Ultrasonic Safety & Survey Equipments

Tuesday 31 December 2013

Find Holes and Refill Them

Leaking ships are the biggest threat to the economy as anything else. A transport ship can carry goods worth billions of dollars on a single trip. Imagine the loss that would occur if a transport ship carrying all these goods capsizes or sinks. Whatever may be the reason of the tragedy, the cause would be none other than the presence of holes in the ship’s body. Since the ship’s only medium of travel is the ocean, the highest level of humidity on the docks and when the ship is sailing can cause rusting even if a speck of its iron body is exposed.

There is no stopping to rust and holes in a ship’s body, especially a transport ship’s body. As the huge and heavy goods are loaded and unloaded in the cargo holds, the scraping and bumping causes dents and chips off the ship’s protective paint. Once the body or the paint is damaged in any way, the formation of rust becomes for sure and hence, a hole. Since there is no stopping to it, there is a way to keep a ship safe from further damage and that is filling the holes as soon as they appear. Holes can only be filled once they are found by the method of checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound.

Holes can appear in most of the unexpected places within a ship’s body. Finding them can be very difficult and it can be impossible without any helpful tools. The only tool that is truly helpful in finding the holes in the ship’s body and hatch covers is the ultrasonic device which is portable and highly accurate in its working.

The generator which creates the ultrasonic waves is kept inside the ship’s cargo holds or any other part of the body to be tested for holes and leaks. As it starts creating the pulse, the ultrasonic waves escape from the leaking areas and the holes and are caught by the receiver. Hence the location of the hole is readily found.

The only way to save the economy from being drowned in the seas and to save the maritime industry from getting a bad name is the regular hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing of every ship. As these tests are conducted on a regular basis by the ship’s staff, there is no way a leak can go undetected and cause threat to the ship’s safety as it sails out on the open seas and oceans of the world.

Thursday 26 December 2013

Run a Tightness Test on the Go

Tightness testing is becoming a huge concern for the ship owners. As deadlines are pressing and there is a huge load to make extra voyages, the ship owners often skip the tightness testing for their ships in order to make more voyages. As the old methods which usually consist of water hose and chalk testing is time taking and costly, the ship owners prefer to delay it in order to save money on the tests and also to be able to save time that would be otherwise spent in the tests and restrict from completing a voyage. But with the checking of tightness of hatch with ultrasound this painful and expensive method becomes extremely easy and affordable.

The ultrasonic method to check the tightness of the hatch covers is extremely easy and affordable. It is important to make sure that the hatch covers are completely water tight before starting a voyage. The ship can encounter a sea storm or a bad weather on the voyage. If there are holes in the hatch covers, or it is not completely water tight, the goods in the cargo hold would surely be harmed beyond repair and a huge consignment would be wasted. If such an incident happens onboard, the ship owner would not only be liable to pay for the damages to the consignment, the business person who was to receive it would also be suffering a huge business loss.

Since a huge responsibility lies on the shoulders of the ship owner who are carrying goods of many customers on their ship, it is important to ensure that the ship would be reaching its destination safe and sound. This is only possible when the ship is able to block any kind of ingress of water completely. The ultrasonic gadget runs the test through ultrasonic waves which does not harm even in the least possibility to the surroundings. It means if the ship is carrying any kind of goods, the ultrasonic waves would never harm the goods inside the cargo holds.

This provides an opportunity to even run the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing with a filled cargo hold. If there is any threat of holes in the hatch covers, or if the holes have been identified in the test, there is no need to delay the voyage but take the necessary precautions immediately. The holes can be filled temporarily to protect the cargo from any kind of water damage during the voyage. This would not only result in a happy voyage, but it will save the ship owner from handing out a lot of money in terms of claims and sues.

Friday 20 December 2013

Easy Testing For Holes

Technically speaking, a ship manages to stay afloat only until it has a lower density than the water it is sailing upon. As soon as it reaches a higher density or an equal density, the ship starts submerging rapidly until it is totally sunken to the depths of the ocean. It wouldn’t be wrong to term a ship as one of the greatest marvels of science keeping in view the gigantic sizes and the variety of their uses today. We have ships today that are bigger than a blue whale and weigh more than a dozen of them, yet they are able to stay afloat and travel through the massive oceans with ease.

