impulse
WORKING TOGETHER FOR SAFETY
Safety – A Metaphor of Operational Excellence
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
New support facilities in Norway
KEY ROLE FOR APPLUS RTD ROPE ACCESS CENTRAL (UK)
The Queensferry Crossing
‘Meeting challenges...
safely’
November 2014
Be the best
2 impulse I 16-2014
Colophon
Welcome to issue number 16 of Impulse. In this number, as usual we focus on the expertise and prblem solving activities of our specialist teams all over the world.
Importantly too, we highlight the recent third
Applus RTD Global Safety Day. Using the theme of
‘Working together for Safety’ it confirmed the
organization’s focus on the value of being safety
conscious in all that we do. Other articles focus on
global activities and developments (like the new RTD
Plant Master monitoring system), as well as recent
awards for outstanding achievements. Maybe you
also have ‘a tale to tell’ and would like to share your
experiences with our many global readers? If you do,
just contact your local Applus RTD representative,
or the Impulse Editorial Team. We look forward to
hearing from you.
Anouska Kroon
Company Journalist
Impulse Editorial TeamApplus RTD
Postbus 491
2900AL Capelle aan den
IJssel, The Netherlands
T +31 10 716 61 13
F +31 10 716 63 73
www.ApplusRTD.com
For further information on any of the articles,
please contact the Editorial team. We will arrange
for you to receive that information via the author of
the article. Other questions, comments and
suggestions should be sent to:
Be Responsible
Be the Best
Be Interested
Be Valuable
Be Open
Our values represent who we are today and who we aspire to be
Care has been taken to ensure that all information
contained in Impulse is correct and up-to-date. However,
Applus RTD accepts no liability for any inaccuracies or
changes to published material.
Follow us at
impulse I 16-2014 3
WORKING TOGETHER FOR SAFETY
Safety – A Metaphor of Operational Excellence → 4
ADVANCED NDT AND SUBSEA INSPECTION
A new team Down Under! → 6
DEMO AT RANGE RESOURCES
Innovative technologies on show → 9
NOVEMBER | 2014Index
12 161064
KEY ROLE FOR APPLUS RTD ROPE ACCESS CENTRAL (UK)
The Queensferry Crossing → 10 MEMORIAL CONSERVATION
Remembering Iwo Jima → 12
PROFESSIONAL RECRUITMENT WEBSITE FOR NEW TALENT
Success brings its own challenges → 14
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
New support facilities in Norway → 16
WORLD PORT DAYS IN ROTTERDAM
Spreading knowledge → 19 RTD PLANT MASTER
Enhancing asset integrity through Plant Master monitoring → 20
A NEW FACE FOR
FUTURE CHALLENGES
NEW REGIONAL
DIRECTOR FOR REGION
WESTERN EUROPE
(WEUR)
→ 8
APPLUS RTD
CERTIFICATION
KEY RECOGNITION
→ 15
ESSO TURNAROUND 2013
ESSO EXCELLENCE
AWARD 2013
→ 18
4 impulse I 16-2014
Safety – A Metaphor of Operational Excellence
WORKING TOGETHER FOR SAFETY
The two previous versions of this
worldwide event focused heavily on the
importance of performing (last minute)
risk assessments and the importance of
having effective communications about
safety. These themes were mainly aimed
at improving safety management at the
frontline of our operations. The theme
for 2014 is ‘Working together for Safety’.
Meeting challenges… safelyThe frontline employees of Applus RTD
are sometimes confronted with very
challenging situations when it comes to
getting safe access to, and egress from,
objects that need to be tested or
inspected. They heavily depend on the
support of others, and in particular
those who are involved in the bidding and
planning stages of NDT projects. These
individuals have to think about and
prepare for these challenging situations
to ensure that our employees are not
faced with a fait accompli which might
force them to use their ‘stop work
authority’, thus causing undesired and
costly delays. We have to make sure that
in every project the safety hazards and
risks are considered at the earliest and
every subsequent stage.
Because everybody has a role to play in
this vital focus on safety, the theme has
been selected… “Working together for
Safety”.
↑ Poster Safety Day
On 9th October 2014 Applus RTD organized its third Global Safety Day. The theme for 2014 is ‘Working together for Safety’. Why… and how do we at Applus RTD approach this key subject?
impulse I 16-2014 5
Safety – A Metaphor of Operational Excellence
Working together for Safety
Better safety means a better performanceGood safety management is key to a
better overall performance of projects.
