Phased array ultrasonic testing services for welds and pipe

These are planning ranges, not quotes. Wall thickness, weld prep, scan length and reporting rules move the price. See the full ultrasonic testing services page for conventional UT and thickness work.

PAUT wins when you need coverage and a record without shutting the area down. Radiography needs a radiation exclusion zone and often an overnight shift, while an array scan runs with people working nearby. Conventional UT needs several angles and several passes, and it saves no image, so a second inspector cannot check the call. With PAUT the scan file holds every A scan, so a Level III can re-read it a year later.

Radiography still wins on thin wall small bore pipe, on complex castings and where the code or client names RT. If your specification says RT only, ask whether a code case or written client approval allows PAUT before you quote the job. The radiographic testing cost guide shows what the film or digital alternative costs per weld.

Pipe fabricators and pipeline contractors buy PAUT with TOFD on girth welds to ASME B31.3 or API 1104 so they can release welds the same day. Refinery and chemical plant reliability engineers buy corrosion mapping and crack sizing during turnarounds. Boiler and vessel owners buy it on thick weld seams and nozzle welds. Wind tower and structural fabricators use it for long seams. Each of them sends the same request for quote to certified NDT crews, which is the step we automate. For process piping campaigns see piping inspection services, and for weld work in general see pipe weld testing.

1. You send the weld list or drawing with material, diameter, wall thickness, process and the code that applies.
2. The company proposes the probe, wedge and scan plan and tells you whether TOFD is paired with PAUT.
3. The technician cleans the weld cap, sets an encoder on a scanner and calibrates on a reference block of your material.
4. The scan is recorded, a Level II reviews the data against the acceptance criteria and a Level III signs off where the code asks.
5. You receive a report with flaw positions, lengths and heights, and the native scan files.

• Crew day with PAUT equipment. $1,500 to $3,200.
• Girth welds on a repeat fabrication job. $40 to $150 per weld, depending on diameter.
• Corrosion mapping of a vessel shell or tank floor section. $1,500 to $4,000 per area.
• Data analysis and reporting. Often 20 to 40 percent on top of scan time.
• Mobilization and travel. $500 to $3,000 per trip.
• Scaffolding, insulation removal and surface cleaning. Billed on top.

For how PAUT pricing compares with simple UT and TOFD, read ultrasonic testing cost. For weld work against radiography see phased array weld inspection vs radiography.

Ask for the technician's PAUT certification (ASNT Level II or III in the technique, not only conventional UT), a written procedure demonstrated on a block like yours and a sample encoded report. For refinery work many owners require API QUPA personnel for phased array flaw sizing, see the API certification programs. Check the equipment calibration records and ask who reviews the data.