Ultrasonic Inspection

Ultrasonic testing can identify problems within equipment that cannot be opened or accessed such as: circuit breakers, switchgear, transformers and starters. Ultrasonic testing can be performed on energized high voltage equipment from a distance, and on enclosed high voltage equipment. Comstock electricians generally listen for noise generated by arcing, or tracking. This provides a safety risk alert for the technician, as well as identifying hidden anomalies.

Various types of scanning mechanisms can be used. Testing can transmit an ultrasonic wave at a predetermined angle into the test material. Surfaces normal to the beam path and corner traps reflect the wave energy back to the transducer. The display shows the distance the wave traveled to the issue and the relative strength of the energy.

For corrosion analysis or locating laminations and inclusions in new rolled materials, real-time imaging displays a profile of the test material along the scan. Corrosion rates and code calculations can be done in an immersion tank or with a tank crawler. Images can be stored for later review.