If for example, during the bidding stage
we agree with the client on the
necessary arrangements for the safe
performance of the project and who is
responsible for which arrangement, we
can avoid extra cost, delays and other
quality issues later on.
If during the planning stage all involved
are informed about the safety hazards
and agree on the controls that need to
be implemented to manage the
associated risks, NDT testing can be
performed both safely and efficiently.
Needless to say, at the worksite during
the execution stage, our teams still need
to stay vigilant and look out for any
unexpected hazardous situations. Finally
it is vital to learn and improve from our
experiences in the evaluation stage.
↑ Richard van Sonsbeek
What applies to safety management,
applies equally to quality management
and in the end to business management
as a whole. In other words… safety can
be regarded as a metaphor of
operational excellence.
Looking to the futureThis is the first year that Safety Day is
organized in all Applus Divisions, and not
just Applus RTD. Our colleagues have
recognized the value of having a special
day devoted to Safety and adopted our
theme. And we are confident that in the
future all will strongly benefit from the
co-operation between the different
divisions of Applus. It helps too, if people
from different national and
organizational cultures think
independently about the same theme.
While the implementation of different
creative ideas will help to improve our
safety and overall performance.
Richard van SonsbeekDivisional HSQE Manager Applus RTD
↑ Because everybody has a role to
play in this vital focus on safety,
the theme has been selected
‘Working together for Safety’
6 impulse I 16-2014
A new team Down Under!
ADVANCED NDT AND SUBSEA INSPECTION
Partnership... the way forward For some 15 years, the Advanced NDT Group has been
providing a range of subsea inspection services which have
been supported by the company's Applications and Technology
Center Perth. With continuing growth in the global market
however, the need for subsea inspection activities combined
with asset integrity management has grown too. This has led
to the creation of a dedicated division focused on this critical
Applus RTD Australia has recently announced a further expansion of its specialized NDT capabilities with a re-energized and dedicated team... Advanced NDT & Subsea Inspection. This new facility is designed to support global subsea operations from its local Applus RTD Perth base.
Design and development• Mechatronics
• Interfacing and integration of
equipment, modules and Remote
Operated Vehicle (ROV) deployment
• Subsea advanced inspection methods
• Technical support (Procedure, Level 3
Consultancy)
• Diver and ROV deployment tools
• Qualification and validation (code
compliant inspection methods) for
reliable inspection results
• Project management
Increasing the range of advanced inspection engineering for underwater applications• Pipeline thickness analysis without
the need to remove coatings
• Full inspection of subsea welds,
including discontinuities, anomalies,
cracking, and weld corrosion
• Analysis of external surface
discontinuities
• Splash zone inspections
• Engineering solutions for underwater
inspection equipment
• Subsea camera and image
systems – both off-the-shelf and
custom built
Existing subsea technology• ToFD (Time of Flight Diffraction)
• Ultrasonic C-scan Mapping
• RTD INCOTEST (Pulsed Eddy Current)
• Riser and caisson inspections
• Phased array
• External ring scanners/internal plug
scanners
• Vision systems
6 impuls I 16-2014
area for inspection services... Advanced NDT & Subsea
Inspection. Key to the success of this new operation is the way
inspection technologies can be used with deployment vehicles
and working together with colleagues in the USA, Applus RTD is
currently exploring options for partners, while searching for
ways to develop a greater share of what is an important
developing area of activity.
Expansion and development plans for 2014 will include responsibilities for:
impulse I 16-2014 7
A new team Down Under!
RTD INCOTEST... 500 meters subsea in the Gulf of MexicoApplus RTD has recently completed a
subsea inspection operation using RTD
INCOTEST in the Conger and Penn State
deep fields in the Gulf of Mexico, USA.
The purpose of the inspection was to
test for evidence of corrosion under
marine growth plus external coating and
internal wall loss at selected locations
on a 13.5 kilometre subsea flow line. This
involved inspection of the various flow
lines connecting subsea wells, manifolds
and risers in a complex network. The
inspection took equipment down to
depths of up to 500 meters (1650 feet)
below sea level, and as such utilized a
third party ROV to deploy the specialized
subsea RTD INCOTEST equipment which
had been developed by the Australian-
based Applus RTD Advanced NDT and
Subsea Division team.
