METHOD · 01
Airborne
ultrasound
Non-contact probe captures airborne emissions — pneumatic and steam leaks, corona discharge, valve passing — at distances suited to safe stand-off from energized equipment.
Acoustic detection of early-stage faults. Lubrication regime, leak detection, electrical partial discharge, and bearing pre-failure regimes — captured before vibration onset and before the spectrum has the signature.
Non-contact probe captures airborne emissions — pneumatic and steam leaks, corona discharge, valve passing — at distances suited to safe stand-off from energized equipment.
Contact probe on bearing housings and gearbox cases captures structure-borne high-frequency emissions — the earliest bearing-fault signal, well ahead of vibration onset.
Combined ultrasonic-listening and grease-replenishment route — operators hear the bearing accept the right quantity of grease, eliminating over- and under-lubrication.
Methodology runs under the broader Predictive Maintenance engagement →
Field engineers certified to ASNT Recommended Practice SNT-TC-1A Levels I–II for ultrasonic testing methodology where the program touches NDT-adjacent surfaces.
Programs follow ISO 18436-8 categories for personnel qualification and assessment in airborne ultrasound condition monitoring.
Delivered under the firm's ISO 9001-aligned QMS — routes, reports, and recommendations under change control.
Focus — lubrication, early bearing detection.
Focus — partial discharge detection.
Plant utilities and process piping — compressed-air systems, steam traps, gas distribution headers, and process-piping joints — surveyed for leakage under operating pressure.
Refineries · Oil & Gas → Petrochemicals → Power Generation → Pulp & Paper →
Ultrasound routes typically piggyback the vibration route on rotating equipment — same cadence, same engineer, complementary signal. Lubrication-listening surveys run on a calibrated cadence per asset population (often monthly for production-critical assets). Compressed-air and steam-leak surveys run annually for utility cost recovery; partial-discharge surveys on MV/HV switchgear align with the thermography cadence.
Panametrics (formerly GE Inspection) ultrasonic instruments for industrial inspection — thickness gauging, flaw detection, and condition-monitoring probes.
Krautkramer ultrasonic equipment for NDT-adjacent surfaces of the discipline — wall-loss measurement on critical pressure piping and reactor components.
Airborne / structure-borne probes (SDT, UE Systems, CTRL Systems class instruments) for compressed-air leak surveys, partial-discharge listening, and lubrication routing.