Swiss Approval International

SWISS APPROVAL offers Industrial inspections as an Independent Third Party Organization [Third Party Inspection Body (TPI)] for Gas supply Companies, Oil and gas facilities, and Construction and maintenance of Refineries, PPC Units, and Power Plants.

Inspection services are developed with Checks and controls as well as Witnesses during construction activities, according to the approved Inspection and Test Plan [ITP].

Witness and Inspection or Monitoring of ITPs, is one of the main services during Field Inspection, as this is the base of Reporting, including Non Confarmancy Reports [NCR], during project implementation and construction activities development.

Non Destructive Techniques [NDT] Interpretation and Approval of evidences, is also very critical during project implementation and construction activities development. Specific Reports have to be issued at the end of every Interpretation section.

SWISS APPROVAL offers traditional qualified Level 2 Inspection Personnel, for all NDT’s methods and equipment. Certified Personnel offer interpretation services for RT, PT, MT, and UT Semi-Automatic or Automatic technologies, which are applied for specific purposes according to Owners' requirements.

Level III qualified personnel is also involved, in monitoring Level II inspectors, and supervising all Field  NDT activities.

SWISS APPROVAL has also developed its own internal Ultrasonic Implementation and Interpretation Team, with the use of specific NDT equipment, using advanced ultrasonic tools and technologies, such as TOFD and Phased Array.

SWISS APPROVAL offers accredited services during construction, according to European Directives like PED 97/23, ASME Code, or other National or International Standards.

SWISS APPROVAL offers EN ISO 17020 Accredited Services for a variety of inspection categories.

Swiss Approval inspects and certifies welding processes and welders by the standards EN 15614-1, EN ISO 15609-1:2004, EN 287-1, EN 287-2, and BS EN 473. The welding process certification (WPQR) demonstrates the ability of a manufacturer to produce concrete seams that meet the construction quality requirements. Through the process certification (WPQR) the most successful option is determined: Method, Materials, Configuration, Auxiliary Materials, and Welding Conditions, as well as Thermal Treatment Methods, before / During / After Welding.

With WPS (Welding Procedure Specification) the power ranges in nearly all factors (described in WPQR), such as material quality, material thickness, pipe diameter, type of connection (Butt, T, Fillet), welding position, etc, are extended.

Both WPQR and WPS special requirements derive from conventional Technical Specifications of the project which are taken into account.

Swiss Approval also offers EN 17020 Accredited Inspection Services for the following standards regarding Welding Activities:

• EN 288-2
• EN 288-4
• EN 288-9
• 15609-01
• EN 15609-02
• ASME IX
• EN ISO 15614-1 to 6
• EN 287-1
• EN 287-2
• EN 1418
• EN 9606.02

Swiss Approval International, is offering Inspection and Auditing Services, through Remote Inspection / Auditing tools, to guarantee the maximum effectiveness and efficiency of Auditing and Inspection results, operated in fully Remote mode.

The On-Site Connection Remote Software, guarantees a fully collaborative environment, to provide inspection and auditing teams, to have access to augmented content, to troubleshoot, assess, audit, and rapidly resolve issues in the field, by bringing data on the monitor of remote experts and authorized inspectors & auditors.

Connection software powers a full range of mobile devices including smartphones, tablets, computers, drones with cameras, and smart glasses for a consistent experience, that fits all conditions and possible cases and environments, across an inspection and/or auditing process.

Swiss Approval International emphasizes the use of Smart Glasses, as well as classical mobile equipment on a tripod, or sometimes a combination of both. Authorized Inspectors and Auditors, are following ON-LINE the data registration and transfer, and they are evaluating the process, through remote monitoring of activities.

Through a permanent Wi/Fi connection between the Smart Glasses or similar equipment, to the Datastore i-Cloud, the auditing or inspection data, are transferred and saved to the i-Cloud itself.

