Round up | testing Deakin University joins EP-CRC
Prof Maria Forsyth at Deakin University
Deakin University, in Victoria, Australia, has become part of the Energy Pipelines Co-Oper- ative Research Centre (EP-CRC), set up in 2010 to provide research and educa- tional support to the country’s energy sector. The university’s research activities will be led by Associate Professor Mike Tan and Professor Maria Forsysth, who both work within Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials. One of their prime goals is to establish a National Facility for Pipeline Coating Testing.
New Fischer probe measures to 100mm
Fischer Instrumentation, the UK subsidiary of Germany’s Helmut Fischer group, has demonstrat- ed a prototype electromagnetic measurement probe that it claims can measure pipeline coatings up to 100mm thick. The prototype FA100 probe was demonstrated at the Pipeline Protection 2012
exhibition in Edinburgh in October. Claimed to be the only probe of its type able to measure curved pipe coatings up to 100mm, the probe will work with the company’s existing gauges and is said to provide consistent and accurate results. ❙
www.helmut-fischer.com
Keighley expands optical testing services
UK-based Keighley Laborato- ries has expanded the optical suite at its testing facility at Keighley in West Yorkshire. The company now offers
metallographic inspection of sections of welded joints at macro levels up to 50x magnification and micro examinations up to 1000x. Metallurgy is used to check the extent of the heat affected
zone and any weld defects such as cracks, pores, swivels and lack of fusion. A variety of semi-automated precision grinding and polishing equipment is used to prepare the surface of samples to allow the microstructure to be examined in detail. “A good looking joint was
often considered a reliable indicator of a high quality weld,
but surface appearance alone does not guarantee good workmanship, internal integrity and compliance with welding procedures,” says Keighley Labs’ Peter Hanson. “Nowadays, you need access to non-destructive mechanical and metallurgical examination techniques to judge whether a weld is fit for purpose and achieves the necessary
acceptance criteria.” Keighley Labs is UKAS
accredited for weldment testing and certification. It covers all forms of welded joint and employs a complete array of test and inspection procedures, magnetic particle, liquid penetrant and ultrasonic examination as well as optical techniques. ❙
www.keighleylabs.co.uk
November 2012 | PIPELINE COATING 41
“The National Facility for Pipeline Coating Testing will probably be the only one of its type in Australia and will have a vital role to play in increasing security of supply,” says Forsyth.
The Deakin team has also identified a number areas of research, including evaluation of coating failures due to cracking and disbondment; transient loss of cathodic protection; and remote sensing and laboratory simulation of CP excursions, coating disbondment and localised
corrosion for pipeline condition monitoring and life prediction. The Energy Pipelines
Co-operative Research Centre includes the Universities of Adelaide and Wollongong, Monash University and the Australian National University, as well as Deakin. It was estab- lished with 10-years of funding from the Australian govern- ment totalling AUS$27m and is charged with improving the safety, reliabililty and efficiency of the country’s pipeline sector. ❙
www.epcrc.com.au ❙
www.deakin.edu.au
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50