Inspection Setup and Calibration

Improving Inspection Through Technology

 Inspection Setup and Calibration
 Aim
 To ensure the system is correctly setup for an inspection. To
identify the requirements and demonstrate how to conduct a
calibration with the scanner.
 Learning Outcomes
 Demonstrate how to setup the scanner for an inspection.
 Demonstrate how to create a new inspection.
 Describe the purpose of the scan overlap function.
 Establish what information is required for scanner calibration.
 Performing a calibration and evaluating the calibration trace.
 Conducting a verification scan and establishing if the calibration
is acceptable.

2
 Scanner Setup
 The scanner must be setup correctly before use and
involves:
1. Battery fitment.
2. Attaching the Sitemaster.
3. MFL Sensor head height setup.
4. STARS Sensor head height setup.
5. Powering ON the system.

3
 Scanner Setup
1. Battery fitment.
 The battery must be positioned in the scanner so that it is lying
on its back with the terminals to the front, and to the top.
 Incorrect battery position could cause the terminals to short
against the chassis.
 Secure using the battery strap.
 Always fit the battery and motor
cover during inspection to cover
the battery terminals.
 Check hot work permits for
battery changing.

4
 Scanner Setup
2. Attaching the Sitemaster
 Brackets are used to secure the Sitemaster to the scanner.
 Connect Sitemaster cabling to the scanner.

USB connector
on scanner

Sitemaster2
Power connector

Thumbscrews

5
 Scanner Setup Scanner Setup
3. Fixed height MFL sensor head setup
 Bushes are colour coded as they might be different thicknesses.
Red is Left hand side Silver is Right hand side
 Ensure the correct thickness bushes are used since they are
scanner specific and that the bush surface is clean.
 To set the height of the sensor head turn both thumb nuts fully
clockwise onto the flat washer located on top of the bush.
Thumb nut Thumb nut
Flat washer Flat washer
Red bush Silver bush
Marking on
bridge to
identify
location of
red bush
6
Scanner Setup Scanner Setup
3. Adjustable height MFL sensor head setup – old method
 Scanner must be placed on a ferrous plate e.g. reference plate
 Sensor height is determined between the bottom of MFL
sensor head and top surface of the ferrous plate.
 The MFL sensor head height must always be set at 2mm.
 Ensure the MFL sensor head is set so that is it level.
IMPORTANT!
It is recommended that the sensor head height is regularly checked throughout an
inspection. If at any point the MFL sensor head permanently moves, then the sensor head
should be reset and a recalibration is required. After the sensor head height has been set ensure
that the height has not altered after locking. Also check that the sensor can move freely if it were
to be impacted. i.e. check that the springs are as expected.

7
Scanner Setup Scanner Setup
3. Adjustable height MFL sensor head setup – old method
 MFL sensor head height is adjusted using the brass thumbnuts
located on the top of the magnetic bridge.
 Upper is the Locking thumb nut.
 Lower is the MFL sensor Height adjusting thumb nut.
 Clockwise: Raises the MFL sensor head.
 Counter-Clockwise: Lowers the MFL sensor head.
Upper locking thumb nut

Lower Height adjusting thumb nut

8
 Scanner Setup
4. Setup of STARS sensor head height
 The height is determined by the position of the retaining bolts
in the slots of the side plates.
 Upper position is the recommended location.
 A 4mm Allen key is required to alter the STARS sensor height.
 Ensure the STARS sensor head is set so that is it level.

Lower position at the bottom of the slot Upper position at the middle of the slot

9
 Scanner Setup
5. Powering ON the system
 Check all cables are connected and secure before powering on.
 Once powered check the battery voltage displayed on the
scanner is above 11.5v.
 Sitemaster power button is located on the right hand side.
 Increase the screen brightness control if the screen stays black.

Sitemaster2 Screen brightness

Power button control (+/-)

10
 New Inspection Setup
 Load the Floormap3Di software using the
desktop icon.
 A new inspection must be created in order to perform a
tank inspection.
 Enter the detail relating to the inspection.
 !indicates Mandatory Fields, so these must be entered.
 Set required scan overlap for the inspection

Note: If the tank name has the letter A followed by a number, add
a dash between them i.e. BA12 becomes BA-12.
 If an existing inspection is loaded it must be finished
before a new inspection can be created.
 Any finished inspection can be loaded.
11
 Scan overlap during inspection
 Scan Width of each track is 300mm [12inch].
 Overlapping of scanned tracks allows no areas to be
missed.
 Default overlap value is 50mm [1.97inch].
 Set between 0mm and 250mm [9.84inch].
 Identical overlap used for every track.

250mm
Track
Track
Track11
[9.84inch]
50mm
0mm
Overlap
[1.97inch]
Track
Track22
300mm
300mm[12inch]
[12inch]

12
 Pre-calibration requirements
 Questions to ask before the tank floor inspection:
 What is the thickness of the tank floor?
 Is there a coating on the tank floor?
 What thickness is the coating?
 Determine the nominal thickness for each floor plate.
 Check and record a minimum of 3 Ultrasonic thickness reading
per plate.
 Ideally 5 Ultrasonic readings per plate.