Some of the biggest ships today are the transport ships which are capable to carry immense loads and sail from one country to another without a problem. But there is only one problem that keeps the ship owners on tethers and that is the holes that emerge in the wildest possible places. Emergence of holes cannot be prevented completely but they can be refilled as soon as they appear. The most prominent places of holes to appear are the ship’s deck and the ship’s cargo hatch covers.

Since the holes are so minute or are in such places where the human eye cannot see, they need to be hunted by the procedure known as checking the tightness of hatch with ultrasound. It is the most advanced and modern way to find holes in a ship’s body. By using the ultrasonic waves to escape from holes or to penetrate through the walls that have lost their thicknesses and are ready to create a hole, the maintenance staff of the shipping company can learn about the holes on a particular ship. Assessing the time of departure decided for the ship and the threat of the hole, the decision is taken and sometimes holes are repaired on emergency basis.

In the past when ship owners needed to check for holes in the ship’s body, they used to hire teams which performed the check by the water hose and chalk testing. This test although was also very much accurate, it wasted a lot of time and costed too much. The high costs kept most of the ship owners delaying the tests and their ship have got more rusted than before. But today by running the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing the process of finding holes and damages to the body has become speedy and affordable. And since the device is portable, it can be taken on a journey to keep checking the health of the ship’s body. It has made possible for the ship owners to keep their used ships as good as new and never have a ship sunken again.

Thursday 19 December 2013

Tightness Testing Of Gas Tanks

The use of gases is increasing in the factories around the world. As these gases are used for many different reasons such as nitrogen is used for cooling purposes and compressed gas is used in hydraulics known as pneumatics. Carbon dioxide is used for manufacturing fertilizers and even in soda pops. The increasing use of gases has forced the factories to even change their structures and many amendments and new installations have taken place lately to enhance safety and productivity. After some time it becomes necessary to check for tightness of the pipes and the tank by the popularly known method as hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing for the various reasons as below:
  • Smell of gas starts coming in the environment.
  • The pipe work is changed, it is either painted or new joints are included. Even when new covers are added it is equally important to check for tightness because screws and nails can create holes unexpectedly.
  • After alterations have been done to the pipes or assigning them to new routes.
  • Prior to starting the rework on the pipes or the tanks.
  • After the fitting work has been completed.
  • If the space or facility is rented, the owner would demand a yearly inspection to know that his place is safe from any future accidents or fires.
  • After refilling the gas because too much pressure can put a great load on the joints and weaken or loosen them.

Why gases are used in factories
The exact incident why gases started being used in factories is unknown. It is believed that the use of gases in factories began after it became clear that steam can be used to pushed heavy loads and the first locomotors came into existence. The use of steam made its way into the factories to be used in various ways and today also steam is being used in the fertilizers industry, textile industry, packaging industry and hundreds of other applications.

The commonest gas being used worldwide is the LPG which is used in homes and factories for combustion purposes. However, the gases need to be refilled sooner or later and the refilling process often turns the containers weak. It becomes necessary to for checking the health of the containers by the method known as checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound. Upon checking the tightness it becomes clear if there is anything demanding replacement or retightening. Loose joints can be vulnerable and can put the entire building at risk.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Keeping Away Rust

One of our biggest industries is being eaten away by rust. The sea transport industry is one of the biggest industries present on this planet and the entire global economy would collapse if this particular industry is harmed in any way. Most of the countries rely on their exports for their revenues and without the sea transport industry there would be neither export nor import. A country has limited resources which are sometimes in abundance and they are in a position to export them in exchange for cash or other items of need. For instance the Middle East is in a position to export oil and petrol while it lacks many other resources such as food which is imported from the revenues they generate from the exports.

Unfortunately a factor lies within which is putting the sea transport industry at risk which is none other than rust. As the ships body is eaten away by rust, the ship becomes vulnerable to many damages and the goods on board are more often destroyed. The hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing is one method which is used to keep this problem at bay and to keep the industry working on a routine. Since the rust appears in some of the wildest places that are normally hidden from the eye, human inspections fail to detect them and they keep on destroying the goods.