RTD INCOTEST has the distinct
advantage over other NDT techniques in
that the inspection could be performed
without the need to remove any
protective coating from the pipework.
The success of the new Advanced NDT and Subsea Division's capabilities can be clearly demonstrated by case studies on two challenging projects:
‘This particularly challenging
project was carried out in
several hundred locations
over a 9 kilometre length of
subsea pipeline.’
↑ Perth | Subsea inspection →
impuls I 16-2014 7
To ensure that the RTD INCOTEST
equipment would integrate with the ROV
once offshore, an integration test was
performed at the NASA Neutral
Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. This
provided an exceptional opportunity to
ensure a seamless integration between
RTD INCOTEST equipment and the ROV,
and to make certain that the project
could be completed within the
designated time frame and without
incident. The inspection operation was a
great success - it was completed on
schedule and within budget.
RTD INCOTEST... 800 meters subsea in Equatorial Guinea, West AfricaThis particularly challenging project was
carried out by ROV-deployed RTD
INCOTEST facilities in several hundred
locations over a 9 kilometre length of
subsea pipeline. Most of the lines were in
places that proved difficult to access, as
well as being insulated by a covering of
marine growth. RTD INCOTEST proved to
be the ideal solution for inspection
requirements as it allowed testing of
thickness profiles of the lines, bends and
valve arrangements.
The RTD INCOTEST inspection was
performed in-service, on 8” and
10”diameter pipelines and pigging loops
located in the Subsea Field in Equatorial
Guinea, West Africa. The inspection was
carried out using a third party ROV, and
was intended to detect evidence of
corrosion on the pipelines with insulation
and external cladding up to 60mm thick.
The original scope of the work was
extended to cover various jumper line
intersections, and the complete project
which was carried out in water 800
metres deep (2640 feet), was a success
and delivered valuable data and
inspection results.
8 impulse I 16-2014
New Regional Director for Region
Western Europe (WEUR)
Sytze Voulon has extensive experience
and expertise in the fields of industrial
equipment and also the maritime
industry. He has worked with concerns
including Rolls Royce, Stork Technical
Services and Imtec in positions such as
Marketing & Sales Director and Regional
Director. He is ambitious and looking
forward to applying his considerable
Applus RTD has recently welcomed Sytze Voulon as the new Regional Director for the Region Western Europe. He succeeds the Interim Director Dirk van der Put and will be responsible for the operations of Applus RTD Netherlands, France, Denmark and Norway. Dirk van der Put will resume his responsibilities as Controller.
Extensiveknowledge andexperience
↑ Sytze Voulon
background and experience, to the
benefit of Applus RTD’s clients while
helping to further develop sustainable
relationships. The appointment of Sytze
Voulon as the new Regional Director for
Western Europe is anticipated as
strongly supporting Applus RTD in its
aims for developing a clear insight of
clients’ installations and activities.
| A NEW FACE FOR FUTURE CHALLENGES |
impulse I 16-2014 9
Currently, their operations with Applus
RTD largely comprise NDT (conventional
RT and UT) at well pads and compressor
stations. Several months ago, the Range
Resources team were introduced to
some of Applus RTD’s advanced services
and the positive response led to a
demonstration being arranged.
Advanced servicesAt the Range Resources demonstration,
which was also attended by a number of
invited local oil and gas engineering
companies including EQT, MarkWest, and
Consol. A number of advanced services
were demonstrated and discussed.
Innovative technologies on show
DEMO AT RANGE RESOURCES
These included Computed Radiography
(CRT), phased array and INCOTEST.
Applus RTD also provided geo-related
demonstrations for pipeline
investigations. These included Ground
Penetrating Radar (GPR) and seismic
refraction. In addition a number of
30-minute detailed technical
presentations on CRT and GPR were
made.
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based Range Resources is one of the leading oil and gas companies in the Marcellus and Utica Formations, and they recently invited the Applus RTD East team to demonstrate a range of innovative technologies and advanced services.
A VERY WORTHWHILE DAY…As Program Manager of Shale
Development, Martin Derby stated
“All in all, it was a great day for demonstrating
our advanced services to the Range team. The well attended event provided the Range engineers and
managers (and others) with hands-on
demonstrations of our advanced services and
capabilities”.
