Ultrasonic Inspection Solution for HDPE Butt-Fusion Joints

Nondestructive testing (NDT) technology company Zetec Inc. (Snoqualmie, Washington, USA) recently released an on-demand webinar featuring real-world techniques and case studies on an optimal ultrasonic inspection solution for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) butt fusion joints.

Due to its strong resistance to corrosion and erosion, Zetec says that HDPE is increasingly being used instead of carbon steel for low-pressure and low-temperature pipe applications in petrochemical, power generation, mining, and other industries.

The 30-minute webinar outlines robust, field-proven ultrasonic testing (UT) approaches to inspections of HDPE butt fusion joints. Often, this can be challenging because the material’s acoustic properties make it difficult to generate appropriate ultrasonic beams.

“With technicians encountering HDPE with greater frequency, this webinar is an opportunity to address inspection challenges with a solution that combines ultrasonic examination techniques to more reliably detect and characterize flaws,” says Guy Maes, sales engineer and UT director for Zetec.

The webinar features:

  • An introduction to HDPE butt fusion joints, as well as the specific UT inspection challenges related to this material and the butt fusion process;
  • The principles and application of available ultrasonic examination techniques, including pulse-echo and tandem phased array in combination with the total focusing method (TFM) and time of flight diffraction (TOFD);
  • Two comprehensive case studies of representative HDPE butt joint specimens illustrating ways to optimize various inspection techniques for a given inspection application; and
  • A detailed look at examination results, including the benefits and limitations of each inspection technique.  

Zetec’s on-demand webinar is intended for inspection service providers, NDT technicians, and anyone involved in the inspection of HDPE pipe in low-pressure and low-temperature applications.

It is now available for viewing. To learn more, click here.

Source: Zetec, www.zetec.com.