ECT of Tubes
ECT of Tubes
The eddy-current method is widely used for the non-destructive testing of tubes. 1 This
report describes the extensive progress achieved in the last few years. The author dis-
cusses examples of testing techniques for tubes for nuclear engineering where extreme
sensitivity is of the utmost importance, although the principles are also applicable to
all types of tubes.
Several authors 2,3 report that their endeavours to inspect There are two distinct coil designs associated with the
reactor components by conventional eddy-current methods reflection and transmission methods: the encircling coil
met with negative results. Perhaps because they were un- which encircles the test part completely, and a rotating
aware of the range of test designs and test possibilities with probe which spins around the sample in a circular path,
eddy current systems, they considered such techniques to either in contact with the test piece, or contactless. When
be unsuitable for the inspection of reactor components. the encircling coil is used inside the tube, it is then called
During the past few years however, numerous investigations an internal coil. Both these coil designs can be applied
have been conducted at Institut Dr F6rster in co-operation according to the above reflection and transmission test
with European reactor research institutes and manufacturers principles, and eight possible combinations are listed in
of reactor components. They prove conclusively that the Table 1. The highly developed technology associated with
eddy-current method is eminently suitable to solve these coil designs and with the external and internal
numerous test problems with extreme defect resolution. rotating heads result in optimum test properties which will
Non-destructive testing of tubes has been materially be the subject of a further report.
advanced by this essential achievement and progress.
The examples discussed are from a range of improved eddy-
current tube-testing systems, and they cover eight different Applications of eddy-current methods to tube
eddy-current test designs (Fig.l) (Table 1). For each design inspection
examples are quoted of test problems from technical
spheres where a safe and sensitive detection of quite small The reflection method where both the exciting and
defects is required. For each of these test examples the receiving coils are outside (method 1 of Table 1) is applied
particular eddy-current test design listed in Table 1 which for the underwater testing of nuclear fuel cans (with or
offers the most favourable test result is indicated. without the pellets). In such a case it is possible to fully
exploit the versitility of an eddy-current test system whereby
When considering eddy-current tube testing, two different
contactless testing under difficult conditions (testing under
test principles must be distinguished: the reflection method
water or at high temperatures etc) is achieved even when
and the transmission method. With the reflection method
long test coil cables are needed. Method 1 is now well
the primary coil which excites the electromagnetic field and
established industrially for testing thick-walled uranium
the secondary coil which indicates the defect are both
tubes for holes and coarse grain formation (tube dimen-
arranged on the same side of the tube to be tested, ie these
sions: 45 mm diameter, 11 mm wall thickness).
exciting and receiving coils are arranged either both at the
outer or both at the inner surface. With the transmission
method, however, the exciting and the receiving coil are The use of a test-coil pistol
placed on different sides of the tube wall. Furthermore
A compressed-air pistol is placed at the opening of the tube
with transmission techniques the receiving coil is affected
only by those electromagnetic fields that have passed to be tested (Fig.2). By pressing a button, the test coil
through the complete wall of the test part. As a result the with its guide head and connecting cable are propelled to
the other end of the tube. A return motor incorporated in
transmission method is eminently suitable for indicating
the compressed air pistol automatically brings the test coil
tube defects of the same magnitude on the inner and outer
back to it. Three leads at the lower end of the handle are
surfaces with the defect signal amplitudes of the same
for compressed air, current supply for the return motor, and
height.
