UTComp improves launched composite inspection system

UTComp Inc. (Cambridge, Ontario, Canada), a global provider of composite materials inspection and engineering solutions, introduced UltraAnalytix, a non-destructive composite inspection system that evaluates corrosion barrier damage in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) and dual laminates such as tanks and pipes, in 2008. Recently, the company’s chief technical officer, Geoff Clarkson, published a study in Inspectioneering Journal  demonstrating the inspection system’s most recent advancement in the technology — its ability to report specifically on the corrosion barrier condition, which UTcomp says improves the system’s non-destructive and non-intrusive evaluation. 

Useful for chemical plants, refineries and other facilities, UltraAnalytix analyzes ultrasonic data collected in the field using a proprietary algorithm for the non-destructive evaluation of composite assets. Unlike destructive testing, UTComp says UltraAnalytix results parallel the ASTM C581 standard for measuring — in an unstressed state — the chemical resistance of thermosetting resins used in FRP laminates. Now, according to the company, its non-intrusive ability to determine corrosion barrier thickness and conditions, increases worker safety and overall extension of industrial infrastructure service-life.

UTComp says corrosion is the biggest cause of equipment breakdown at industrial process facilities where harsh substances, chemicals and gases as well as high temperatures and pressures create challenging conditions for FRP storage vessels, pipelines, structures and supports. The company notes that previously, assessing the condition of the corrosion barrier typically requires an outage and confined space entry to perform subjective visual inspection, or costly destructive testing.

In 2019 UTComp also introduced QCAnalytix, a fully automated in-line inspection solution for composite fabrication and manufacturing.