Remote Field Testing (RFT)

Remote Field Testing or "RFT" is one of several

electromagnetic testing methods commonly
employed in the field of nondestructive testing. Other
electromagnetic inspection methods include
magnetic flux leakage, conventional eddy current
and alternating current field measurement testing.
Remote field testing is associated with eddy current
testing and the term "Remote Field Eddy Current
Testing" is often used when describing remote field
testing. However, there are several major differences
between eddy current testing and remote field testing
which will be noted in this section.

RFT is primarily used to inspect ferromagnetic

tubing since conventional eddy current techniques
have difficulty inspecting the full thickness of the
tube wall due to the strong skin effect in
ferromagnetic materials. For example, using
conventional eddy current bobbin probes to inspect a
steel pipe 10 mm thick (such as what might be found
in heat exchangers) would require frequencies
around 30 Hz to achieve the adequate I.D. to O.D.
penetration through the tube wall. The use of such a low frequency results in a very low
sensitivity of flaw detection. The degree of penetration can, in principle, be increased by
the use of partial saturation eddy current probes, magnetically biased probes, and pulsed
saturation probes. However, because of the large volume of metal present as well as
potential permeability variations within the product, these specialized eddy current probes
are still limited in their inspection capabilities.

The difficulties encountered in the testing of ferromagnetic tubes can be greatly alleviated
with the use of the remote field testing method. The RFT method has the advantage of
allowing nearly equal sensitivities of detection at both the inner and outer surfaces of a
ferromagnetic tube. The method is highly sensitive to variations in wall thickness and tends
to be less sensitive to fill-factor changes between the coil and tube. RFT can be used to
inspect any conducting tubular product, but it is generally considered to be less sensitive
than conventional eddy current techniques when inspecting nonferromagnetic materials.
 RFT Theory of Operation

A probe consisting of an exciter coil and one or more detectors is pulled through the tube.
The exciter coil and the detector coil(s) are rigidly fixed at an axial distance of two tube
diameters or more between them. The exciter coil is driven with a relatively low frequency
sinusoidal current to produce a magnetic field.

This changing magnetic field induces strong circumferential eddy currents which extend
axially, as well as radially in the tube wall.

These eddy currents, in turn, produce their own magnetic field, which opposes the
magnetic field from the exciter coil. Due to resistance in the tube wall and imperfect
inductive coupling, the magnetic field from the eddy currents does not fully counterbalance
the magnetic exciting field. However, since the eddy current field is more spread out than
the exciter field, the magnetic field from the eddy currents extends farther along the tube
axis. The interaction between the two fields is fairly complex but the simple fact is that the
exciter field is dominant near the exciter coil and the eddy current field becomes dominant
at some distance away from the exciter coil.
The receiving coils are positioned at a distance where the magnetic field from the eddy
currents is dominant. In other words, they are placed at a distance where they are
unaffected by the magnetic field from the exciter coil but can still adequately measure the
field strength from the secondary magnetic field. Electromagnetic induction occurs as the
changing magnetic field cuts across the pick-up coil array. By monitoring the consistency
of the voltage induced in the pick-up coils one can monitor changes in the test specimen.
The strength of the magnetic field at this distance from the excitation coil is fairly weak but
it is sensitive to changes in the pipe wall from the I.D. to the O.D.
 RFT Theory of Operation (cont.)

The Zones

Direct Couple Zone

The region where the magnetic field from the exciter coil is interacting with the tube wall
to produce a concentrated field of eddy currents is called the direct field or direct coupled
zone. This zone does not contribute a great deal of useful data to the RFT inspection due to
problems with rather high noise levels due to the intense varying magnetic field from the
excitation coil.

Transition Zone
The region just outside the direct couple zone is known as the transition zone. In this zone
there is a great deal of interaction between the magnet flux from the exciter coil and the
flux induced by the eddy currents. As can be seen in the graph, the interaction of the two
opposing fields is strongest near the ID of the tube and fairly subtle at the OD of the tube.
The "resultant" field strength (the magnetic field at the sum of the two fields) in this region
tends to change abruptly on the ID due to the interaction of the fields with differing
directional characteristics of the two fields.
The receiver coil's signal phase, with respect to the exciter coil, as a function of distance
between the two coils is also shown in the graph. When the two coils are directly coupled
and there is no interference from a secondary field, their currents are in phase as seen at
location zero. In the transition zone, it can be seen that the phase swiftly shifts, indicating
the location where the magnetic field from the eddy currents becomes dominate and the
start of the remote field.

Remote Field Zone

The remote field zone is the region in which direct coupling between the exciter coil and
the receiver coil(s) is negligible. Coupling takes place indirectly through the generation of
eddy currents and their resulting magnetic field. The remote field zone starts to occur at
approximately two tube diameters away from the exciter coil. The amplitude of the field
strength on the OD actually exceeds that of the ID after an axial distance of approximately
1.65 tube diameters. Therefore, RFT is sensitive to changes in material that occur at the
outside diameter as well as the inside diameter of the tube.

RFT Probes

Probes for inspection of pipe and tubing are typically of the

bobbin (ID) variety. These probes use either a single or dual
excitation coil to develop an electromagnetic field through
the pipe or tube. The excitation coils are driven by
alternating current. The sensing coil or coils are located a
few tube diameters away in the remote field zone. Probes
can be used in differential or absolute modes for detection of
general discontinuities, pitting, and variations from the I.D. in ferromagnetic tubing. To
insure maximum sensitivity, each probe is specifically designed for the inside diameter,
composition, and the wall thickness of a particular tube.

RFT Instrumentation

Instruments used for RFT inspection are often dual use eddy current / RFT instruments
employing multi-frequency technology. The excitation current from these instruments is
passed on to the probe that contains an exciter coil, sometimes referred to as the driver coil.
The receiving coil voltage is typically in the microvolt range, so an amplifier is required to
boost the signal strength.

Certain systems will incorporate a probe excitation method known as multiplexing. This
utilizes an extreme high speed switching method that excites the probe at more than one
frequency in sequence. Another method of coil excitation that may be used is simultaneous
injection. In this coil stimulation technique, the exciter coil is excited with multiple
frequencies at the same time while incorporating filter schemes that subtract aspects of the
acquired data. The instrument monitors the pickup coils and passes the data to the display
section of the instrument. Some systems are capable of recording the data to some type of
storage device for later review.
 RFT Signal Interpretation

The signals obtained with RFT are very similar to those obtained with conventional eddy
current testing. When all the proper conditions are met, changes in the phase of the receiver
signal with respect to the phase of the exciter voltage are directly proportional to the sum
of the wall thickness within the inspection area. Localized changes in wall thickness result
in phase and amplitude changes. These changes can be indicative of defects such as cracks,
corrosion pitting or corrosion/erosion thinning.
 RFT Reference Standards

Reference standards for the RFT inspection of tubular products come in many variations.
In order to produce reliable and consistent test results, the material used for manufacturing
calibration standards must closely match the physical and chemical properties of the
inspection specimen. Some of the important properties that must be considered include
conductivity, permeability and alloy content. In addition, tube dimensions including I.D.,
O.D. and wall thickness must also be controlled.

The type of damage mechanisms that are expected to be encountered must also be carfully
considered when developing or selecting a reference standard. In order to get accurate
quantitative data, artificial discontinuity conditions are typically machined into the
standards that will closely match those conditions that may be found in the tubing bundle.