What are the top inspection techniques in the oil and gas Industry?

22 February 2021

Comments:

Off
 February 22, 2021
 Off
Category: Uncategorized

The oil and gas industry is an incredibly high-risk industry. Failures in this industry would lead to extensive loss of income as well as major environmental damage. The equipment in this industry requires high-end inspections to ensure that there are no failures. There are a few NDT techniques that are commonly used in order to prevent equipment failures all while reducing downtime. Read all about the top inspection techniques in the oil and gas industry below:

Ultrasonic testing

Ultrasonic testing is one of the most effective techniques when detecting equipment flaws in the oil and gas industry, which is why it is most commonly used. This technique accurately depicts a map of the tested material’s interior, providing a quick and efficient means of detecting various types of damage.

Eddy current testing

Next in line as one of the best inspection techniques for the oil and gas industry is eddy current testing. This technique has almost all the benefits of ultrasonic testing; however, it can only be used on conductive materials due to its use of electromagnetic energy to identify flaws.

Liquid penetrant testing

While liquid penetrant testing is a much slower technique than the others, it is still an effective means of detecting leaks and cracks in the equipment. It is often used for surface inspection of equipment in the oil and gas industry.

Radiography

Much like liquid penetrant testing, radiography is not a very quick method, and this is due to the precautionary measures taken to reduce the risk of issues that could be caused by the radiation. However, this technique is incredibly effective in the oil and gas industry as it provides highly detailed images of the equipment’s interior.

Visual inspection

The final and most common inspection technique is that of visual inspection. Correctly completed visual inspections can identify a range of defects including cracks, leaks and more. The only issue with this method is that it only allows the detection of flaws that are visible to one’s eye.