Swiss Approval Advanced NDT based in the UK, manages the evaluation of the condition of storage tanks, pipelines, pressure vessels, and other critical equipment, supporting the integrity management processes to ensure effective and safe operation, through specific Automated UT equipment, for corrosion mapping. Our Advanced NDT Laboratory operations are conformed with ISO 17025 requirements. Our solution can give almost 100% coverage in a band up to 450 mm wide, significantly increasing the Probability of Detection (POD) of defects and corrosion, enabling Clients to determine the optimum repair strategy and improve remaining life assessment (RLA) & risk-based inspection (RBI) maintenance programs.

FLEXIBLE SOLUTION

Scanning heads of the system, share the same high-performance system controller, so different scanning heads can be utilized depending on the inspection requirements. The steerable tractor units incorporate high torque stepper motors and powerful magnetic drive wheels ensuring the scanner remains fixed to the inspection surface even whilst inverted. The system is properly working, to ride over weld caps & lap joints up to 8 mm high.

SCANNING HEADS

The scanning head is designed to maximize scanning rates on large surface areas such as tank shells, pressure vessels, and other structures, as well as operating circumferentially on curved surfaces such as pipelines or pressure vessels from 152 mm (6 inches) up to flat plates.

APPLICATIONS:

• Storage tank shells and roofs
• Horizontal storage tanks
• Pipelines
• Pressure vessels
• Spheres
• Ship hulls
• High temperatures assets up to 200 C.

DETECTION CAPABILITIES

• Localised/generalised pitting
• General corrosion and erosion
• Laminations
• Internal coating failures or dis-bonding
• Hydrogen blistering (HB)
• Hydrogen induced cracking (HIC)
• Stress corrosion cracking (SCC)
• Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC)

ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS SOFTWARE

A specific software integrates scanner control, data capture, data analysis, and reporting tools. The software shows a real-time display of the ultrasonic A-scan, C-scan, thickness measurement, and positional data, with a maximum resolution of 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm. All of this information is recorded when a scan is saved.

A-SCAN PROCESSING

A-scan waveform processing is fully digital, both in real-time and during post-processing. Our system records A-scans in raw RF unfiltered form, which can then be processed afterward, including rectification, filtering, wave smoothing, and noise rejection. This minimizes the set up on-site and avoids re-scanning due to incorrect ultrasonic setup.

B-SCAN AMPLITUDE

The B-scan amplitude view shows the B-scan profile in both X and Y dimensions at a selected point of the C-scan. Using the B-scan amplitude view, the operator can easily identify any defects or inclusions.

C-SCAN LAYERS & MULTIPLE A-SCAN GATES

The intuitive software is designed around the concept of C-scan ‘layers’. This allows the operator to quickly switch between each of the multiple C-scan views generated. During an inspection, the A-scan trace, B-scan amplitude view, and resulting C-scan image are shown within the software in real time providing immediate inspection feedback.

Swiss Approval Advanced NDT based in the UK, manages MFL Inspection Services in a wide range of geographical areas, using state-of-the-art equipment, for Storage Tank Bottoms, Heat Exchangers, Pipelines & Vessels.  for Storage Tank Bottoms, Heat Exchangers, Pipelines & Vessels.

Utilizing a variety of MFL gears, it is allowing the quick scanning of tank bottoms.

Annular ring inspection is also possible using miniature MFL hand scanners, allowing approaching the shell to bottom weld.

Furthermore, a variety of MFL hand scanners is available for the quick scanning of all diameter pipelines including furnace tubes, a method really fast and particularly effective when combined with Phased Arrays.

Our Advanced NDT Laboratory operations are conformed with ISO 17025 requirements.

Introduction to Swiss Approval Thermography Inspection Services

The specific Swiss Approval Advanced NDT Laboratory for Thermography Inspection offers a wide range of services and coordinates applications in the Infrared or Thermal Inspection sector in different areas within or outside Europe.

With our advanced equipment of high characteristics, our experts can discover even small size of defects.