When goods are destroyed or they are harmed in any way during the voyage, the shipping company is liable to pay for the damages. Although the shipping company takes shelter by having the goods insured, but there is a limit to how much the insurance company is willing to pay. If the ship is continuously destroying goods due to leaks, the insurance company marks it and does not handle its insurance further. If a ship is marked off the list, the entire reimbursement of damages falls on the ship’s owners who will have to pay for the damages from their own pockets. The amounts given away in terms of damages are far greater than the amount that would incur on repairing the leaks and saving the ship from troubles.

The best method is checking the tightness of hatch with ultrasound which saves time and money. As it does not take much time to complete the test, it can be completed within a day and mark all the damaged areas. The ship can then be sent for repairs and after all the leaks have been refilled, the ship is safe to sail for no less than a year or more.

Monday 16 December 2013

Protecting the Catch

Whale hunting is known to be the oldest sport or trade for sailors because of the huge amount of meat they get from a single catch. Although it is now banned due to the rapidly decreasing population of the whales it is feared they would soon be extinct if it is not stopped hunting now. But catching the other kinds of fish is still on the rise because a fish caught directly from the ocean can never be matched with the fish that is bred in a fish farm. Since this fishing type involves spending a lot of time out in the ocean, it is very dangerous and has taken a huge count of precious lives.

The ships that are often out in the ocean for hunting huge shoals of fish are of a special design. They have a fairly huge compartment which can hold all the fish they catch and can make it to the shore without rotting the fish. The biggest reason a huge catch may go unprofitable is the leaks in the ship’s body. When the ocean’s water enters the holds where the catch is stored, the fish starts rotting and it can quickly build up a huge stench clearly indicates that the fish wouldn’t pt purchased by the customers and it would all be wasted.

To make sure that the hard work and risk taking isn’t wasted, the ship owners need to ensure that their ship’s hatch covers are completely leak free and air tight. It is extremely necessary to check tightness of hatch with ultrasound after arriving from a voyage. The harsh conditions that a ship faces at the hands of the cruel ocean clearly creates many gaps in the ship’s body which although cannot be analyzed by the human eye, but they are present and are enough to cause a great harm. In many cases the loose hatch covers have burst open revealing the entire hold to the lashing waves and the heavily pouring rain. This case has caused thousands of tons of fish to be wasted every year.

The hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing is not lengthy task and it can be preformed even in a hurry. But performing in a hurry wouldn’t be a good idea because there wouldn’t be time for repairs when you are already in a hurry. When the ship returns from a voyage there is time for a day or two or even more until the next voyage begins. When there is enough time available it is best to perform the test and mark all the areas that have been opened up. Have all the necessary repairs done and you’ll have a less hectic time protecting the catch.

Wednesday 11 December 2013

Oil Tankers Should Never Leak

As the world relies on petroleum products to fuel their vehicles, the increase in population has increased the demand for cars, motor bikes and public transports. This increase of demand has inadvertently increased the demand for petroleum products and there is now more need for refineries and oil digging. When the crude oil is pumped up, it is sent to the refineries where the crude oil is filtered and the components are removed and placed in their rightful storage tanks. After the oil components are completely separated and they are ready to be transported to the public, they are filled in the tankers which carry them all the way to the cities. As the refineries are situated many miles outside the cities and towns, the snail’s pace of the tankers takes many days to complete the journey.

Since we all know that petrol is very reactive to the air and it creates fumes, it starts evaporating in the form of fumes and the level can get very low. The tankers that are carrying the petrol need to be completely air tight so that the petrol would not react and not evaporate. To ensure that the tanker is always airtight, the testing process known as the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing is run in a scheduled routine to find if any leaks have emerged. Due to the testing any leak minor or major is identified quickly and the repair is applied.

The process begins when the tanker arrives from a journey and is completely empty. The ultrasonic generator is turned on and placed inside the tanker. After closing the lid of the tanker the scanner is run all over the body of the tanker. If there is a leak in any part of the body, as soon as the scanner comes over the leak the ultrasonic waves that are escaping through it are picked up. The area is marked and the person proceeds to the other areas until all the holes have been located and marked. After the markings have been applied the tanker is sent to the workshop where the holes are filled and the leaking is stopped.