10 impulse I 16-2014
The Queensferry CrossingKEY ROLE FOR APPLUS RTD ROPE ACCESS CENTRAL (UK)
Rope Access Central (UK) has landed a
major role working on the steel delivery
phase on this project. The 1.7 mile
structure will be the longest three
tower cable stayed bridge in the world
and by far the largest to feature cables
which cross span. The towers will reach
over 200m high, approximately 25%
higher than the towers on the Forth
Road Bridge. Constructing such towers
demands teamwork with a great deal of
grit, persistence and skill from those
involved.
The Queensferry Crossing is being built alongside the existing Forth Road Bridge and will be a spectacular new road bridge in Scotland. Becoming one of the biggest road bridges in the United Kingdom it will develop into a globally unique bridge which forms the centre piece of a major upgrade to the important cross – Forth transport corridor in the east of Scotland.
‘The longest three tower
cable stayed bridge in the
world and by far the largest
to feature cables which
cross span’
Forth Crossing Artists impression ↑
Over 28,000 tonnes of steel is being
delivered on huge 250 meter long ships
signalling the start of a major new phase
in the project. The sheer scale of the
operation has become very clear with
the tower structures and the v-shaped
viaduct piers visibly rising from the
Forth for all to see.
Steel has been used in bridge
construction for over 150 years and is
the leading construction material in
the world. Each steel deck unit weighs
250 tonnes and will be used to construct
a considerable bulk of the bridge
including; the foundation caissons, the
bridge deck and viaduct structures,
the vehicle restraint systems, the stay
cables and the anchor boxes which will
be used to connect the towers to the
bridge deck.
Each steel deck unit weighs 250 tonnes
and are used to construct the drivable
deck surface of the bridge. This deck is
supported by the 200m high towers
impulse I 16-2014 11
along with embedded anchor boxes
and stay cables. The deck sections will
connect with land via the north and south
viaduct structures. These steel deck
units will carry 4 lanes of traffic which
will be protected by vehicle restraint
systems and will be guarded from the
wind by a specially design wind screen
system.
Our Rope Access team are providing
their expertise in a range of industrial
services including access solutions,
mechanical cutting, grinding, rigging of
the bridge sections to the heavy lift
crane assembly ready for removal from
the ship and burning of sea fixings.
The first phase shipment docked into
Rosyth port on a strict seven day
timescale with no room for delays.
Our experienced rope access team
worked round the clock to ensure that
the shipment was successfully brought
safely onto the dockside within the very
tight timescale required by our client.
The activities in the Rosyth port provide
a major logistical challenge (similar to a
giant, three dimensional game of chess).
All sections of steel have to be moved
about and stored in the correct order
for transportation to allow assembly in
the required sequence.
To ensure the continuing success of this
project the coordination both on and off
site is carried out with precision and in a
timely manner. It is testament to all
Applus RTD employees involved that due
to their hard work and effort the project
has gone without a hitch.
12 impulse I 16-2014
In February 1945, after a long and
hard fought battle, the US Marines
secured the strategic Pacific island
of Iwo Jima and raised their flags
on Mount Suribachi. The second,
and larger of the two flags, later
became a part of an iconic
photographic image captured by
Pulitzer Prize winner Joe
Rosenthal.
This was subsequently
immortalized in a Memorial for the
Martine Corps by sculptor, Feliz de
Weldon. The Memorial, which was
created in 1952, is located at the
US Marines Parris Island Recruit
Depot, SC and due to its age, plus
where it stands beside the ocean,
consequent degradation demanded
a condition assessment.
Applus RTD’s associate company
JANX was requested by the United
States Marine Corps (USMC) to
deploy sophisticated Non-
Destructive Evaluation (NDE)
techniques to provide a
comprehensive analysis of the
condition of the Memorial. ↘
Remembering Iwo JimaCareful assessment leading to successful solutionsBefore any decisions as to how the task
could be optimally solved, questions had
to be answered. What was the material
type and thickness? What were the
manufacturing processes involved? Was
there adequate accessibility to carry
out testing operations? The historical
importance of the memorial was such
that the JANX East Coast General
Manager Jim Barrett was not prepared
to take any chances.
Following extensive assessment, it was
decided to utilize a combination of NDE
methods which included Computerized
Radiography (CR) and 3D Laser Scanning.