Our equipment characteristics of thermal sensitivity can range from -40C to +600C with an accuracy of +/- 2%, with Image format opto-mechanical MicroScan (IR pixels) of 1280 X 960 using a Full-frame by 30 Hz (640 × 480), as well as a Sub-frame by 60 Hz (384 × 288). Since infrared inspection is a superficial inspection, to perform a complete inspection, we combine both, superficial and volumetric inspection by UT.

Volumetric control implies control of the volume of the object. The most common control is by ultrasound or ultrasonic test, which is a contact and nondestructive examination. Using ultrasound, it is possible to evaluate thicknesses and internal flaws that cannot be reached by infrared inspection.

Application in Yachts / Marine

Infrared inspection can be applied easily in a yacht because is a non-contact and non-destructive operation and does not alter the characteristics of the equipment and materials to be inspected.

Depending on the type of inspection, some requirements have to be fulfilled. For the hull, keel, rudder, propeller, shaft, or ventral fins inspection, the ship should be in a dry dock.

Coating Inspection

External coating on hulls or structures can be inspected satisfactorily allowing to identification of the most common defects, like blisters, cracks, osmosis, degradation, and delamination. It is also possible to identify repaired areas and their condition since the putty used has different thermal properties from the fiberglass or metal.

Osmosis and blistering Inspection Services

Osmosis is a phenomenon caused by when a fluid with high salt content is separated by a porous media, from a low salt content fluid. In the ship, the high salt content is seawater, and the low content salt is the air. The porous media is aged fiberglass and coating layers. For steel structures, the porous media are the coating layers only, and the low-content salt fluid is any bubble of air entrapped during coating. Salinity through the ocean in the world is not uniform so osmosis can be different depending on the sea. During osmosis, the sea water penetrates the coating and creates some underlayer solid salt accumulation. This salt has different thermal properties of the entire hull, so after thermal excitement, it is possible to identify precisely the area interested.

Fiberglass condition monitoring services

Fiberglass is a material made of glass flakes, mainly silica, bonded in an epoxy resin matrix. The shape of the object plays an influence on the mechanical properties. When completely cured, the different directions of the flakes give an important mechanical resistance which due to shaping flexibility, can be used widely in the marine industry. The aging of the epoxy resin is a process that depends on the environment where the ship operates.

Engines Inspection

The performance of the engines, regardless if they are electric or combustion, can be monitored with an infrared camera. More precisely, if there is some misalignment in the shafts or basement, this vibration will produce an abnormal heating that can be easily seen. It is possible to check the thermal insulation of the motors to not create hot spots inside the ship cabins.

Electrical Installations Inspection Services

Electrical wiring, cabinet, panels, motors, and generators, can be assessed through a thermal camera. From physics, it is known that a current passing through an object produces heating due to the friction of the electrons. The heat produced, out of the prescribed limits, a clear image of thermal anomalies.

Commissioning of Combined systems, Preconditioning with Load start & load run, Generator transient testing/switching, functional and operational performance, panel joints & busbar testing and monitoring, autonomy testing, and battery testing as well.

Moisture Inspection 

If in a room there is a specific value of humidity and temperature, moisture can be formed on the wall and in a more aggressive form, can create mold. Conditions can be created by any means, but normally can be found when there is a transition from a hot area to a cold area. Mold and moisture, viewed through an infrared camera, are blue because the water has a lower temperature/emissivity than the surrounding wall.

Reporting and Certification of Thermography Inspection Services

Due to the complexity and importance of the controls above mentioned, the performing operator should be duly qualified to ensure the highest skill and technical advice of the area inspected.

The regulating standard for the qualification of the operator is ISO 9712.

Being qualified by this international standard requires a previous experience endorsed by Swiss Approval.

For coating inspection, Swiss Approval Inspectors are mainly NACE-certified and can perform inspection services of the highest value. Swiss Approval Certified Personnel includes UT and Advanced UT Level II experts, to execute specific inspection activities on materials and parts. Depending on the nature of the service, a Swiss Approval Report or Certificate of Conformity can be issued, after the completion of inspection and the related technical review.