developments
products &
July 2011 Tube Products International
35
Enhanced NDT tube inspection
system for heat exchangers
AcousticEye, a leader in non-invasive
tube inspection solutions for the heat
exchanger market, has unveiled the
Dolphin™ G3 tube inspection system.
The G3 is based on the same acoustic
pulse reflectometry (APR) technology
used in the original Dolphin, which has
been successfully used by customers
worldwide since it was first introduced
last year.
The Dolphin G3 is suited to testing heat
exchanger systems across industries
such as oil and gas, chemical, and
power-generation markets.
“Our company has been very impressed
with AcousticEye’s technology since
we first started using it last year, and
we’re looking forward to upgrading to
the Dolphin G3 for all of our tube
inspections going forward,” said Hans
Felius, CEO of Sound Tube Testing.
“The Dolphin system has enabled us
to offer fast, accurate and unique tube
inspections to all of our customers, thus
enabling 100% coverage of the tubes in
a very short time – none of which would
have been possible with other testing
methods. With the Dolphin we save
our customers time and money due to
increased performance and efficiency.
The Dolphin has greatly increased our
revenues, giving us the opportunity to
perform many more inspections in a
given time.”
With existing technologies, heat
exchanger users are typically limited
to sample-testing well under 10%
of deployed tubes. AcousticEye’s
Dolphin system is a non-invasive, non-
destructive testing technology that
enables inspection of heat exchanger
system tubes of every configuration,
size, and material – aspects that have
inherently limited the effectiveness of
traditional invasive methods.
The accompanying software produces
automated, repeatable results that are
consistent, comprehensive, objective
and actionable, enabling anyone to
conduct and analyse inspection data.
The automated analysis of the test
results removes the historical need to
rely on the interpretation of experts.
The system can fully inspect each tube
in less than nine seconds, regardless of
length, configuration or material, and
can test 100% of heat exchanger tubes,
decreasing testing and facility shut-
down time. The software automatically
detects and numbers tubes, producing
a complete tube sheet map in seconds
instead of hours. The system can be
learned and implemented quickly, with
only a two-day training course.
According to Nadav Ofir, senior
consultant at Frost & Sullivan,
“AcousticEye’s technology significantly
simplifies the entire heat exchanger
inspection
procedure,
enabling
100% inspection of tubes in a
significantly shorter time. In addition,
AcousticEye’s analysis software
reduces the dependency on NDT
technician availability, a limiting factor
in the industry. Overall, the AcousticEye
solution brings a very positive message
to sectors where small diameter tubes
are utilised.”
The Dolphin G3 is available immediately,
and a special trade-in plan is available
for existing customers wishing to
upgrade to the new G3 system at a
discounted rate.
AcousticEye
–
The Netherlands
Dolphin G3 tube inspection system
