Monthly Archives: September 2017
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Casting Shrinkage

This is actually a Cold Shut. When the casting was poured, some of the molten metal splashed onto the mould wall and solidified. When the rising molten metal reached the solid metal it did bot fuse and a smooth, curving cold shut was formed.

NDT – THE CORNERSTONE OF ENGINEERING CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

07th to 08th February 2018

Saint is celebrating their 50th Anniversary and part of these celebrations is the hosting of a NDT conference.
We cordially invite all people either directly or indirectly involved in NDT to attend this conference and exhibition to come and learn about and witness the new techniques, developments and trends in NDT as found in South Africa and internationally.

For more info please visit our site: www.ndtgoldconference.co.za

JANNIE DE BEER

Jannie started his career doing night shift RT at Matimba Power Station

  • Person who has the biggest influence on your life?
    The person who has the biggest influence in my life has to be my wife. Anita and I have been married for 25 years and she has always fully supported everything that I have attempted.

  • Person who has the biggest influence on your NDT career?
    No one person comes to mind. However, through the years I have had dealings with Lecturers, Technicians and Inspectors and worked under Managers, Co-ordinators and Supervisors and for Clients, many of whom I consider to be the best in the industry. I have learned much and taken advice from these individuals and I am grateful for the opportunity to have done that. I hope that I have been able to teach and inspire others just as much in return.

  • How did you begin your career in NDT?
    Fresh out of the two-year conscription military service back in July 1989, I started working as an NDT technician, doing radiography on nightshift in Ellisras. This was during the construction of Matimba Power Station. I ended up working for the same company for nine years doing NDT examinations on most of the Eskom power stations in the Highveld.

  • What are your current qualifications?
    Currently, I hold Level II qualifications in the four conventional NDT methods- MT, PT, RT and UT. In addition to NDT qualifications, I am certified in Pressure Vessel Inspection and Aboveground Storage Tank inspection with the American Petroleum Industry and South African Qualification and Certification Committee (SAQCC) Competent Person Pressure Vessels.

  • Which Method do you enjoy most and why?
    I enjoy three of the methods most:
    Radiographic Testing – because of the radiographs that are produced at the end of the day. The challenge is to use the different set-ups to create quality radiographs of different objects. It provides me with a sense of achievement to achieve a good quality film.
    Magnetic Particle Testing – because of the different techniques that can be applied to create magnetic fields during the examination. In addition to handheld yokes, I have used fixed coils, flexible coils, head shots and threaded bars to inspect a variety of items.
    Ultrasonic Testing – to inspect for cracks and weld defects, because every object needs a different procedure to find discontinuities due to dimensions and configuration.
    Penetrant Testing – is a reliable method in its own right, but is much less of a challenge and hence the reason why it is the method that I enjoy the least.

  • What Industries or Sectors have you been involved in?
    Coal Fired Power Stations and our Nuclear Power Station – Matimba and Majuba Power Station.
    Petrochemical Refineries.
    Sugar and Paper Mills.
    Smelters (Chrome, Steel and Stainless Steel).
    Off-shore Exploration Oil Rigs.
    Off-shore Production Platforms Offshore.
    Oil and Gas industry On-Shore: Upstream Oil and Gas production plants.

  • What are your biggest challenges in NDT?
    Cleaning before NDT. There are two different grades of cleaning, the first is the welder or cleaning contractor clean, then there is the inspector clean. The surface used for testing is could never be clean enough for an inspector to test! It is a constant requirement to keep checking that the area is well prepared.

  • Most humorous NDT incident that you can remember?
    Clocking out early at a power station and driving back home one day, I got home a whole 2 hours earlier and had some valuable family time. I then realised that the dials on my wrist-watch had turned forward while using an electromagnetic yoke on site.

  • Hope for the future?
    I have been working out of the country for the last 16 years and my hope for the future is to participate in the inspection and NDT field in South Africa to serve the industries where safe operations depend upon quality inspections and examinations to ensure equipment integrity.

  • A ‘must visit’ NDT website that you recommend and why you recommend it?
    www.saint.org.za
    www.ndtcabin.com
    www.youtube.com

BEN BUYS

CEO- Non-Destructive Academy of South Africa (NASA)
“I try to learn from everyone I know: clients, students, friends and foes! Learning from my own mistakes is valuable, but it hurts less when learning from ‘operator experience’….” FIND OUT WHAT ELSE BEN HAS TO SAY..

