Innova Inspection Services

International trade has become increasingly more demanding and involving higher risk than ever before.  

Letters of Credit, also known as L/Cs, are a form of "documentary credit" that will only review documents and will execute payment if such documents appear to be in order.

However, L/Cs will not ensure at any point that the goods to be traded will be the ones shipped out, or if they will be in compliance with your order.

NDT methods and techniques consist in locating and evaluating imperfections to determine if they are considered flaws according to different codes, standards, and customer requirements to which the tests are performed.

Innova offer the following NDT services:

• Visual Testing (VT): Used extensively to evaluate the condition or quality of the test objects being examined. Visual inspection can be enhanced by various methods ranging from low power magnifying glasses to the use of borescopes. 

• Ultrasonic Testing (UT): Ultrasonic testing uses high frequency, highly directional sound waves to measure material thickness, find hidden internal flaws, or analyze material properties in metals, plastics, composites, ceramics, rubber, and glass. Using frequencies beyond the limit of human hearing, ultrasonic instruments generate shorts bursts of sound energy that are coupled into the test piece, and the instrument monitors and analyzes reflected or transmitted wave patterns to generate test results.

• Magnetic Particle (PT):  Used for the detection of surface and near-surface flaws in ferromagnetic materials. A magnetic field is applied to the specimen, either locally or overall, using a permanent magnet, electromagnet, flexible cables or hand-held probes. If the material is sound, most of the magnetic flux is concentrated below the material's surface. However, if a flaw is present, the flux is distorted locally and 'leaks' from the surface of the specimen in the region of the flaw. Fine magnetic particles, applied to the surface of the specimen, are attracted to the area of flux leakage, creating a visible indication of the flaw.

• Dye Penetrant (PT): Apart from visual inspection this is probably the oldest and most widely used of all the NDT methods. It can be used on any non-porous material. It is used to reveal surface breaking flaws by bleed-out of a colored or fluorescent dye from the flaw. Test objects are coated with visible or fluorescent dye solution. Excess dye is then removed from the surface, and a developer is applied. The developer acts as blotter, drawing trapped penetrant out of imperfections open to the surface. With visible dyes, vivid color contrasts between the penetrant and developer make "bleed-out" easy to detect.

Innova has developed integral quality control and quality assurance inspection plans that will determine the suitability of the materials being inspected depending on its manufacturing specifications, such as ASTM, API, ASME, ANSI, NACE, SSPC, and others.

Line Pipe

• Visual and dimensional inspection including diameter measurement and out-of-roundness verification
• Wall thickness determination using ultrasonic thickness gages and mechanical calipers
• Detection of cracks, laminations and Inclusions using ultrasonic flaw detectors and other NDT methods and techniques  
• Detecting and evaluating manufacturing defects and poor workmanship
• Coating thickness measurement
• Determination of soluble salt contamination using field and laboratory testing
• Assessment of transit damages
• Handling claims
• Residual magnetism inspection by Hall effect Gauss meter 

Oil Country Tubular Goods

• Visual and dimensional inspection including diameter measurement and out-of-roundness verification
• Wall thickness determination using ultrasonic thickness gages and mechanical calipers
• Detection of cracks, laminations and Inclusions using ultrasonic flaw detectors and other NDT techniques
• Hooked ends Inspection
• Drift testing
• Thread inspection

Innova is affiliated with testing facilities that are ISO 9001:2000 certified, A2LA, and ISO 9003 accredited.

Our capabilities are:

• Chemical analysis
• Tensile testing
• Charpy testing
• Hardness testing (Rockwell and Brinell)
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) / Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)
• Wear testing
• Metallography
• Heat treatment - Material qualification
• Weld sample testing
• Corrosion testing
• Grain size determination
• Coating thickness measurement
• Ion chromatography
• Inductively coupled plasma (ICP)
• Moisture testing and others

Turn around for routine testing is typically within 48 hours of receipt of the sample. We can also provide 24-hour and weekend service for time-critical needs