Wireless Battery-Free Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement Patches for CO2 Absorber by Martyn Cooper - Principal Integrity Engineer at Santos - highlighting the key benefits of the WAND system when compared against alternative ultrasonic thickness methods.
The Inductosense ultrasonic WAND solution has been successfully evaluated by Martyn Cooper, Principal Integrity Engineer at Santos. Martyn has worked for Santos for over 20 years and has been responsible for the integrity management of pressure equipment across numerous locations in South Australia, Victoria, and the Northern Territory.
Three alternative ultrasonic thickness solutions were evaluated over a nine-month period, each installed to monitor corrosion on a CO2 absorption tower in a harsh and remote environment. Martyn’s paper was subsequently published in May/June 2021 issue of Inspectioneering Journal, “Wireless Battery-Free Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement Patches for CO2 Absorber”.
The three methods investigated as part of Martyn’s evaluation were: Manual UT, real-time fixed UT probes, and Inductosense WAND patches. These methods have been compared in the context of cost, measurement accuracy, performance reliability, and simplicity of use. Martyn concluded that the Inductosense WAND patches perform very favourably in all four factors, which is highlighted in his report:
Cost: Martyn discusses the low purchase cost of the individual WAND patches, making them much more feasible for deploying in volume when compared against real-time UT probes. Zero maintenance requirements thereafter, and the fact no specialist skill is required to use the system, were also highlighted.
Measurement Accuracy: Martyn concludes that both permanently installed technologies, real-time probes and the WAND patches, provide repeatable thickness readings with comparable measurement accuracy, making either solution ideal for internal corrosion rate calculations.
Performance Reliability: It was shown that the WAND system performed reliably, without any patch/WAND failures (all sensors are still functioning perfectly to this day, 3 years on)
Simplicity of Use: It was also concluded that the WAND system is simple and easy to use – no IT network infrastructure required for set-up (which was required for real-time probes) and acquiring thickness readings could be done quickly.
Dr. Cheng Huan Zhong, CTO of Inductosense, says “We are very pleased with the outcome of Martyn’s technology evaluation. Martyn, a renowned and credible individual in his industry, has done a very thorough and comprehensive evaluation of our system, and the benefits can be very clearly seen, particularly in the context of making significant cost savings”.
Inductosense has now deployed WAND solutions on a global scale, supporting major operators and service companies with their net zero and digitisation objectives.