  • Person who has the biggest influence on your life?
    This one is easy: Jesus Christ as He is my Saviour. My wife Marina and my children, Minette and Ruben.

  • Person who has the biggest influence on your NDT career?
    This one is difficult: So many ‘legends’ in NDT have impacted my career… to name a few in no particular order: Deon van Zyl, Ben Beetge, Lance Heyns, Hoosen Akram, Nishaan Kanaye, Graham Wilson, Jan Cowan, Mark Digby, Harold Jansen, Jacques Gillmer, Hannes Barnard, Keith Cain, Manfred Johannes, Simon Wilding, Hugh Neeson, Bob Cline, Niekie de Villiers, Arnold Fourie, Evan Benade, Evert Le Roux, Jurie Buys, Marius Roberts and many more…
    One of the most important lessons I have learned in life is to learn from every person I meet, every single person I know, knows more about ‘something’ than me. I try to learn from everyone I know: clients, students, friends and foes! Learning from my own mistakes is valuable, but it hurts less when learning from ‘operator experience’.

  • How did you begin your career in NDT?
    This is actually a very funny story. I enrolled on a course at Sasol, which I thought had something to do with Process Control. After a few days on the course I realised that I was busy with something completely different. I remember asking the lecturer, Pat Garland: “Excuse me Sir, but when are we going to start learning about Chemicals and Processes? What has Magnetism got to do with petrol?” He replied: “Sorry son, I am teaching you to test welds for cracks, we don’t test petrol…” This was when I found out that I was actually studying ‘NDT’. I didn’t even know what ‘NDT’ was before that day…

  • Which Method do you enjoy most and why?
    All NDT methods offer their own unique challenges, whether you perform Dye Penetrant on a machined forging or Ultrasonic Testing on a nozzle weld. I always enjoyed Ultrasonic Testing, simply because each inspection is different, and no two welds renders the same results – in the days of analogue equipment each echo required confirmation through plotting on graph paper, and one became exceptionally skilled in using a compass and pocket scientific calculator.

  • What are your current qualifications?
    MT – ASNT NDT Level III
    PT – ASNT NDT Level III
    RT – ASNT NDT Level III
    UT – ASNT NDT Level III

    MT – SAQCC NDT Level III
    PT – SAQCC NDT Level III

    MT – SAQCC NDT Level II
    PT – SAQCC NDT Level II
    RT – SAQCC NDT Level II
    UT – SAQCC NDT Level II

    MT – SNT-TC-1A Level II
    PT – SNT-TC-1A Level II
    RT – SNT-TC-1A Level II
    ET – SNT-TC-1A Level I

    RT Safety – NMMU
    RPO – DOH Radiation Control

    NDT Technologist (Practical) – SAINT Professional Body

  • Which Method do you enjoy most and why?
    I must say RT: is the only NDT Method in which you get to leave something behind. It is the closest to being an ‘artisan’ I will ever be. I believe in not only producing acceptable Radiographs, but beautiful works of art. I get to leave my initials on them, just like an artist.

  • What Industries or Sectors have you been involved in?
    Aerospace, Oil & Gas, Paper & Pulp, Pipelines, Mining, Shipping, Petrochemical, Power Generation, Nuclear, Structural and Agriculture.

  • Hope for the future?
    I do have a lot of hope for the future: growth is inevitable. I hope that the people of this beautiful country will adapt and start working together.
    By working together we will survive.

  • Most humorous NDT incident that you can remember?
    I think in 2003, I was doing MT inside a storage vessel in the Vaal Triangle. It took me about half an hour to complete the job. When I got out of the vessel, the so called ‘hole watch’ was missing-along with my permit. I gathered my equipment and started making my way through the plant back to the offices. I soon realised that there was not one person on the plant and I started panicking, I reached the office and behold there was also nobody in sight. I looked up and saw the flare burning twice as high as usual. Now I started freaking out, how could this be? This was during a massive project and there was supposed to be hundreds of people on site.
    I honestly thought that the rapture took place while I was in the vessel… I started praying out loud while running to my car, hoping that I wasn’t the only person left on earth. On my way to the gate I realised that I didn’t have a permit, so I wouldn’t be able to open the gate, so I decided, well as I was the only person left on earth I wouldn’t be in trouble if I just drove through it…
    When I reached the gate, and behold, everyone was standing outside the gate, in lines, getting counted. I learned that there was a gas leak on site and everyone had been evacuated. I didn’t hear the sirens while I was in the vessel and the ‘hole watch’ ran away leaving me inside… Needless to say, he disappeared and I never saw him again.

