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 f">

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 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.