‘There are many difficulties in our work, first of all, it is responsibility’
A bit of detectives and doctors: about the uniqueness of being a defect inspector
Did you know that some industrial enterprises employ functional diagnostics doctors? But unlike people in white gowns, they check the “health” of materials, facilities and equipment. We are talking about flaw detector inspectors. The specialists in non-destructive testing stand guard over the quality, reliability of facilities and safety of production. They use ultrasound, X-rays and other devices to detect a “disease” at an early stage and prescribe its treatment like radiologists. A correspondent of Realnoe Vremya met with those who see through the condition of the equipment.
“The profession is quite interesting and exciting”
Not every enterprise in the republic can boast of having its own flaw detection inspectors. Highly professional non-destructive testing specialists are literally worth their weight in gold. Realnoe Vremya’s correspondent was lucky enough to talk to representatives of this rare profession at TAIF-NK JSC.
We were met by head of the Non-Destructive Testing Laboratory of the Technical Supervision Department Alexey Dozmorov. He has been working in this position for 10 years, with a total work experience of over 20 years in non-destructive testing.
“The profession of a defect inspector is very responsible, multidisciplinary, and difficult,” Alexey Dozmorov began our conversation. “We can be compared to functional diagnostics doctors. They conduct a thorough examination of the patient to identify and exclude malfunctions in the internal organs and systems before obvious clinical symptoms appear. And non-destructive testing specialists examine materials, facilities and equipment for defects and damage. Both of them must have high knowledge in their fields in order to correctly interpret the results of the examination, make a diagnosis and prevent negative consequences.”
To clarify the “diagnosis,” the inspectors use complex, expensive equipment for non-destructive testing, which allows identifying defects and damage in materials and structures without destroying them. They have at their disposal ultrasonic flaw detectors, X-ray machines, metal spectrometers, thickness gauges, hardness gauges, thermal imagers and others, says Alexey Dozmorov. “
“Each type of equipment is designed for a specific study, depending on the type of material and the nature of potential defects,” he continues enthusiastically. “For example, with the help of an ultrasonic flaw detector, we can detect delamination, various corrosion damage and other types of internal defects. An ultrasonic thickness gauge helps to measure the wall thickness of a material or the thickness of the protective coating layer of a material with high accuracy. You understand that when industrial equipment operates for a long time, corrosion and erosion wear occurs, the wall thickness decreases. Our responsibility is to monitor the condition of the equipment during its operation in order to promptly identify rejection values, which helps prevent accidents and extend the service life.”
NDT inspectors also have their own MRI equipment. Unlike medical devices, they scan various structures and products. A high-resolution three-dimensional image allows you to detect defects, measure parameters and conduct a detailed analysis of the internal structure of materials. By the way, the company uses several types of ultrasound machines. One of the recently acquired ones is an ultrasound MRI equipment for scanning pipeline bends.
“Trust but verify”
TAIF-NK workers proudly talk about the thermal imager. Expensive equipment can determine the surface temperature at different points and, based on the measurement results, form so-called thermograms. To put it simply, a thermal imager records infrared radiation from the test object and converts it into a colour spectrum in the form of a heat map on the screen, accessible for visual perception by humans.
They also showed the Realnoe Vremya correspondent a fixed hardness tester for determining the hardness of materials. Leading flaw detection engineer Timur Ishmukhamedov emphasised that the outer shell of products can be deceiving. Therefore, the phrase “trust but verify” takes on special meaning in this laboratory.
“Now we are faced with the task of finding out the strength of this part based on its hardness,” he said, showing us the object for research. “Thanks to the hardness tester, we can determine this with an accuracy of several units. Subsequently, we will be able to predict how long this part will work, and generally find out whether it is suitable for a particular unit. That is, we will check whether this part corresponds to the declared passport data and quality certificates.”
“In total, during the year, 580 vessels, 660 pipeline units, 370 pumps and compressors are examined in the TAIF-NK non-destructive testing laboratory, and 120 types of thermal control examinations are carried out. Two or three times a week, specialists are required to conduct incoming inspection of incoming products and structures for compliance with established requirements and standards. Flaw detectors jokingly call themselves detectives, capable of seeing everything that is hidden from prying eyes.”
“We conduct various types of non-destructive testing. For example, thermal control of furnaces, lined equipment, power equipment. If we see that overheating has been detected in some area, it means that there are several potential problems that can negatively affect the operation of the equipment and safety. This should also be noticed in time to prevent an accident. We conduct colour flaw detection with special suspensions, examine the parts of pumps, compressors for cracks and other surface defects. We also determine the chemical analysis of steel grades and alloys,” clarifies the head of the Non-Destructive Testing Laboratory.
“We are responsible for everything we check”
In order to accurately conduct an examination, a defect inspector must have deep knowledge in the field of non-destructive testing, quality assessment standards, materials science, defect classification, regulatory documents and more. They must be able to work with various equipment and tools used in flaw detection. The enterprise's non-destructive testing inspectors hone their professional skills and abilities both during work and in regular advanced training courses.
The high level of professionalism of the employees is confirmed by the results of professional skills competitions. Thus, last year, at the regional stage of the All-Russian competition in non-destructive testing, the non-destructive testing inspector for gas and liquid testing of TAIF-NK Vladislav Shvetsov confident finished second. A total of 23 contestants took part in the competition — these are the best non-destructive testing specialists from enterprises of various industries of Tatarstan and other regions.
“I joined the profession three years ago. I learned about it by chance when I worked as an instrumentation specialist at a neighbouring petrochemical enterprise. After completing retraining courses at a special centre, I got a job in this laboratory. I love my job for its diversity. We search for manufacturing defects and flaws, such as cracks, corrosion, leaks and other deviations. We prevent incidents, destruction and accidents at work and protect personnel. There are many difficulties in our work, first of all, it is responsibility, since the safety of people and the integrity of structures may depend on our conclusions. We are responsible for everything we check,” he says about the intricacies of his profession.
His more experienced colleague, leading flaw detection engineer Timur Ishmukhamedov adds that a non-destructive testing specialist must study new testing methods, since non-destructive testing technologies and methods are constantly evolving. Be able to use the latest devices and technologies used in flaw detection, and be ready to solve any tasks.
“Jokingly, I have already been to all the seedy and not seedy places at our enterprise,” laughs Timur Ishmukhamedov. “You have to go up and down. It can be inconvenient, difficult, you need to get somewhere, stand somewhere, but this is the job, and we love it.”
While the Realnoe Vremya correspondent was in the non-destructive testing laboratory for about two hours, its employees enthusiastically talked about the advantages and features of the work of a defect inspector, unique testing methods. According to them, every morning they happily rush to their favourite job to once again immerse themselves in the world of research the safety of people and the entire production depends on without exaggeration.