Inductosense Limited Public Funding

Lifetime testing of passive, wireless sensors for demanding environments

"Inductosense is a spin-out from the Ultrasonics and Non-Destructive Testing Group at the University of Bristol. We have developed compact, wireless, battery-free sensors for monitoring corrosion or erosion in pipework. Our technology enables anyone to take the data from the sensors quickly (or a robotic vehicle to take the data) and for the data to be digitised and remotely analysed. The sensors also work underneath layers of material, such as coatings or cladding, eliminating the need to remove the layer from the pipe before taking a measurement. Inductosense has generated traction in the Oil&Gas industry and now has sensors deployed world-wide on onshore structures such as chemical plants, gas plants and refineries. We are getting lots of interest now in whether our sensors could be applied sub-sea - eg to structures such as risers, sub-sea pipeline. In these more demanding environments it would not be so easy to replace a sensor if it were to fail, so a long lifetime (ideally matching that of the structure) is essential. We want to understand what the lifetime of our sensors could be in such a harsh environment and also be able to tailor our sensors and technology to be suited to it."

Wireless, battery-free sensing of composite structures

The aim of this project is to develop new types of wireless, battery-free, sensors for integration with composite structures. The sensors will be permanently installed on or inside the structure to monitor non-visible damage through the life of the structure. This technology will allow more accurate and more frequent in-situ monitoring to detect potential failures/defects earlier, enabling predictive maintenance, reducing unscheduled downtime and ultimately lowering operating costs. The project will focus on integrating both ultrasonic and strain/overload sensors into a range of different composite structures including a wind turbine blade, a composite aerospace component and composite repairs. At least three demonstrators will be built based on different representative composite structures to show the potential of this technology to customers and progress towards development contracts. Throughout the project Inductosense will work with a number of industrial partners across different industries who will help to define the end user requirements and samples where possible. These companies also offer potential routes to market. The project builds on the development of sensors for corrosion monitoring originally conceived at the University of Bristol and commercialised by Inductosense and extensive research on non-destructive testing of composites undertaken at the University of Bristol. There are a number of innovative concepts that will be developed under this project, the key ones being: (1) the design of the ultrasonic, battery-free, wireless sensors utilising guided waves, (2) the design of wireless battery-free sensors to measure strain and overload, (3) the integration of the ultra-thin sensors with the composite structure, (4) the analysis of the signals to identify defects with the required level of sensitivity.

Embedded sensors for inspection of corrosion under insulation

Corrosion under insulation is one of the worst and most expensive problems for the Oil & Gas industry with repair costs, inspection costs, insulation removal costs and plant downtime running into the billions of dollars annually. If corrosion under insulation goes undetected it can lead to forced plant shutdown and in some cases a safety incident. Under this project Inductosense will develop a prototye wireless, battery-free sensor that can be permanently embedded underneath insulation to locate and characterise corrosion on the surface of pipes.