Scientists at South Ural State University (SUSU) have developed an import-substituting intelligent system for monitoring the corrosion wear of metal structures in industrial equipment and pipelines. This was reported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
Scientists have created not just an import-substituting solution, but a technology capable of providing higher accuracy and stability of measurements in difficult operating conditions.
The prototype of the new system has already been tested and is ready for transfer to industrial partners. The development can be used in oil refining, chemical and energy industries, as well as in metallurgy, shipbuilding, transport infrastructure and housing and communal services.
Everywhere where remote monitoring of the condition of metal structures and the transition to predictive equipment maintenance is required.
The system is based on the method of processing ultrasonic signals. The algorithm analyzes sequences of pulses, which increases the stability of measurements in the presence of wave scattering and noise, characteristic of rough surfaces. The sensitivity to changes in thickness is several microns, with an error of about 10 microns. This exceeds the accuracy of many traditional solutions.
The algorithm also takes into account the temperature effect on the speed of ultrasound propagation in the metal, which allows the system to be used on high-temperature objects (with a surface temperature of up to 600°C). A special design of ultrasonic waveguides transmits the signal from the control zone to the measuring electronics. The frequency of measurements can vary from several minutes to one hour.
