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DEVELOPMENT OF LOW-POWER EMAT INSTRUMENTATION FOR IN-SERVICE CORROSION INSPECTION AND MONITORING IN HIGH TEMPERATURE ASSETS

Project description

Low-power, portable ultrasonic technology

The electro-magnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) is an ultrasonic testing technique that overcomes the Achilles heel of conventional related techniques by eliminating the need for couplants and direct contact with the target surface. Despite its potential for use in automation, the technology is limited by high power consumption that in turn leads to bulky instrumentation and higher costs compared with conventional ultrasonic devices. The EU-funded LOPEMAT project plans to develop a working prototype of a low-power EMAT for normal beam and guided wave generation. Drastic power consumption reductions could enable cheaper and lighter EMAT instruments, no bigger than a smartphone, that could be powered by a power bank or a USB port.

Objective

EMAT is an advanced couplant-free ultrasonic technology that overcomes the Achilles heel of conventional ultrasonic testing (UT), transferring energy from the probe into the material inspected. Unlike UT, EMAT does not require couplant nor direct contact with the target surface, making the technology ideal for field-use and automation.
The biggest drawback of this technology is its high-power consumption, which in turn leads to bulky instrumentation and higher pricing when compared to conventional ultrasonic devices. LOPEMAT project will tackle this challenge, paving the way to a new paradigm of ultrasonic inspection trough the development of the first line of Low-Power EMAT systems.
In line with the trend to make technology cheaper, lighter and more efficient, recent publications have shown it feasible to generate EMAT bursts with an excitation of 0.5 W and 4.5 Vpp, using a combination of advanced signal processing techniques such as binary quantization and coded excitation, whilst a typical high-power EMAT instrument such as Innerspec’s PowerBox H, works with 8000 W and 1200 Vpp, limiting its size, price range and portability.
A change so vast in power consumption would constitute a total gamechanger in the field, allowing for cheaper and lighter EMAT instruments, no bigger than a smartphone, that could be powered trough a power-bank or USB port, and could compete with conventional ultrasonic devices across the whole range of NDT applications.
Thus, the main goal of the LOPEMAT project is to develop and validate a first working prototype of low-power EMAT system for normal beam and guided wave generation.

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CSA - Coordination and support action

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(opens in new window) H2020-INNOSUP-2018-2020

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Coordinator

INNERSPEC TECHNOLOGIES EUROPE SL
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 80 475,00
Address
CALLE SANGLAS, 13
28890 LOECHES MADRID
Spain

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Comunidad de Madrid Comunidad de Madrid Madrid
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
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Total cost

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