NDT inspection services
Advanced NDT services
Advanced NDT is used when the question needs more than a pass or fail: the height of a flaw, a map of wall loss, a screen of a whole tube bundle, or an answer through insulation or paint. Each method below links to a page with how it works, where it fits, its limits, the governing codes and what you receive.
Advanced NDT methods
| Method | What it is used for | Key codes |
|---|---|---|
| Phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) | Electronically steered beams for weld volumetric examination, sectorial and linear scans with encoded data. | ASME V Art. 4, ASTM E2700, ISO 13588 |
| Time-of-flight diffraction (TOFD) | Diffracted-tip signals size flaw height accurately; used with PAUT on thick welds and in UT-in-lieu-of-RT. | ASME V Art. 4 App. III, ISO 10863, ISO 15626 |
| Automated UT of girth welds (AUT) | Mechanised zonal-discrimination scanning of pipeline and piping girth welds. | ASTM E1961, API 1104, DNV-ST-F101 |
| Corrosion mapping | Encoded UT or PAUT C-scans of wall thickness over an area, for trending and fitness-for-service. | API 570, API 510, API 579-1 |
| Eddy current and ECA | Surface-breaking crack detection on conductive materials, including through thin coatings. | ASME V Art. 8, ASTM E3024 |
| Tube ECT, RFT and NFT | Fast electromagnetic screening of heat-exchanger, condenser and boiler tubes. | ASME V Art. 8, ASTM E2096 |
| IRIS tube inspection | Rotating ultrasonic measurement of tube wall thickness to size and confirm screening calls. | API 572, API 573 |
| Guided wave testing (LRUT) | Long-range screening of piping from one location, including road crossings and insulated lines. | ASTM E2775, ASTM E2929 |
| Acoustic emission testing (AE) | Global monitoring of vessels and tanks under load to locate active damage. | ASME V Art. 11/12, ASTM E1930 |
| ACFM crack detection | Crack detection and sizing through paint and coatings on welds and structures. | ASTM E2261, BS 7910 |
| MFL tank floor scanning | Magnetic flux leakage screening of storage tank floors with UT prove-up. | API 653 Annex G, EEMUA 159 |
| Digital and computed radiography | Filmless CR and DR for welds, profile radiography and erosion checks. | ASME V Art. 2, ASTM E2698, ISO 17636-2 |
| Pulsed eddy current (PEC) | Average wall thickness through insulation and cladding for CUI screening. | API RP 583 |
| Infrared thermography | Temperature mapping of refractory, furnace tubes, electrical and mechanical equipment. | ASTM E1934, ISO 18434-1 |
| Laser shearography | Disbond and delamination detection in composite and bonded structures. | ASTM E2581 |
When advanced methods pay for themselves
- A fitness-for-service or ECA assessment needs flaw height, not just length.
- Radiography would stop work in the area or cannot find planar flaws in thick sections.
- Wall loss must be mapped and trended rather than spot-checked.
- Insulation, coatings or access make conventional methods slow or impossible.
- A whole bundle, line or floor must be screened in the outage window.
Qualified procedures and encoded data
Advanced techniques are only as good as the setup behind them. Each scope uses a written procedure and technique sheet, demonstrated on a representative calibration or reference block, and encoded data is retained so the result can be audited and compared at the next inspection.
Frequently asked questions
Which advanced NDT method should be used for crack sizing?
TOFD and PAUT are the usual choice for sizing embedded and surface-breaking flaws in welds; ACFM sizes surface-breaking cracks through coatings. The choice depends on geometry, access and the assessment the size will feed.
Talk to an inspection engineer
Send the equipment list or drawings, the inspection you need and your timing. Quotes are prepared for each scope and region.
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Tell us the asset, the method, where it is, the governing code, your dates, the size of the job and the report you need. We reply with questions or a quote. Affordable, accessible, fully customizable — no published pricing.
Or email the same details to info@atlantisndt.com. Mobilisation: North America; confirm your location in your RFQ.
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