This approach would enable both visual
images with measurements of the
internal rebar to assess corrosion, as
well as provide 3D reverse engineering
capabilities should repairs to the
memorial be required. A final deliverable
was then requested with the disposition
of a memorial status which included the
conservation approach as well as repair
costs etc.. The unique challenge of the
task demanded that JANX should work in
partnership with the specialist Terre
Mare Conservation organization.
MEMORIAL CONSERVATION
impulse I 16-2014 13
‘A piece of
history that
should never be
forgotten’
Computerized Radiography… the first taskIn order to generate optimal images,
JANX specialists selected Iridium-192
Gamma Radiation, which enabled source
and phosphorous imaging plates for the
capture of energy. The approximate
source strength was 92 Ci. From around
100 CR images, plus the results of
various Radiographic (RT) techniques,
the desired image quality was achieved.
The ranges from source to object
distances were between 24”and 82”. The
various distances are due to geometry,
thickness ranges and accessibility of the
features in question. Measurement
functions with material data, were then
performed on relevant CR images (not
all of them).
3D Laser Scanning… the second taskTo enable the desired results, the Iwo
Jima Memorial was scanned with both a
3D long range Scanner and a Handy Scan
700. The files generated were provided in
.stp format and made accessible via
AutoCAD for engineering purposes. To
carry out this work, JANX made use of
equipment from Creaform plus technical
engineers to complete the 3D scanning
for the project. The results of the work
indicated that there were areas of
concern, but that these could be
remedied without too much trouble.
LEST WE EVER FORGET
For JANX, the opportunity to carry out the inspection of the Iwo Jima Memorial was a truly exciting experience and
during the work, JANX specialists were able to meet marines from a number of different generations. For
those serving in 1945 in particular, the Memorial today represents a piece of history that should never be
forgotten.
← JAN X-ray services have performed Computed Radiography (CR) on the Iwo Jima Memorial located at the USMC Recruit Depot - Parris Island, SC. The intention of performing the CR was to locate armature/rebar which serves as the infrastructure and assess the condition.
↑ The Iwo Jima Memorial was scanned with two 3D laser scanners;a long-range Scanner and the HandyScan 700.
14 impulse I 16-2014
Success brings its own challenges
PROFESSIONAL RECRUITMENT WEBSITE FOR NEW TALENT
In recent years, thanks to a committed policy of always striving to deliver the best, in terms of service and solutions, Applus RTD has expanded its global organization through a process of careful staff selection and acquisition. Today, the need for more specialists to serve our clients is growing and the company has recently announced a recruitment program aimed at finding a further 500 people who will take Applus RTD forward to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
Recruitment projectThe search for additional technical
support is a global activity with a main
focus in our key growth areas. To find and
employ the additional 500 specialists,
HRM together with Global Recruitment
has set up a special project with an
international project team from multiple
disciplines. This team has already
successfully implemented an applicant
tracking tool together with a fitting
induction program to introduce all new
employees to Applus RTD.
A professional recruitment website is
also being established which will make
job applications with Applus RTD more
attractive. To find out more, check out
our new recruitment website:
http://applusrtd.recruitmentplatform.com
impulse I 16-2014 15
Success brings its own challenges Key recognition
Applus RTD is proud to be able to announce that its division Applus RTD Certification has been notified
by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment and European Commission for:
| APPLUS RTD CERTIFICATION |
• Conformity assessment of pressure equipment according to PED Module A1
(which in the new PED is Module A2)
• Approval of permanent joining personnel
This recognition, which has been registered in the NANDO-database as NB2556, means that there are now two valuable support services in the Applus
RTD portfolio. Most importantly, with this first notification the company has become a Notified Body for Pressure Equipment.
16 impulse I 16-2014
New support facilities in Norway
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Vital client supportThe new base, comprising an office and
test facility, will initially be staffed by 24
specialists. Further growth plans will be
covered by recruiting local personnel.
Serving the local market – both onshore
and offshore – the new Bergen
As part of its goal to become the largest inspection company in Norway with by 2017, some 400 employees, Applus RTD is opening up a base in Straume, Bergen in October 2014. Already a global leader in the provision of integrity technology services, this new facility will enhance the company’s capabilities for providing non-destructive testing (NDT) services in the region.
operation offers in-house and on-site
NDT, metallurgic field work plus a range
of inspection services including rig,
paint, derrick and hull inspection.
