iCON™ · Corrosion under insulation
Find corrosion under insulation before it becomes a failure
iCON™ Intelligent Condition Monitoring watches entire insulated pipe networks around the clock, without removing cladding or insulation. It is already deployed and field-tested in Scandinavia and Australasia.
24/7
Continuous, fully automated monitoring
One system
For a complete pipeline network
No cladding
Removed for routine monitoring
Monthly
Low-cost contract, no lengthy capex bid
The problem
Conventional CUI inspection is slow, costly and risky
Radiography, ultrasonics, eddy current, magnetic particle and penetrant testing all inspect small, local areas and need at least the outer cladding, and often the insulation, removed first.
That makes them expensive, sometimes prohibitively so: in manpower and in lost production when operations have to be shut down or limited. Dense clusters of pipework need access platforms, scaffolding and ropes, adding cost and safety risk, and bad weather can limit access and undermine the reliability of the results.
iCON™ detects both sudden, catastrophic leaks and the gradual, long-term progression of CUI across very large, distributed pipeline networks.
How it works
Laboratory-grade corrosion detection, miniaturised for the field
Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) is a well-established, proven method for detecting corrosion. Inspection Tech is the first to miniaturise it, taking it out of the laboratory and into the field as a network of distributed, in-situ sensors.
01 / NTi
Sensor nodes on existing metalwork
Each miniature EIS unit, a Nodal Transducer interface (NTi), attaches to exposed metal at junctions, valves and flanges, places normally free of insulation. Every NTi has its own address and is easy to retrofit.
02 / SCADA
One network, one control room
Local hubs and routers connect every NTi to an industry-standard SCADA system, operated from a single control centre.
03 / Watch Guard™
Analysis and alerts, 24 hours a day
Our iCON Watch Guard™ detection and complex-wave analysis software spots the smallest changes on the pipe surface and alerts operators at thresholds you set.
NTis are designed to be future-proof: add further sensors to each node, or connect existing equipment such as temperature probes, flow meters or ultrasound transducers. All telemetry is stored securely in the Microsoft Azure cloud, accessible to authorised users from anywhere.
Features and benefits
Why operators choose iCON™
Complete coverage
A single system gives continuous, real-time monitoring of a complete pipeline network.
Early warning
Identify problems before they become catastrophic, with immediate alerts for sudden leaks.
Lower inspection costs
Cut the cost of physical inspections, with no cladding removed for routine monitoring.
Familiar integration
Works with industry-standard SCADA, in new infrastructure or retrofitted to ageing assets.
Deep learning
In-depth analysis of your own data, plus a large repository of anonymised data from around the world.
More than corrosion
Telemetry for retrospective analysis, and secondary data such as temperature and flow for process control and energy efficiency.
Industries
Built for plants with miles of insulated pipe
Suitable for, but not limited to:
- Power plants
- Pulp and paper mills
- Oil and gas refineries
- Chemical plants
- Pharmaceutical producers
- Food and beverage manufacturers
Get in touch
Have an inspection challenge?
Tell us what you need to find. Our engineers will help you choose the right solution, or build a new one.