NDT popularity in Scotland!

Enthusiastic appreciation for NDT Seminar

Ashtead Technology ran an extremely popular NDT seminar at its Aberdeen facility during December. Due to demand, the one-day seminar, An Introduction to Advanced UT, was run on three consecutive days. “The seminar was designed for UT NDT inspectors considering Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) or Time of Flight Diffraction (ToFD) qualifications,” says course leader Alison Glover. “It also provided a useful introduction for project managers to learn more about the applications, advantages and limitations of PAUT and ToFD.”

In addition to the major investments that Ashtead Technology has made in highly skilled staff and its rental fleet of advanced NDT technology, these training events form part of the company’s commitment to an NDT Centre of Excellence.

Each session was a mix of basic theory and hands-on practice with the equipment. PAUT topics included transducer construction and selection, calibration and scan plan creation. An introduction to data analysis and techniques for difficult applications such as austenitic materials and dissimilar welds were also covered, together with considerations for successfully implementing Automated UT (AUT) inspections. The ToFD sessions provided the basic theory together with demonstrations and discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the technique.

Feedback from the sessions described them as informative, well organised and presented, with Ian Thomas, from Trac Oil and Gas commenting: “The NDT Seminar was very interesting and informative; it clarified what is often seen as a ‘dark art’ and used a good combination of Powerpoint presentations and hands-on demos.”