At the opening of the new operation, the
Applus RTD Demo Truck was present and
provided clients with a good opportunity
to become more familiar with the
expertise and facilities available.
As Applus RTD’s Norway Manager, Erik
Bjorheim states “It was an obvious step
for us to create a strategic growth plan
for Norway, in order to meet the demand
for our services, and underline our
The Applus RTD Demo Truck at the very successful ONS exhibition in Stavanger ↑
impulse I 16-2014 17
commitment to the Norwegian energy
sector. With the new Bergen office we
will now be able to provide on-site
support for our existing client base”.
A focus on growth“The organic growth of the company will
continue throughout next year as we
also plan to open up a base in
Hammerfest next February, followed by
our headquarters in Stavanger next
summer. The new headquarters will
feature a test facility and offshore
department designed to support our
operations in the Norwegian North Sea”.
‘The new
headquarters
will feature a
test facility’
Projects offshoreTo date, the company has been involved in a number of Norwegian
projects including carrying out vital NDT work at the Vigra
Spoolbase, using Applus RTD radiographic pipeline technology…
RTD Rayscan. In addition to Rayscan, Applus RTD is also developing
a number of revolutionary technologies to drive improved reliability
and efficiency throughout the testing process. Rayscan has in fact,
recently been shown at the ONS exhibition in Stavanger, along
with RTD IWEX (Inverse Wave Field Extrapolation) and the RTD Plant
Master (see special RTD Plant Master article elsewhere in this
issue of Impulse).
Rayscan ↓
18 impulse I 16-2014
Esso Excellence Award 2013
Recognition for safety and performance
For its outstanding performance during the Esso Turnaround 2013 the efforts of the Applus RTD
team has been recognized by the company’s prestigious Excellence Award.
For Esso to remain optimally operational during this critical turnaround period, it requires suppliers and
support services to demonstrate knowledge, specialist skills and an ability to work as a team.
Out of a total of 80 contractors involved, just 8 have been awarded ‘A’ status and Applus RTD is proud to
have been one of them.
| ESSO TURNAROUND 2013 |
impulse I 16-2014 19
Spreading knowledgeWORLD PORT DAYS IN ROTTERDAM
As well as demonstration, the event gave
Applus RTD the opportunity to tell the
visitors more about the company’s
services and organization.
Making a good impressionA number of demonstrations of Applus
RTD’s advanced techniques made a big
impression on the visitors from the
Demo Truck. These included the IWEX,
P-scan and Thermography camera.
Needless to say, following the
demonstrations to the students on
Friday it was interesting to get an
impression of how things were
received… so a quiz was organized for
them. It turned out that the female
students had paid the most attention,
and had the most correct answers!
On the more serious side, the event also
provided the opportunity to see what
chances there might be for the possible
recruitment of tomorrow’s talent.
Throughout the weekend there were
high levels of interest for our company
from a variety of target groups including
ex-colleagues, those who were seeking
jobs, students and other professionals
from the business. No less than 20
worthwhile potential colleagues
registered their interest at the Demo
Truck, and these will most certainly be
followed up.
The Applus RTD Demo Truck was recently seen on the World Port Days in September. This is a very large event held in and around one of the largest Harbours of the World: Rotterdam. On the first day of the three day event Applus RTD specialists had the opportunity to transfer some of their knowledge and expertise to a range of students from high schools in the region.
The Applus RTD Demo Truck on the World Port Days ↑
Enhancing asset integrity through Plant Master monitoring
RTD PLANT MASTER
For operators of offshore platforms, refineries, chemical plants and power plants, for decades a major concern has been the successful management and safeguarding of the integrity of their assets. To ensure this integrity is achieved in the most cost effective and safe manner for both upstream and downstream facilities, NDT inspections are often carried out using an RBI (Risk Based Inspection) approach. Now, that inspection performance can be further enhanced using Applus RTD’s RTD Plant Master system… a permanently installed monitoring system that utilizes ultrasound technology.
First assess the challengePaul Deckers, Product Manager RTD
Plant Master explains… “In some
situations, components are inaccessible
to NDT technicians due to the extremely
high or low temperatures experienced in
operation. This can require a shutdown
prior to performing inspection. In
addition, components may also require
special arrangements to be made to
enable inspection like the provision of
scaffolding, or the removal of
insulation… and this usually means
additional high costs”.
