UTComp NDE enables Nexxis buried FRP pipe inspection
Evaluating the condition of buried large-diameter pipelines is difficult and unreliable but UTComp’s ultrasonic technology is altering this inspection landscape.
UTComp (Cambridge, Ontario) is working with Nexxis (Webster, Texas, U.S.), a provider of robotics and inspection solutions, to equip Nexxis’ Hellcat pipe inspection crawler with UltraAnalytix nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technology.
The Nexxis Hellcat is engineered for long-range, submerged, in-service inspection and repairs of pipelines in harsh industry environments like oil and gas, petrochemical, mining, utilities and power generation. The Hellcat can be equipped with a variety of tools including cameras and ultrasonic probes to operate inside buried fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) pipelines to collect reliable data that can be analyzed using UTComp’s UltraAnalytix.
While some hurdles remain, successful testing in the Nexxis lab has shown that the equipment can gather high-quality ultrasonic data inside buried pipes. Field trials are expected to be under way in early 2026.
“This could be a game-changer for pipe inspection,” says UTComp founder and CTO Geoff Clarkson. “There are tens of thousands of kilometers of buried FRP pipe in service around the world. The Hellcat crawler performs in flow, in pressurized, confined environments that humans cannot enter. It’s the only way to collect reliable, repeatable data that can be used to evaluate the condition of buried large-diameter pipe while it’s in service.”
UTComp’s NDE system has also supported the viability of a composite racing sailboat.
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