Eddy Current Inspection of Heat Exchanger Tubes

We perform regular eddy current inspections at heat exchanger tubing in all kind of systems like condensers, reactors, cooling devices, heat exchangers including air coolers with all kinds of common tube dimensions, shapes and materials like Titanium, Brass, various Copper-Nickel-grades, stainless steels, Duplex-grades etc.

We offer special eddy current inspections of ferromagnetic tube materials with two eddy current technologies, PSEC and RFEC. The Partial Saturated Eddy Current technology is useful to detect and evaluate small volume defects like pitting corrosion; PSEC is the only inductive method to inspect finned tubes as common at air cooler systems and is very good to separate inside from outside defects. The interpretation of the eddy current signals is demanding and the operator needs a lot of experience to perform such a PSEC inspection.

The Remote Field Eddy Current method is the common way to perform the inspection of ferromagnetic tubes. RFEC is very accurate to evaluate overall wall thinning as known from erosive defect processes. It has its limitations at the detection of small volume defects.

The combination of both inspection technologies is the way ec-works performs its C-Steel-tubing inspections. PSECT is the standard method for ferromagnetic tubes and in cases where big volume shallow shaped defects are to be expected, RFEC will be used additionally.

We are able to perform our eddy current tube inspecting with an automatic signal evaluation tool to support our operators by signal interpretation. This helps us to reduce the possibility of signal misinterpretation and lets us decrease the likelihood of signal loss.

To increase the sensitivity of the eddy current tube inspection several rotating inspection tools have been developed by ec-works. E.g. applications for the regularly untested tube sheet area are on stock. Probe systems to detect very small volume defects like steam erosion caused needle-shaped holes at Titanium tubes in condenser systems have been designed and manufactured in our own shop.