Eddy Current Modelling of Austenite Stainless Steel Heat Exchangers Tube Inspection Using Finite Elements

摘要

Heat exchangers are equipments with high relevance in the petrochemical plants, refining units and oil & gas platforms. The heat exchangers consist of a series of tubes that contains the fluid that must be heated or cooled. These tubes are the most critical element in the system, since are typically used for high-pressure applications, with pressures greater than 30 bar and temperatures greater than 260°C. For in service inspection the eddy current testing (ECT) is the non destructive technique most applied to evaluate the tubes integrity. However, depending on the defects position and orientation the ECT signal related to the defect can be complicated to decode. The present work shows a finite element modeling of a heat exchanger tube inspection. The goal is obtain a representative model to simulate the in service inspection, and with a validated model improve the ECT inspection results.