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KANDE International has developed a range of high temperature probes. Prototypes probes were assessed and refined in a BERR sponsored ‘Sensors and Technology’ Collaborative Research Programme project called ULTRASMART (Ultrasonic Scanning and Monitoring at Running Plant Temperatures). This project commenced in March 2005 and finished in March 2008.

The high temperature probes developed fall into two main categories.

Fixed probes designed for permanent attachment to plant have been tested to ~730°C in the laboratory and a range of attachment methods have been developed in collaboration with our partners. The long-term operation of 0° and 20° compression wave probes has been demonstrated at temperatures up to 650°C, in a trial that has been underway at a UK power plant since September 2007, and further trials to monitor known cracks are due to start this summer. KANDE has also developed software that makes it possible to use the USBox UT instrument for long-term monitoring of high temperature probe installations.

Liquid cooled probes designed to enable scanning of the test component using conventional pulse-echo inspection techniques. We have demonstrated probes capable of withstanding extended exposure to temperatures up to ~520°C, with the limiting factor on high temperature scanning performance being the availability of suitable ultrasonic couplants. In addition to our work on probe development, our partners in the ULTRASMART consortium developed high temperature scanners and calibration procedures to assist in the deployment and application of the probes.

Click here to download a presentation describing crack growth trials with fixed probes at 615°C