CoMoRanger®
Corrosion, deposits, biofilm, fouling or other foreign materials affect the integrity of pipelines and may even lead to complete destruction. For this reason, operators of very long pipeline networks in particular strive to implement maintenance and service operations as efficient as possible.
With CoMoRanger®, Fraunhofer IKTS offers a monitoring system specifically for corrosion-prone components that are difficult to access. It is used in particular where conventional test pigs fail. The system detects defects and continuously determines the residual wall thickness in the case of extensive corrosion at above-ground, underground or vertical pipes.
For this purpose, CoMoRanger® sends low-frequency ultrasonic waves, called guided waves, into the components to check their condition. Since guided ultrasonic waves travel nearly undampened across wide distances in pipes, extensive structures can be examined from one single location. This reduces the effort for testing, with regard to both the mere measuring time and the requirements regarding the reliability of the component. The monitoring system by Fraunhofer IKTS is easy to install. The sensors are pressed onto the pipe to be tested using a steel belt; they remain permanently mounted to the test object. CoMoRanger® reduces the effort for recurring routine inspections and predictive maintenance. It also helps to avoid unnecessary digging and the removal of coating or scaffolding in case of defect-free pipes. This leads to savings in operating costs.
CoMoDetect®
With CoMoDetect®, Fraunhofer IKTS offers a system solution for the condition monitoring of storage tanks in safety-relevant industrial areas, which determines the structural integrity by analyzing specific ultrasonic waves. The monitoring system uses active signature analysis as well as passive acoustic emission analysis.
CoMoDetect® was developed specifically for the permanent monitoring of hard-to-access vessels and other corrosionprone components in explosion-proof environments. The system consists of a network of sensors (CoMoSens® Ex) and an electronic data logger (CoMoBase® Ex). The distances between the sensors define the area to be monitored. To obtain a good crack depth detection, the spatial resolution is about a fourth of the vessel’s wall thickness. In order to increase the spatial resolution in critical areas, multiple sensors can be coupled to obtain clusters.
The sensors are mounted to the vessel with well-established welding methods, which makes installation fast and easy. Sensors, which are certified for different temperature ranges, are thus mounted permanently to the vessel. This enables continuous measuring over longer time periods. The monitoring system can be extended at any time.
Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS
