CATS and ABB TRC form long-term inspection alliance

Citation

(2000), "CATS and ABB TRC form long-term inspection alliance", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 47 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2000.12847aaf.003

CATS and ABB TRC form long-term inspection alliance

Keywords CATS International, ABB TRC, Inspection, Atomic energy industry

CATS International, of Southport, the technology-based, plant condition assessment arm of Cooperheat International, has entered into a long-term agreement with ABB TRC, of Sweden, to provide technical support for the Swedish company's specialised nuclear inspection activities and to combine the expertise and facilities of the two companies to offer a uniquely resourced inspection capability to organisations in the nuclear, industrial and process sectors.

In the first stage of the agreement, CATS will take over responsibility for TRC's UK resources and personnel and will provide technique development, validation support and field services. This will involve applying the unrivalled combined expertise and systems of both companies in areas such as time of flight diffraction (TOFD) inspection and developing wider application of proven equipment, including TRC's boresonic, remote visual and eddy current tube inspection capabilities.

As Bill Browne, managing director of CATS, explains, "One of the prime benefits of this agreement is that we now arguably have more in-house expertise in techniques such as TOFD than any other company in the world. We have ten state-of-the-art imaging systems at our disposal and we certainly have more applicational expertise than most of our competitors. However, what is really exciting is that we can now start to transfer some of the technology developed for the nuclear sector directly into the process and manufacturing sectors. For example, ultrasonic phased array technology, if effectively configured, is just as valid for fabrication quality control of gas transmission pipelines as it is for the integrity assessment of PWR primary circuit pipewelds in service. The same potential for transfer applies to many of the techniques which have been developed for the nuclear industry. The process sector uses essentially the same materials and methods of fabrication, operating parameters are similar, degradation effects are the same and, although the emphasis is slightly different, the need for integrity is just as important. Plant failure in service has safety and economic implications whatever the industry."

Stefan Gustafsson, managing director of TRC, is equally enthusiastic about the new agreement. He says, "I believe that this new arrangement will enhance the potential of what our two companies have been doing independently and it provides the perfect platform for future business development, on a much broader base than either company could achieve in isolation. The economies of scale and the flexibility afforded by the agreement mean that we can now offer our joint services on a more competitive basis without compromising delivery, quality or performance.

"We are fully aware that plant operators are under extreme financial and regulatory pressures to improve performance and it is one of our prime aims to provide the expertise and equipment to help them achieve their objectives. We believe that we can significantly reduce plant downtime by providing plant operators with accurate and reliable awareness of actual plant condition by the use of appropriate non-invasive and non-disruptive techniques and by offering suitable remedies to any potential problems highlighted.

"This shift in emphasis from fault-finding to problem solving is underwritten by a massive technical support capability, which includes baseline data information technology, condition monitoring, integrity and risk assessment, leak sealing, heat treatment and the full range of ABB engineering and construction maintenance services."

The comprehensive services offered by the new alliance will be available globally through CATS' four operating bases covering Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, in conjunction with affiliates of the Cooperheat Group, which operates from 50 offices in key market locations in industrialised regions, and through the extensive worldwide network of ABB.

Details available from: CATS International Ltd. Tel: + 44 (0) 1704 213311; Fax: + 44 (0) 1704 25800.