for the cable for the test coils which slides through the
pistol. This new method of internal tube testing satisfies
Dr F. Forster is with the Institute Dr FiSrster, Reutlingen,
W. Germany. This article is published with the cooperation of hitherto unsolved test problems. When internally inspect-
Wells-Krautkramer Ltd, Letchworth, Herts, UK, which is the UK ing heat exchanger tubes it is necessary to detect defects
agent for F(irster equipment. in the supporting stay areas. It is furthermore essential
Fig. 1 Several arrangements for eddy-current tube testing are listed by number in Table 1: these drawings show the disposition of exciting
coils - heavy black dots; receiving coils -- dashes; exciting rotating probes - dotted black; and receiving rotating probes -- hatched black
that internal corrosion is reliably recorded as well as that defects which can be satisfactorily indicated beneath such
corrosion on the outer side of the condenser tube occur- supporting stays. Extensive practical experience has shown
ring at the edges of boreholes in the supporting stays. that for the indication and identification of the different
tube defects that occur, absolute and differential coils must
Intratest records were obtained from a test tube 4 in which
be used simultaneously. Therefore the records in Fig.3 are
defects were inserted such that they could not be indicated
the traces o f absolute and differential coils obtained for a
satisfactorily by existing ndt methods (Fig.3).
given test. The absolute channel reproduces area corrosions
In particular recordings were taken at the supporting stays, as well as annular corrosion at the edges o f the supporting
with and without defects. It is essential to determine those stay. s,6,7,s The indication from the supporting stay itself
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4
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5
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In the reactor industry, methods 3 and 4 are combined for
use in the inspection of 6 and 3-fin tubes of larger diameter Fig.4 Finned tube may be inspected b y an encircling-coil
as well as for those with irregularly shaped surfaces. The technique as in this example where artificial defects are drilled in
different parts of the tube: 1 -- 0.1 mm diameter hole through
external coils are manufactured by a specially developed
tube wall; 2 -- 0.1 mm diameter hole, 0.1 mm deep; 3 - 0.2 mm
technology to fit exactly - according to the section shape - diameter hole, through the wall; 4 -- 0.2 mm diameter hole,
around the finned tube. Fig.4 shows the defect resolution 0.2 mm deep; 5 -- 0.2 mm diameter hole, through wall near fin
I*-,mm-J
Fig.6 Two different spinning probe configurations were used to record signals f r o m a hole 0.1 mm deep in a reactor t u b e w a l l 1 mm thick:
l e f t -- microprobe; right -- micro-gap probe
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cans with double the wall thickness. Although this sensi-
tivity may not be required in practice the facts shown in
Fig.9 demonstrate the progress in defect detectability
achieved within the last few years.
I
T L T L T L i T L T L T L
I
5 5 20 20 IO IO 5 5 20 20 IO IO
[O/o]
The extreme test sensitivity of the latest eddy-current probe Fig.9 Voids in sodium reactor coolant were simulated by holes
in an aluminium alloy tube; an eddy-current recording made for hole
method is illustrated by the ability to detect voids in the diameters from left -- 0.6, 0.3, 0.1 mm; the top indication were
sodium of sodium-cooled fuel elements. Here continuous through a can 0,5 mm thick and the bottom indications with only
contact of the cooling sodium between the pellets and the an air gap of 0.5 ram. The numbers are relative amplitudes
NON-DESTRUCTIVE
TESTING.FEBRUARY1974 33
of the tube the internal rotating head is switched to the
electronic system and during the retraction of the tube it
is switched over to the external rotating head. Methods 7
and 8, the transmission methods with rotating eddy-current
probes are used for the quick absolute measurement of wall
thickness and eccentricity of thin wailed and thick walled
tube. The measurement and recording of geometrical
properties of tubes such as wall thickness, eccentricity,
inner diameter etc will be the subject of an extensive pub-
lication on the theory and practical application of the
transmission method for the measurement of geometrical
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properties of tubes, this is being prepared.
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Fig.13 Circograph indications from the brass tube in Fig.12 shows
defective and sound parts of the tube; top - a peak amplitude
recorder shows defects on the inner circumference along the tube
length; centre -- Circograph screen displays show variations on a
single inside circumference, the amplitude is proportional to the
defect depth and the position and width is proportional to the
defect position and width on the circumference; the two lower
screen displays show sound tube and the peak amplitude recording Fig.15 The internal rotating head may be operated at 15 m away
at the bottom shows a length of sound tube from the test head
Fig.14 Two internal rotating heads for high-resolution eddy-current testing of tubes of different diameters