Before proclaiming the tanker as leak free, the process of checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound is run inside the workshop. If there is still sound detected on the scanner the matter is investigated and the leak is removed. Only after complete satisfaction of the staff and with no leak detected on the device the tanker is sent back to make another journey. Since it is carrying inflammable material, there is no chance authorities are willing to take the risk of letting a leaking tanker cross its compound.

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Water Tight Septic Tanks A Must

As the demand for newer products rises, it creates a need for newer factories or the expansion of the already existing factories. With the expansion of factories or the installations of new factories the demand for septic tanks increases. In order to convince their customers the septic tank manufacturers are required to ensure their tanks are watertight. Currently the precast septic tanks are required for on-site water disposal or for more than 40 million homes in the United States. To make sure that the tank which is manufactured is completely watertight, the method known as the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing in the maritime industry is used.

The durability, strength, long life and the performance has made it a common choice for all the on-site installations in not only the United States but all over the world where a major building project takes place.  A pre-cast septic tank is made watertight through proper engineering and design. Since it has to hold many gallons of water; the pressure inside builds up; the high pressure can break the walls or create a leak if the manufacturing is not up to the mark. The designing process of the septic tank is not an easy task. There are many elements that can seriously harm a tank and make it useless. First of all the site where it needs to be installed is kept in mind. If the site where it will be installed is not very open, the tank would be not be designed in a wide body but it would be long and deep.

Another point that is needed to be under consideration when creating a pre-cast septic tank is the environmental conditions. If the tank is to be fitted in the winters, it needs to be able to survive cold temperatures. During the low temperatures or freezing temperatures, the tank is designed to be able to keep its insides warm. If the water inside it gets extremely to the low temperature, it can freeze and become a huge block of ice. This would damage the tank and possibly create a leak. In case there is a chance that the tank has developed a leak, it becomes necessary to check the leakage through the method commonly known as testing tightness of hatch with ultrasound. through this test the leak can be confirmed and the tank would either be replaced or repaired as per its condition.

Monday 9 December 2013

No Leak Equals Huge Profits

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the entire business structure on this planet relies on the transport industry. Since the business trends of today are mostly following a simple rule: build and export, it has raised the demand of the transport industry to the height that it reached never before. Today the entire business frame depends upon the transport industry which has opened to door for bigger fortunes for the manufacturers. Now not only the manufacturers are dependent on the transport industry especially the sea transport industry, even the farmers are relying on it to export their produce to the hungry world outside and get rewarded in a bigger and better way.

But all of this can be wasted by a small leak in the transport ship. Since the huge freight carrying ships have to move on water to complete the voyage and deliver the goods to its destination, it can all be wasted if water enters the cargo holds and destroys the goods that are being carried. The only way to stop the goods from being damaged is by checking the tightness of hatch with ultrasound before commencing the voyage. Running the test before the voyage helps in finding out the lurking holes that can harm the goods during the tour.

During the loading and unloading process the goods and the chains holding them often bump against the walls of the hatch covers and the floor of the deck. This creates holes, dents and even gashes if the bump was severe. As soon as a dent or something of the type appears on it, the humid air starts reacting with the newly exposed steel. It starts catching rust which eventually spreads out to the other parts of the ship and soon the rust eats away the steel which creates a big hole. Although the big hole is minor for the human eye; but, it is big enough to let a large amount of water to get inside.

As soon as the large amount of water gets inside the cargo hold, it starts damaging the goods which are wasted. These wasted goods are of no use to the customer and as a result the entire amount falls on the ship owners. They have to pay the price of the damaged goods and unfortunately a healthy amount of profit gets eaten away by the damages that are to be paid. It is necessary for the ship owners to ensure timely hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing for a safe and profitable journey.

Friday 6 December 2013

Leak Free Ship for Profits

Transportation is a serious business and possibly the only one keeping all other businesses alive. Since the very beginning of time man has found huge profits by exporting the goods from one country to another. Today also the business world survives due to the option to import and export the goods. The import and export of goods has been made possible only by the huge transport ships that are operating today and roam all the seas and oceans of this world.

