TI has also commenced Automated Ultrasonic Testing of offshore pipelines and has thus far completed testing of about 300 km with the acquisition of GE Weldstar Hybrid Systems. OTI is the first Malaysian NDT company to own Phased Array AUT system, and the only Malaysian NDT company to have completed a major offshore trunkline project.

GE Weldstar AUT, which OTI utilizes, is the latest generation pipeline girth weld inspection system. This is an automated ultrasonic testing (AUT) solution that provides all functionalities required for the job, from setup to data archiving. Combining conventional and Phased Array ultrasonics, this advanced inspection tool provides the benefits of both techniques without compromise.

GE Weldstar’s unique modular design with ultrasonic electronics located on the scanner head and the simple umbilical that can be changed quickly provides huge benefits in terms of almost negligible interruption to work.
 

OTI AUT systems offer Inspection Integrity & Rapid Defect Detection through;
 

1. Hybrid ultrasonic flexibility
2. Highly versatile scanner design
3. Industry-best resistant to electromagnetic interference
4. Ultimate Availability because of great reliability and ease of serviceability

Some of the capabilities of the GE Weldstar system are as follows:
 

1. OTI (GE Weldstar) systems utilize 64-element phased array technology.
2. No loss of data at increased speed of scanning, as pulser-receiver is dedicated to each sequence of shots.
3. System availability very high, due to cutting-edge technology and modular design.
4. PlusWeld software organizes and archives data automatically.
5. Creates weld quality tracking reports and trending information for immediate analysis.
6. All weld data are traceable to immediate past valid calibration – no manual entries (prevents human errors).