  • Hope for the future?
    I do have a lot of hope for the future: growth is inevitable. I hope that the people of this beautiful country will adapt and start working together.
    By working together we will survive.

  • A ‘must visit’ NDT website that you recommend and why you recommend it?
    www.ndt-ed.org
    www.wikipedia.org
    www.youtube.com

    We have the Internet on our phones, tablets and computers, these days even on our TVs. You can find almost everything you need to know about NDT on these websites… When you can’t find what you are looking for on these websites, another valuable tool could be Social Media. If we could use it to ask questions and help each other with answers, it would actually bring us together and make us stronger. Unfortunately, Social Media is mostly used to name and shame people. Using this tool incorrectly will only pull us apart and make us weaker.

SHAUN MEERHOLZ

Managing Member: Sonartech and NDT Level III

  • Position?
    Managing Member: Sonartech and NDT Level III

  • Person who has the biggest influence on your life?
    My Wife

  • Person who has the biggest influence on your NDT career?
    I was fortunate enough to have been mentored by André Fouche. He not only educated me in the NDT field but also taught me how to do NDT the correct way.

  • How did you begin your career in NDT?
    As a youngster NDT seemed like an easy job: just spray things red, you find a crack and you get paid for it! I started working for my father as an assistant and was never allowed to leave, so I decided to make a career out of it!

  • What are your current qualifications?

    • ASNT VT L2, PT L3, UT L3
    • SAQCC MT L3, UT L2, MT L2, PT L2
    • PCN PA L2
    • SNT-TC-1A RT L1 and ET L1

  • Which method do you enjoy most and why?

    Phased array ultrasonic inspection is by far the most interesting and enjoyable method for me. I relish the challenges around developing inspection techniques, especially those involving complex geometries..

  • What Industries or Sectors have you been involved in?

    • Power generation
    • Petrochemical
    • Mining
    • Fabrication

  • What are your biggest challenges in NDT?
    Making sure you keep up with all the latest equipment and software developments.

  • Most humorous NDT incident that you can remember?

    I was busy with a UT inspection on a weld at one of the power stations and a junior engineer was watching me. Eventually after standing over my shoulder for about 15 minutes he asked me if I was “x-raying” the weld! I didn’t know how to respond to such a question and wondered why he or I would be standing next to a radiation source for 15 minutes………

  • Hope for the future?

    That within the industry a better quality of technician is produced.

  • A must-visit NDT website that you recommend?

    www.ndt-ed.org, This site is a comprehensive source of information and technical education for all levels of technicians.

ISMAIL MAHOMED

Ismail is a Level III in MT, PT, UT, VT and ET with 17 years’ experience in NDT. He has worked in most sectors of industry including manufacturing, mining, oil & gas, nuclear and power generation and has significant experience with advanced NDT methods such as Automated Phased Array and CIVA.

Ismail is passionate about NDT and volunteers a lot of time as an administrator to social media pages such as the NDTSA page on Facebook.

  • What are your current qualifications?
    Currently I hold five Level III qualifications in MT, PT, UT, EC and VT, all of which were preceded by time at Level II. I also have done Phased Array, Civa and a lot of automated scanning work.

  • Company?
    ERR Engineering Services

  • How do you keep up with technology in your specialisation of NDT?
    Technology is always showing us new and exciting ways of performing NDT, so I always try to keep up with the latest trends. I find keeping in touch with my colleagues always handy in finding out about new technology. NDT conferences are equally helpful, but the internet plays a big part in learning about the latest technology.

  • In which areas do you specialise?
    Personally I feel that specialising in one particular aspect of NDT is not optimum and actually limits yourself as an NDT practitioner. NDT is a very broad game and one has to be thoroughly familiar with all aspects in order to be great at any single aspect of it. Having said that, my focus at the moment is on NDT training.

  • How were you introduced to NDT? / How did you begin your career in NDT?
    I am a second generation NDT technician and therefore I was introduced to NDT at a very early age by my father. I can recall being in Grade 1 and being shown magnetic flux lines by my dad who was doing his MT Level I at the time. I began my career in NDT helping my dad as an unpaid assistant when he would go out on jobs during the weekends. That early exposure is what peaked my curiosity and lead me into NDT.