13
 Pre-calibration requirements
 MFL reference plate thickness must match the tank floor
plate thickness.
 Available reference plate thicknesses are:
 6mm – CP30 [1/4inch – CP72]
 8mm – CP28 [5/16inch – CP74]
 10mm – CP29 [3/8inch – CP75]

 12mm – CP31 [1/2inch – CP76]

 Acceptable to use a MFL reference plate within 1mm

[0.04inch] of the tank floor and preferably thicker than
the tank floor.
 The reference plate must be clean of any debris.

14
 Pre-calibration requirements
 Tank Floor Coating thickness must be simulated using the
correct thickness coating simulation sheets.
 Coating simulation sheet pack contains thicknesses of:
 0.5mm [0.02inch]

 1mm [0.04inch]

 2mm [0.08inch]

 3mm [0.12inch]

 Coatings above 0.5mm [0.02inch] must be simulated.

 Ensure a fully charged battery is fitted to the scanner.
 The MFL and STARS sensor heights are correctly set.

15
 Performing a Calibration
 Ensure the calibration is conducted in a similar
temperature range or climatic condition as the inspection.
 The reference plate must not come into contact with any
other ferrous plates such as the tank floor plates.
 Perform the calibration outside of the tank.
 If calibrating inside tank raise the reference plate up above tank
floor by a minimum distance of 150mm [6inch].
 Never pull the scanner back across the reference plate.
 To calibrate select the correct plate and coating thickness
options then follow the onscreen instructions.
 Save the calibration with a unique name.
 Plate / Coating thickness, date, etc.
16
 Viewing the calibration trace
MFL Calibration trace
 Green is the MFL bottom signal, Red is the MFL top signal.
 Four distinct peaks increasing in amplitude over the X-Axis.
 Ample height between each peak.
 Y-axis is a unit ‘u’ value associated to the amount of leaking
magnetic field.
 X-axis is distance.
80% MFL PEAK
 Heights of the peaks will
60% MFL PEAK
vary depending upon
40% MFL PEAK
plate / coating thickness
20% MFL PEAK
and MFL sensor height.

17
 Viewing the calibration trace
STARS Calibration trace
 Four distinct peaks increasing in amplitude over the X-Axis.
 Ample height between each peak.
 Y-axis is a unit ‘u’ value
associated to the
amount of change in
magnetic field.
80% STARS PEAK
 X-axis is distance.
60% STARS PEAK
 Height of peaks will vary depending upon
40% STARS PEAK
plate / coating thickness and
20%
STARS sensor STARS PEAK
height.

18
 Viewing the calibration trace
 Section 5 booklet shows example calibration traces.
 Do not compare calibration traces in too much detail as
there are differences in machine tolerances.
 Use as reference / guidance only.
 Valid calibration trace should be similar.
 If calibration trace are different ensure
correct procedure was followed.
 Common oversights include:
 Selection incorrect plate /coating thickness.
 Not turning reference plate over.
 Calibrating with reference plate on tank floor.

19
 Exporting calibration images
 Once the calibration is complete click Export to save an
image for both the MFL and STARS calibration trace.
 These can be included into the tank report and area also
helpful when analysing the inspection data.

20
 Calibration Verification Scans
 Verification scans performed on the reference plate are
required to check the validity of the calibration.
 Create a plate with a row / plate number that exists
outside of the tank floor.
 Perform four scans all in the 20% to 80% direction.
 Checks are performed to ensure the correct EPL value
and surface origin for the scans on the reference plates.
 The EPL tolerance should lie within +/- 4% to 5%.
 i.e 80% lie between 75% to 85%.

21
 Loading a calibration
 Only load calibrations that are still valid for the current
sensor height position and performed for the current
inspection.
 If the sensor height position has moved then perform an
new calibration.
 A greyed out Calibrate button indicated the current
calibration is associated with the current scanned plate.
To access the calibration window, click Scan and create a
new plate then close before performing a scan.
IMPORTANT!
It is never recommended to load an existing calibration. If a different
calibration is required, it is always advised to perform a new calibration to
ensure the calibration being used is accurate and applicable.

22
 Why calibrate in one direction only?
 Full magnetic saturation is not achieved for all reference
plate and coating thickness combination.
 Saturation is not achieved in reference plates typically
greater than 10mm [3/8inch] with no coating.
 The thicker the coating becomes the less likely full plate
saturation can occur in thinner reference plates.
 When saturation is not achieved we must reach a
maximum fixed level of magnetism in the reference plate
to allow repeatable results.
 This is only applicable for reference plate. A tank floor
can be considered as an un-scanned ‘virgin’ plate
containing no magnetism.
23
 Practical Session
 Practical Exercises
 Battery fitment and removal.
 Attaching the Sitemaster to
the scanner.
 Setup of the MFL sensor
head.
 Setup of the STARS sensor
head.
 Powering the system ON and
OFF.
 Creating a New Inspection.
 Finishing an Inspection.
 Loading an Inspection.
 Performing a calibration and
viewing the trace
 Accessing calibration when
button is greyed out
 Loading an existing calibration
 Performing a Verification scan.
 Calibration Exercise.
 Effect of a Plate thickness
change.
 Effect of a Coating thickness
change.
 Effect of an MFL sensor lift off.
24
 Practical Session
 Review of Learning Outcomes
 Demonstrate how to setup the scanner for an inspection.
 Demonstrate how to create a new inspection.
 Describe the purpose of the scan overlap function.
 Establish what information is required for scanner calibration.
 Performing a calibration and evaluating the calibration trace.
 Conducting a verification scan and establishing if the calibration
is acceptable.

25