The only thing that is becoming a hurdle in this business is the rust that eats away the ships and creates holes in the body and the hatch covers. These holes create an opening for water to enter the cargo holds and damage the goods inside. Once the goods are destroyed, the shipping company has to pay the customers for the damages that have taken place during the voyage. These holes need to be repaired and unless the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing has been conducted the holes cannot be found.

Holes can occur in the most unexpected places and the human eye cannot see these holes present in the ship’s hatch covers and the body. Another factor that creates holes in the hatch covers and the ship’s body is the bumping and scraping of the heavy and bulky goods during loading and unloading. When these goods collide with the ship’s body and the hatch covers they tear off the paint which acts as the protection against the humid air and water. Once the steel and iron body is exposed to the humid air and water, rust starts eating away the steel body.

This problem is not new, since the first ship started sailing for the purpose to transport goods, the problem of rust and chipped body has started. This has caused the goods to get wet during the transport and caused the ship owner to suffer losses. Today with the help of checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound it has become possible to reduce the chances of loss by reducing the risk of holes being present in the ship’s body. When the holes have been found they are easy to be repaired. The repair works can take a lot of time or none, it depends upon the location of the holes and if they are on the underside, it can require some dismantling and this process would take time.

Thursday 5 December 2013

Remove All Leaks One By One

The biggest industry today can be termed as the transport industry because it is one industry that exists in every country and every part of the world. The sea transport industry is one of the most wanted industries due to its lower rates and the capacity to carry tons of weight as compared to the air transport. Due to the huge demand the transport ships are seldom seen idle on the ports and they have to make a lot of shipment throughout the year. This leaves them little or no time to apply the repairs and this is the reason most of the ships are in a terrible state with rust visible on almost every part of it.

Rust is the biggest cause of creating leaks and they can occur in the wildest places. Without knowing where the leaks are, the repair work cannot begin. One of the oldest methods to find leaks is by dousing the entire ship with water and seeing the way water goes inside. This is a painful task because it takes a lot of time and cost too. To escape from this painful task, the ship owners prefer to take the risk and sail with leaking ships. To replace this painful task the method known as the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing is introduced. It wouldn’t be fair to say introduced because it has already been introduced decades ago, but a majority of ship owners are still unaware of this method.

Finding the leaking spots with the ultrasonic device is a matter of some hours. It also doesn’t require the ship to be emptied completely because the ultrasonic waves can be caught by the device even when the ship is completely loaded. But it is still better to run the test when the goods have been unloaded so that the person running the test would be able to inspect more closely at the spots the device indicates the leaks. As soon as a leaking spot is identified, the area should be marked and then the person can proceed to the other parts.

Marking the areas so the person goes gives the benefit of not running the test of checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound again. Once the leaks are in view, the repair work can be planned accordingly. If the ship is ready to sail within a day or two, the major leaks that do not require a lot of dismantling can be repaired. One after another, all the leaks can be repaired and the ship would soon be as good as new. After the ship is free from all leaks, the ship owners would never have to pay for the damages and they will have no more claims of goods being damaged from water. Manhandling the goods is another thing and the ship owner would have to pay the price of having an irresponsible staff.

Wednesday 4 December 2013

Ultrasonic Tests While Building Ships

With the usage of technology at its extreme in every walk of life has changed our lifestyles completely. The way we work and the time spent at our homes are all dedicated to the different devices we use. Without electronic gadgets our life is incomplete and we need them now not only at homes, but they are needed in our offices, factories and everywhere. These gadgets are not used because they are appealing and fun to use, but they are handy and save us a lot of time and efforts. Machines and gadgets can do the work of a hundred men within no time and with the least effort.

Factories of today are busy in mass productions. A factory of today is capable of producing equal to a dozen factories of just some three decades ago. The factories of today are bigger, better and faster than ever before. One of the biggest factories present today is the factory where shipping ships are built. These factories not only span over hundreds of acres of land, but they are required to be always present near the ocean. Due to the presence at the edge of water the factory and the ships it produces get rusted quickly. They have to fight off rust in many different ways and once a ship is complete, running a test of tightness of hatch with ultrasound is essential.

