Saturday, June 24, 2017

Some Fascinating Facts About NDT Dielectric Testing

By Sandra Parker


Dielectric materials are called as such because they are a type of electrical insulator which has the ability to vibrate in a definite pattern, through an applied electric field. The polarization of it however, relates to the behavior of a material when external electric fields are applied. Through this process, the field is displaced with all the positive charges and the negative ones shift to an opposite direction.

The study of these attributes relies heavily on the depletion of energy in all kinds of materials and their storage. A type of technique that requires a variety of safe and noninvasive inspection procedures is NDT dielectric testing. This is usually implemented when assessing material properties, specific components, and whole process units. NDT is short for nondestructive testing and is composed of two categories which are conventional and advanced.

Other terminologies include NDE and NDI. NDI means nondestructive inspections, whereas NDE can either mean nondestructive examination, or evaluation. Whenever this study is applicable in a given situation, there are three major categories of a damaged material that has varying effects and these are the size, orientation, and shape. These three categories help make the process of assessing the damages and features of materials easier and quicker.

The major purpose in conducting these tests is to investigate a specific element from a whole in a secure, reliable, and economical manner. By economical, this means an entire plant would not need to shut down operations to have this process done. It is also considered to be much more cost effective since the entire procedure ensures that the equipment will not receive any type of damage.

Depending on the circumstance, testing can take place before, during, and after usage. The main goal here is to be able to investigate the parts thoroughly, to formulate an estimated amount of time on how much longer it can last before it breaks down and would need to be repaired or replaced. However, when they are done during operation, the goal is then to study the current state and any damaged mechanisms of the equipment. By doing these, technicians are then able to make informed and efficient decisions.

Dielectric examinations is not the only category to benefit from NDE though. There are many who other techniques that apply this practice in their field such as liquid penetrant, electromagnetic, radio graphic, ultrasonic, acoustic emission, and magnetic particle inspection. These are under the conventional category of NDE since these have been around for a long time already and are tried and tested routines. Since they have been around long enough, they have since evolved and can be backed up with codes, standards, and best practices.

There are more advanced ways too, but these tend to be misunderstood by most since they are complicated. A factor attributing to this fact is that they are customarily considered as emerging technologies, which means that professionals are unsure or still determining what the advantages or limitations are and the criteria for a qualified technician to be assigned. Since this requires a more specialized grasp and some experience from a properly trained technician.

NDT is customarily established using a set of standards and codes. These standards are useful because they are the foundation for creating components, safety critical parts, and all kinds of service equipment. These codes are not only applicable in the electrical industry, but also with regard to pipeline owners, refineries, and gas and chemical plantations. Depending on the location, the codes, regulations, standards, and practices may vary.

An interesting fact in this work is its constant change and improvements. Even though the techniques under the advanced category go on to become more mature and reliable, the ones under the conventional category continue to come into existence. This makes for an endless cycle of adaption, and technical understanding. To conclude, NDE can provide a number of benefits compared to destructive methods, which is why they should be implemented more.




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