TPi October 2012

products & developments

Thickness gauge to tackle corrosion monitoring

CorDEX Instruments chief executive Tony Holliday said, “Integrity and corrosion testing is becoming increasingly important for the energy industry as a significant number of assets are approaching the end of their designed life-spans. Failures on ageing assets and pipelines are often attributed to corrosion and defective welds, so effective inspection and maintenance is increasingly vital. “The latest updates to the UT5000 have been made in direct response to feedback received from industry and makes the monitoring process more efficient and saves valuable time in the field. The device is pushing the boundaries in this area and can transform the way assets and pipelines are inspected, maintained and repaired.” To effectively manage and assess the information gathered by the UT5000, CorDEX offers CorDEX CONNECT™ – a software program that can be downloaded to any PC. The software uses RFID to tag every thickness measurement with a specific location, date and time, enabling trend analysis of the asset or pipeline. Engineers can use the data to easily identify trouble spots and create predictive maintenance programmes.

CorDEX Instruments has launched its next-generation corrosion monitoring device, which streamlines readings gathered in the field and enables users to monitor integrity levels at specific points on an asset or pipeline. The latest UT5000 intrinsically safe thickness gauge was unveiled at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. The handheld device, which can be used for non-destructive testing to establish the extent of corrosion, boasts several updates, including intelligent measuring technology, which can record multiple readings at specific locations. A total of nine multi-point readings can be saved against each radio frequency identification (RFID) tag on the asset or pipeline, which greatly reduces time spent in the field and increases the effectiveness and efficiency of corrosion monitoring. The device, which provides accurate thickness readings to the nearest thousandth of an inch, uses the latest Echo-Echo technology, which has the ability to read metal thickness levels, even through a painted surface. The UT5000, which is ATEX and IECEx certified for Ex ib IIC T4 Gb and Ex ibD IIIB T200ºC Db hazardous areas, has also achieved its dust certification and can be used in dust environments that have been assessed as having an explosion risk.

Tony Holliday, CEO of CorDEX Instruments, with the UT5000

huge potential for its technologies in North America. Based in North Carolina, Mr Lang, who previously worked with Lockheed-Martin as a systems engineer on NASA’s Space Shuttle at Kennedy Space Center, is focused on growing business in the US and promoting CorDEX Instruments’ full range of hand- held devices. The UK-headquartered company has a network of distributers across North America, South America, Africa, Australasia, Europe, South East Asia and the Middle East.

CorDEX Instruments Ltd – UK sales@cord-ex.com www.cordexinstruments.com

US sales manager Scott Lang was appointed recently as the company sees

Saudi manufacturer expands capacity

Al Musairiey Metallic Industries Co has manufactured tubes and pipes since 1992, with a quality control system implemented by ISO 9001:2008 to ensure the quality of products. The company uses modern machinery and equipment, and has reached an annual production capacity of 160,000 metric tons. It is now in the process of expansion by adding two tube mills and one slitting line, which will start production during 2012, leading to annual production capacity increasing by up to 250,000 MT per year.

Al Musairiey Metallic Industries Co – Saudi Arabia musairie@musairiey.com www.musairiey.com

UT5000 intrinsically safe thickness gauge

33

www.read-tpi.com

October 2012 Tube Products International