Due to the presence of highest levels of humidity possible, the ships get rusty even before they are fully completed. As ships are needed to be completely sealed inch to inch, they have to complete it fast. Gathering up speed can create problems and creates chances for human error. But with the help of this ultrasonic device the human errors can be diagnosed and repaired within time. The device can pick about any kind of leak and gaps that are present in the ship’s body due to human error or due to the rust. The hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing has become a necessity in the ship manufacturing industry and the maritime industry too. The holes in a ship can result in a ship to be sunk without any warning and it would not only result in the loss of a ship and the goods it carries, not to mention the humans that are risked while onboard a ship that is doomed and would be sinking soon. The use of gadgets has minimized the risks and the manufacturing defects can be rectified before delivery.

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Aircrafts Sealing Process

When the Wright brothers created the first flying machine it was termed as the biggest breakthrough in science. The flying machine was only able to carry a single person but with the development of its designs and structure, we now have airplanes of many sizes and capacity. We have jets that are able to break the sound barrier and we have jets powerful enough to carry tons of weight at great speed. But all of this has been made possible with neck breaking and brains racking engineering and art. The shape has been modified and the jets of today are super in speed and performance.

An airplane flying in the air is vulnerable to the slightest disturbance and it can be easily blown to pieces by even the smallest air pressure disturbance inside. Some incidents of the past have revealed that an air plane no matter how tough it looks on the ground can be volatile in the air. That is why the need to create the most tightly packed and sealed aircraft is essential. When a new design is created, its miniature models are tested for air friction in the lab. But a real life sized air craft can only be tested in reality and not in labs. The only way to check its tightness is by the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing.

Due to the giant size of the aircraft it is impossible to check it by any other means. In the past the tightness checking was done by dousing the entire body with water. This process not only took many days to complete but also took many hours on a single area if any kind of suspicion was raised. The cost to carry out the test was not only expensive but it also caused the price of the aircraft to soar to such heights even the best airlines were not able to make the purchases in bulk.

Today with the method of checking tightness of hatch with ultrasound, quality testing is done only in a matter of hours and the price for these tests has come crashing down to only some mere dollars per aircraft. This process has not only made the prices of aircrafts come down but it has also made it possible to manufacture speedily. This process is not only known to be the longest lasting process, but it is also the cheapest.

Monday 2 December 2013

Creating a Super Car with Ultrasonic Test

Automobiles today are not just mere transport mediums; they are super fast, super comfortable and super attractive. There are cars expensive enough to drain out your entire life savings and there are cars that will make you scream with ecstasy when you pump the accelerator and feel the smooth and powerful engine under you command. Not to forget, the luxuries these cars bring seem to be a lot better than even the most expensive 5 star suite sofa.

Manufacturing these marvels is a marvelous combination of highly skilled engineering and art. The streamlined body of the automobile jam packed with technology, comfort and safety is something to be proud of being alive in this century. But have you ever wondered about the tough and tiring process manufacturers and their staff has to undergo while building a dream machine? Covering the entire topic would take enormous research and writing but we’ll just discuss the one point of safety here, making the car completely air proof and friction free.

The process begins by adoption of the method of checking air leaks from the maritime industry. The process is widely known as checking the tightness of hatch with ultrasound. Ensuring that the automobile is completely sealed and free from any kind of air leakage is the top most safety issue. Unless the automobile has no opening to let even a molecule of air to get inside unwontedly, the automobile would never be able to maintain control at top speeds. The air getting inside from any corner would be pushing the automobile to the opposite side and the driver would have to fight an external force which is unseen but felt harshly.

Braking at top speed requires the car to be in a direction that does not cause it to skid or spin involuntarily. Skidding and spinning can cause it to crash horribly causing damages to even death of the people inside. This is the reason why it has become extremely necessary to maintain total vacuum between the inside and outside of the car. When the automobile is completed and all the fittings have been installed, the car is sent finally to be tested for the hatch cover ultrasonic tightness testing. This test proves that the car is free from any kind of leaks and that it complies with all the safety standards. After the approval from testing the car is sent to its owner who can enjoy rides at the speed of his choice.