  • Which method do you enjoy most and why?
    For me it has got to be UT. UT and all its branches, such as Phased Array is something that is very challenging but always highly rewarding. Every step of evolution in terms of technology is always exciting and if you look at the amazing ability of the latest developments such as the Total Focusing Method (TFM), you will be blown away at how far UT has come in recent years.

  • What Industries or Sectors have you been involved in?
    I have been involved in all sectors and industry from mining to nuclear. Most of my time as an NDT Technician has been spent either in manufacturing or in-service power generation.

  • What are your biggest challenges in NDT?
    The biggest challenge in NDT is the standard of the technician. Increasing the knowledge base of the technician as well as their ability to be inspectors of high integrity is what industry needs, not simply more technicians that are only focused on money. Too many veteran technicians are taking their secrets and tricks of the trade to the grave and leaving the new guys to figure it out for themselves. The challenge here is to create a culture within NDT where such knowledge is freely shared.

  • Most humorous NDT incident that you can remember?
    Anyone that worked as an NDT contractor will have many humorous incidents to recall, but those usually involve inappropriate after-hours behaviour! As for purely NDT humour, I remember once while working on a power generation steam turbine that required demagnetisation an urgent meeting was called to discuss how to proceed, as the demagnetisation unit was out of order. After much deliberation on how to proceed the supervisor (who was not an NDT technician) calmly insisted that we simply take the turbine to the de-mag machine. Turns out this de-mag machine he spoke about was actually an overhead DEMAG workshop crane…

  • Hope for the future?
    My hope for the future is that NDT in South Africa is raised to such a level that the entire world would look upon us as the best there is.

  • Person who has the biggest influence on your NDT career?
    That has got to be Hugh Neeson, a man who was not liked by many because he was always blunt and apparently tactless, yet his dedication to NDT was (and still is) absolute. Anyone that goes for a new Level III course after retirement as he did, is someone that shows you that you should always be willing to learn more and never stop trying to better yourself.

  • A must-visit NDT website that you recommend?
    There are so many out there and all equally good. However, for NDT in South Africa I always suggest to everyone that they visit “NDT South Africa” on Facebook, which is not technically a website but is highly relevant to us in SA. I have to admit though that I am a bit biased to that page as I am an Administrator for the Facebook page!

A few common issues that can arise with Non-Destructive Testing

In this article we will outline some tips and advice to help avoid/fix these common issues:

Insure that you understand the failure mode of the equipment. Take the time to complete a Failure Modes Effect Analysis (FMEA) on your critical assets.

Make sure that you use the correct technology and techniques to perform a test which best identifies the specific failure defects.

Know your capabilities, know your training, use your experience and past failures to determine your current job function.

Make sure you report correctly in the NDT report, the report is what the client/company sees; provide clear defect location identification so that they can find the defect later for repair and replacement.

Design a NDT schedule that lowers risk of failure and allows for trending of trending of the data, which will help you during a process/job.

Stainless steel offers unique challenges. If you have thin walled stainless and you are using contact ultrasound be aware that metallurgical structure changes at the site of a weld can mask defects. Also identifying pitting corrosion (the most common corrosion in stainless) by thickness test is not
recommended.

Don’t limit yourself to one technology. None of the technologies, even when applied by a well trained individual in perfect conditions are one hundred percent accurate.

By applying multiple technologies and complementary techniques you increase your accuracy. You might consider using Magnetic Particle Testing or Inspection (MPI) with contact ultrasound.

These tips and tricks and possible issues could help you with your next or current job.

YOUR PARTNER IN NDT

SAINT is the South African Institute for Non-destructive Testing formed in 1968 and made up of persons involved in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) in South Africa and neighbouring countries. It is governed by its constitution and an annually elected COUNCIL where “all member” are volunteers. SAINT is registered with SARS as a Non Profit Organisation.

SITE MAP
SAINT POPIA

CLICK HERE TO READ POLICY

CONTACT
S.A. Institute for Non-Destructive Testing (SAINT)
  • 105 First Street, Linbro Park, Johannesburg, 2001, Republic of South Africa
  • +27 (0)79 090 4045
  • saint@saint.dev.co.za
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