In the latest episode of Chat NDT with ASNT, host Debbie Segor speaks with Lloyd Graham from Eddyfi Technologies about how magnetic flux leakage testing (MFL) scanners are used to inspect storage tanks. This episode is sponsored by Eddyfi Technologies.
Lloyd’s experience in NDT spans over 15 years and several different roles, which have helped him gain a uniquely holistic view of the industry. For the last four years, he has served customers all over the globe with Eddyfi Technologies as a technical sales specialist focusing on magnetic flux leakage, pulsed eddy current, surface eddy current, and advanced ultrasonic technologies. Lloyd is currently a sales manager for Eddyfi’s robotic solutions. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force, where he served as an F-16 Avionics Technician and holds an Associates of Science degree from Lone Star College in Houston, Texas.
In their conversation, Debbie and Lloyd discuss how he first got into NDT and the career trajectory that led him to his unique role at Eddyfi, where he travels the globe demonstrating Eddyfi equipment in action, trains customers on how to use the equipment, and handles any issues the customers may have. They also discuss principles of MFL and its use in tank floor scanning, as well as innovations made by Eddyfi. Some of the topics touched on include:
- Eddyfi’s SmartMAGNET™, which allows the strength of the permanent magnets that are used for MFL to be “tuned” (whereas traditionally, the only way to control the strength of the magnets was to simply change the magnet size—bigger magnets meant more magnetic flux lines, but they also meant a heavier scanner);
- Eddyfi’s STARS (surface topology air-gap reluctance sensors) technology, which enables the scanner to determine whether a defect is on the bottom (soil) side of a tank floor or on the top (product) side;
- the ability of MFL scanners to scan for discontinuities without removing coatings;
- the challenge and importance of being able to successfully scan annular plates without needing to switch back and forth between too much equipment;
- the benefits of using a hall effect sensor instead of a coil sensor;
- the advantages to “mapping” a tank rather than just “free-scanning” in order to make sure all the data is archived and auditable and be able to give technicians a holistic view of the tank; and
- the importance of using complementary methods alongside MFL to “prove up” indications.
At the end of the episode, Lloyd recounted one of his most adventurous experiences in NDT performing a demonstration for a copper mine in the mountains in Chile and discussed future adventures he hopes to take in his career.
Listen to the full conversation below or search for Chat NDT with ASNT in your favorite podcast platform.
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Lloyd Graham is an ASNT NDT Level III in ultrasonic testing and has worked in operations, project management, technical sales, and training. He currently serves as a sales manager for Eddyfi’s robotic solutions.
Debbie Segor is Marketing and Communications Manager at ASNT, and the host of Chat NDT with ASNT. To be a guest on the podcast, contact desgor@asnt.org.
Haley Cowans is Educational Materials Editor at ASNT, hcowans@asnt.org.
For more information on MFL, check out ASNT’s Questions & Answers Book: Magnetic Flux Leakage and The MFL Compendium: Articles on Magnetic Flux Leakage.
Search the ASNT Digital Library for papers on MFL published in Materials Evaluation and Research in Nondestructive Evaluation.