As an engineer at AG-800PLUS, I have participated in numerous non-destructive testing projects across various industries. One of them was a pipeline weld detection case at a large petrochemical enterprise, which deeply impressed me with the crucial role of AG-800PLUS intelligent digital ultrasonic flaw detector in industrial safety assurance. I would also like to take this opportunity to share with you this challenging and rewarding testing experience.

In the second half of last year, a petrochemical company planned to conduct comprehensive flaw detection on oil pipelines in the factory area that had been in use for over 5 years. These pipelines are responsible for transporting flammable and explosive media. If there are defects such as cracks and pores at the welds, it may cause major safety accidents such as leaks and explosions. Therefore, high detection accuracy and efficiency are required. The flaw detection equipment previously used by the enterprise had problems such as complex operation, fuzzy defect positioning, and inconvenient data storage, resulting in multiple cases of small defects being missed. This time, we have been contacted specifically, hoping to use the technical advantages of AG-800PLUS to complete the detection work.

After arriving at the site, the first challenge we faced was the complex working conditions of the pipeline. The pipeline laying environment in the factory area is diverse, and some pipelines are located in outdoor areas, which are affected by wind and sun, resulting in varying degrees of corrosion on the surface; Some pipelines are located near high-temperature equipment, with an ambient temperature close to 45 ℃ and electromagnetic interference present. In response to these situations, the IP65 protection standard and special anti-interference design of AG-800PLUS have played an important role. The alloy and silicone combined shell effectively resists dust and slight rainwater erosion. The equipment can still operate stably in high temperature and electromagnetic interference environments, with clear waveforms and no clutter.

During the inspection process, the curved structure of pipeline welds poses significant challenges for defect localization. Traditional equipment requires manual adjustment of parameters for surface compensation, which is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors. The surface correction function of AG-800PLUS can adapt to pipeline surfaces in real time, automatically display the circumferential position and depth of defects, and with 13 built-in flaw detection standards, we can directly call the corresponding detection standards in the petrochemical industry without manual input on site, greatly simplifying the operation process. At the same time, the automatic calibration function of the device is very convenient. With just one click, the calibration of the probe's "zero point", "K value", "front edge" and material's "sound speed" can be completed. The calibration work that originally required 30 minutes can now be completed within 5 minutes, greatly improving the detection efficiency.

The high sensitivity and precise defect assessment capability of AG-800PLUS in detecting critical weld areas impressed us. At the weld seam of a certain section of pipeline, the equipment displays the cross-section in real-time through B-scan, clearly showing the shape and position of a small pore. Combined with the automatically converted aperture ф value, we quickly determine that the defect is within the qualified range. In another section of pipeline inspection, the equipment captured the crack signal and used the crack height measurement function to automatically calculate the crack height through the diffraction wave at the endpoint. At the same time, the DAC sound and light alarm reminded us to pay attention to the area in a timely manner, ultimately assisting the enterprise in accurately marking the defect location and providing reliable data support for subsequent repairs.

It is worth mentioning that the data storage and report generation functions of AG-800PLUS provide great convenience for project closure. During the detection process, we stored A-scan waveforms, dynamic recordings, and other data in real-time through an external USB flash drive. We stored over 1200 waveform files, which can be exported and viewed at any time. After the inspection is completed, connect to the mobile app via Bluetooth mode to generate a defect detection report on site, which includes information such as defect location, wave amplitude, and equivalent dB. The report is directly printed and delivered to the enterprise through a Bluetooth printer, avoiding the cumbersome process of traditional equipment needing to be brought back to the laboratory to organize data and allowing the inspection results to be quickly implemented.

This inspection project lasted for 7 days, and we completed the inspection of more than 3000 meters of pipelines and over 800 welds. Compared with the previous inspection efficiency of the enterprise, it has increased by 40%, and there has been no defect omission. The company leader highly praised the performance of AG-800PLUS, believing that the equipment is not only easy to operate and accurate in detection, but also adaptable to complex industrial environments, providing strong guarantees for the safe operation and maintenance of petrochemical enterprises.

As a non-destructive testing equipment engineer, I am deeply proud to see the AG-800PLUS solving industry pain points and safeguarding industrial safety in practical applications. In the future, Egway will continue to uphold the concept of "making measurement more accurate and convenient", continuously optimize equipment performance, and provide better non-destructive testing solutions for more fields such as power, petrochemicals, steel structures, etc., to help promote the high-quality development of industrial safety.