“During inspection, by definition manual
measurements are inconsistent with the
variations depending upon the skill of
the individual technician, the inspection
technique used, and thye difficulty in
determining the correct spot to
measure. All of which makes finding
correlations between process changes
and erosion patterns extremely
difficult”.
RTD Plant Master… the cost-effective and reliable answerTo optimally resolve those issues which
might present problems during
inspection, Applus RTD has invested
heavily in the research and development
of the RTD Plant Master permanently
installed monitoring system.
In operation, RTD Plant Master employs
high temperature piezo-ceramics.
Sensors are applied to ultra-thin foils
which results in flexible ultrasonic
transducers which can be permanently
dry-coupled directly to the surface of a
component. The transducers are then
used for single-point pulse echo
measurements of the component’s wall
thickness. Thanks to a remarkably small
footprint of just 1”x 1” a higher density
of sensors can be achieved when
compared to other available solutions.
Its low profile of only 12mm also means
the probes can be easily placed under
insulation, while dry-coupling of the
sensors removes the need for couplants,
adhesives or welding.
Up to 64 sensors can be connected to a
single controller (or mote). This provides
a high level of coverage of a single
component and/or the ability to monitor
multiple components. Each sensor
provides repeatable and highly accurate
20 impuls I 16-2014
impulse I 16-2014 21 impuls I 16-2014 21
←↑ RTD Plant Master
measurements of the wall thickness,
with a resolution of 0.1mm or better.
In addition, the sensors are capable of
providing optimum performance for
many years, at temperatures of up to
250º C/480º F.
Versatility of the RTD Plant Master is
further enhanced as probes can be
clamped in a variety of configurations
for straight pipes, elbows, headers, large
diameters and flat surfaces. In addition,
up to 100 controllers can be managed by
a single gateway, using a flexible and
secure wireless connection. This
removes the need for a hard-wired
network. Each controller can also act as
a range extender thereby greatly
increasing the operating area. The
controllers are fully self-contained and
battery powered. This gives a life of
minimum 5 years maintenance-free
operation. They are also intrinsically safe
and ATEX Zone 0 certified, with FTM
certification pending.
RTD Plant Master… the solution with user benefitsFor operators, RTD Plant Master
delivers an impressive range of user
benefits. It enables installations to be
monitored remotely without the need to
periodically transport NDT engineers to
the location… thereby reducing risks
and costs. Monitoring can also be done in
critical areas, which means necessary
maintenance can be postponed and
downtime is minimized.
RTD Plant Master…
the cost-effective
and reliable answer
22 impulse I 16-2014
→ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
ISO 9001 certification and beyondThe IS Team behind the introduction of the RTD Plant Master is
proud to have achieved the recognition of the award of an ISO
9001:2008 (Phase 1 and Phase 2) audit from Dekra. The purpose of
the audit was to verify the effectiveness of the implementation of
the Quality Management System of the Team based on the ISO 9001
standard.
During the audit, no non-conformities were reported and based
upon the results the Certification Manager will be advised by the
auditor that an ISO 9001 certificate should be granted to the Plant
Master IS Team. This is seen as the first step on the way towards
achieving both ATEX and FM certification for the RTD Plant Master.
The next milestone for the Team will be the ISO 80079 phase 1 audit
covering essential requirements of the ATEX directive. This would be
followed by the Phase 2 audit. The Team is confident that these
goals will be achieved, thus completing the quality part of ATEX
certification.
‘An impressive
range of user
benefits’
Further important benefits with RTD
Plant Master include the ability to
increase control by monitoring key areas
and making any necessary adjustments
to the production process, in real time.
Mandatory inspections can also be
performed without the need for costly
scaffolding, rope access or the removal
of insulation on things like vessels and
columns. Performing mandatory
inspections in this way means that the
risk from aspects such as tank tops and
acidic vapours for NDT inspectors is also
reduced.
The user benefits The user benefits with the RTD Plant
Master now mean that it provides a
permanent monitoring system which can
supplement manual NDT inspection of
components, thereby greatly enhancing
a user’s ability to manage the integrity
of his assets, increase efficiency and
reduce both costs and risk.
RTD Plant Master; the cost-effective and reliable answer →
‘A life of
minimum 5 years
maintenance-free
operation’
Impulse is a publication of Applus RTD
Applus RTD...
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to ensure that the right help and advice are always available... when and where you need them.
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