A world first in eddy current

Dillinger is launching operation of yet another world first in its rolling mill today with its new eddy current testing system. Henceforth, with this unique system eddy current will be used to automatically inspect the surface of heavy plate for localized hard spots.

The technology was developed by Dillinger to meet new requirements from oil and gas companies for the ability to find and remove such hard spots on plate used for special pipelines. These pipelines transport an extremely corrosive medium called sour gas. Since the steel plate for these pipelines represents an important product for Dillinger, Dillinger plates were previously first inspected for hard spots during a development phase using a trolley.

The new system is fully integrated into the production flow and represents a significant improvement over the previous labor-intensive and time-consuming method of inspection via trolley. This requires no additional waiting times for the inspection during production and in addition makes the test result more precise through the use of highly advanced probes and exact documentation of the inspection, which simultaneously checks both surfaces of the plate. This means shorter delivery times and an unsurpassed level of security for the customer.

The process detects these hardened areas and, since they have a thickness of only a few tenths of a millimeter, they can be removed with a light grinding. As a result, the new eddy current system ensures the delivery of plate that is 100% tested to be free of hard spots. This technology was developed by Dillinger. It is currently being validated by major oil and gas companies and will lead to Dillinger’s approval as a supplier of this plate. Dillinger’s aim is to incorporate this technology into the standards as the definitive method. This makes Dillinger a world leader in testing technology and quality assurance for this burden on the material side.

To underscore its unique nature, a new brand was created for the introduction of the method: all Dillinger plate tested with this method is marketed under the additional “D-TECT” brand. This name stands for the initials in Dillinger - Totally Eddy Current Tested – the only offering of its kind in the world. The local team calls the system, quite fittingly, the “D-TECTor.”