiefner, an Applus RTD company.
“The development of the RTD DTI tool has many benefits … not least is it’s ability to measure metal loss anomalies in pipelines that would have previously been considered unpiggable, said Fingerhut.
“It also provides high levels of detection for characterisation capabilities - a feature not previously available without compromising efficiency.”
Standard tool configuration has a maximum battery life of up to 16kms (10 miles) at 1.25m/sec (2.75 mph) and for data storage the maximum standard tool configuration allows for 64kms of data based on a 2.5mm axial sampling. RTD DTI Trekscan is also extremely lightweight at 15 kilograms.
It is available in 6” and 8” sizes and has a maximum operating temperature of 40C (104F).
This is the latest in a host of technology developments from Applus RTD that have the ability to redefine non-destructive testing techniques, the company said.
