Operating Manual

18th World Conference on Nondestructive Testing, 16-20 April 2012, Durban, South Africa
Field Radiography with Advanced Digital Detector Arrays
(DDAs): Improving Safety & Speed
Shana M. TELESZ
1
, Juan Mario GOMEZ
1
1
GE Inspection Technologies; 50 Industrial Park Rd, Lewistown, PA 17044-9312 US; Phone: [phone]
1559; [e-mail]; [e-mail]
Abstract
Over recent months, large strides have been made in application development and utilization of Digital
Detector Arrays (DDAs) in field radiography environments. The use of DDAs in aerospace aircraft assembly
and many oil and gas applications from upstream insulated pipes to midstream flow lines and downstream
valves inspection have proven to significantly reduce exposure times versus film and computed radiography
techniques. This substantial reduction in exposure time not only increases productivity, but also improves
safety by decreasing the time the radiation source has to be exposed as well as in some cases allows for a
decrease in source strength.
The astonishing reductions in exposure times are enabled by the core design concepts of DDA technology,
original developed for medical applications. Many of the same design principals to protect doctors and patients
from radiation exposure by optimizing not only image quality but ensuring the all x-rays are captured and
utilized efficiently to create the image. By leveraging the core technology from the medical industry with some
industrial specific modifications, the DDA has proven to be a viable and advantageous inspection tool for field
applications.
Keywords: Digital Detector Array (DDA), oil and gas, aerospace.
1. Introduction
Over recent months large strides have been made in application development and utilization of
Digital Detector Arrays (DDAs) in field radiography environments. The use of DDAs for this
applications show benefits of significantly reduced exposure times versus traditional film and
computed radiography techniques. These results are enabled by the technology investment and
focus of the medical image quality to achieve image quality, but with respect to dose. Unlike
cabinet based radiography, where dose is less important as humans are shielded from the x-ray
exposure; field and medical applications must take this into greater consideration. This was a
major factor in DDA design and choices for photodiodes, scintillator and display electronics.
2. Applications and Enabling Technology
2.1 Application Development and Utilization
Applications development efforts over recent months have led to the wide acceptance and use of
DDAs for field inspection, an application previously limited to film and computed radiography
techniques. These application development efforts have included and proven successful
implementation in a wide range of field applications from both the oil and gas and aerospace
industries. In both industries, significant reductions in exposure times have been realized by