MB Inspection deploys the ScanTech C1 Spider for ultrasonic examination of remote areas on tanks and vessels.
High strength magnetic wheels allow the Spider to climb vertical surfaces such as the walls of storage tanks and vessels constructed from ferromagnetic material. The wheels also allow the unit to operate inverted on the bottom of horizontal surfaces. The scanner is fully steerable and its independent suspension enables the scanner to traverse surface irregularities such as lap joints.
Although the unit can be used to carry various sensors or visual inspection equipment, the primary use is for ultrasonic scanning. An ultrasonic transducer is mounted in a shoe fixture spring-loaded to the material surface. The shoe mounting assembly also allows rotation in two axis, maintaining contact and perpendicular alignment of the transducer on the surface.
The cabling assembly permits the unit to extend up to 30 metres from the control unit. The umbilical cable also connects the transducer to a standard ultrasonic scan instrument.
An integral tank and pump unit supplies a bubbler type ultrasonic transducer configuration. This allows it to inspect materials up to 3 inches thick. Having a water path between the transducer and vessel wall allows the use of "echo-to-echo" or "interface" gating. This eliminates measurement "zero" errors caused by even the slightest movement of the transducer away from the surface. This is a common problem when inspecting worn or uneven tanks and vessels.