CYGNUS INSTRUMENTS LTD - Reliable Ultrasonic Measurement

Keeping the balance of production and maintenance is never an easy task, especially when it comes to hazardous environments. Here is our latest addition to Cygnus’ diverse UT range: a fantastic new accessory expanding the applications of the Cygnus 1 Ex Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge. The new Cygnus High-Temperature Ex Probe, like the Ex gauge, is certified for use in all hazardous areas: Zone 0, 1 and 2. Coupled with the Ex gauge, the equipment can measure wall thickness, corrosion or erosion of hot assets in-service across oil and gas, refining, energy, and process sectors. On-stream inspection (OSI) Developed with Ionix® Advanced Technologies, this twin-element, 5.0 MHz ultrasonic probe measures the remaining wall thickness range from 2.5 mm to 50 mm, depending on the temperature and material. It has great wear resistance, allowing for continuous contact time on hot surfaces up to 300°C without the need for plant shutdown or isolation. The best thing is…..

The Cygnus 1 Ex is Intrinsically Safe, certified to Zone 0, suitable for hazardous areas. There are a number of impressive statements we have used to introduce our Cygnus 1 Ex Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge, but what do they all really mean? Let’s demystify these statements and explain the rules and regulations surrounding the use of equipment in hazardous areas. WHAT ARE EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERES? The term Ex is recognized globally for explosive atmospheres and the schemes used to prevent explosions. Hazardous Areas are locations where there is a risk of fire or explosion, due to the presence of ignitable or flammable substances in the air. These substances include gases, vapours, and dusts that are present in the air, at concentrations high enough to produce an ignitable mixture.

Flyability, the market leader in confined space drones, announced today a new ultrasonic thickness measurement (UTM) payload for its flagship drone the Elios 3. This payload was developed in partnership with Cygnus Instruments, a global leader in ultrasonic testing (UT) technology to create a product that supports certified UT inspectors. The new live A-scan UT payload is designed for spot thickness measurements of steel in ship hulls, inside tanks, and between pipe ranks amongst many other applications. With UT critical to many inspection processes, this new payload presents a safer means of accessing thickness measurement locations (TMLs). The Elios 3 can enter confined spaces or easily reach TML points at height, completing wall thickness gauging or corrosion surveys quickly and safely. The ultrasonic probe is mounted on a smart arm featuring a laser pointer that provides visual guidance to precisely aim at measurement points. The arm has mounting and shaping options that can...

Working in potentially explosive atmospheres has a lot of strict and complex rules, regulations and procedures – especially when it comes to inspections using “Hot Tools” that can cause ignition. The Cygnus 1 Ex is different to any ultrasonic testing (UT) equipment on the market. Here’s why… Certified Intrinsically Safe for Zone 0 Areas Carrying out inspections with testing equipment certified to a suitable protection level is vital to ensuring the testing operation does not jeopardise the safety of hazardous environments. It is important to understand which is the correct equipment, and where to use it. The Cygnus 1 Ex uses the Intrinsically Safe protection to ensure that under both normal uses and with applied fault conditions, no arc or spark can be generated, and no component can heat up enough to cause an explosion. Therefore, the 1 Ex can be safely used in “Zone 0” hazardous areas such as oil and gas refineries, mines and fuel depots.

The latest model of the Cygnus Underwater, an incredible advance on its predecessor, has a host of smart new features, specially designed to operate seamlessly in severe, hostile conditions, simultaneously accomplishing greater accuracy and usability. The most noticeable update (aside from a fantastic new look!) - is the Cygnus Underwater’s switch to a multi-mode gauge. Incorporating Single-Echo and Echo-Echo modes gives divers more scope for testing varying levels of corrosion. Echo-Echo suits measuring heavily corroded metals through thin coatings (i.e., coated metals with heavy back wall corrosion) while Single-Echo mode is ideal for measuring uncoated metals with heavy front and/or back-wall corrosion. Cygnus Underwater is available to PRE-ORDER. Look out for updates on our social media and website for the official release date! To learn more, visit the Cygnus Underwater page https://cygnus-instruments.com/product/cygnus-underwater-diver-held-gauge/.

Cygnus Instruments will be exhibiting at the Tank Storage Conference and Exhibition which is the UK’s leading event for the bulk liquid storage sector. The event has a proven track record of successfully bringing together people who care about safe and effective bulk liquid storage operations. Cygnus Stand No. 56 I 21 September 2023 Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry, UK

Beyond an exceptional new look and ergonomic design, the most obvious advancement for the new Underwater is the jump to a multi-mode gauge. The original Multiple-Echo mode is still the best method for verifying accurate through-coat measurements as specified by Class Societies. The Echo-Echo mode is ideal for measuring heavily corroded metals through thin coatings (i.e., coated metals with heavy back wall corrosion) while Single-Echo mode is perfect for measuring uncoated metals with heavy front and/or back-wall corrosion. The new Cygnus Underwater now offers a versatile solution for varying levels of corrosion and various materials, as well as through-coat measurements. The gauge has also gained a Depth Sensor – a brand new feature to Cygnus’ subsea range. This is a live, accurate depth indicator for the diver, displayed as one of 4 dynamic screen views on the gauge’s front display, along with basic (measurement readings), live A-Scan, and datalogging views.

Cygnus is extremely pleased to be collaborating closely with High Tech Supplies, Inc. for both product sales and service in the USA. High Tech has been an NDT manufacturer, training school and distributor for USA and Latin America for 30 years. The team at High Tech come from a background of NDT inspection across all disciplines. Their empathetic knowledge of what NDT technicians and engineers truly need underpins the quality their own manufactured products and their sales and service of NDT equipment. High Tech’s engineers are trained and authorized to provide calibration and repairs on Cygnus products. Easily accessible for North and Latin American markets, High Tech (located in south Florida) combines NIST accreditation, trained engineers, extensive NDT experience and their own precision manufacturing expertise and test facilities.

Cygnus Instruments, Inc (Florida USA) has now officially closed. Originally incorporated in 1987, as a subsidiary of Cygnus Instruments Ltd (our UK design and manufacturing base), the US distribution company flew the Cygnus flag across the Americas for 35 years. This is truly the end of an era. Acknowledgement and thanks are extended to the US team for their dedication to Cygnus’ products and brand, spanning 5 decades. At Cygnus’ main headquarters in the UK, we can only view this as an opportunity to do things differently and we are taking a new approach to the North American marketplace. From now on, we will be supplying our products both directly to the array of sectors in this region, as well as through our new 3rd party distributors. We are pleased to announce that High Tech Supplies, Inc (based in Miami) is our authorised Cygnus Service Centre for providing top level support for Cygnus products across the Americas.

Like its predecessor, the Cygnus 1 Ex is the only one of it’s kind in the world certified to ATEX, IECEx, UKEX for Zone 0 and NRTL for Class 1, Division 1. But takes a giant leap forward, offering impressive new selectable features bringing Cygnus’ Intrinsically Safe offering up to speed with Cygnus’ most advanced gauges. First of all, the 3 measuring modes designed for varying levels of corrosion, multiple materials and through-coat measurement capability, are now built into this new gauge. Measurement verification and recording are also far more advanced. The addition of Live A-Scan and B-Scan allows precise measurement verification and the comprehensive datalogging feature ensures seamless data analysis and report generation. The entire gauge is geared towards the best user experience, making inspection quick and easy, despite challenging environments. 4 new function keys purposely integrated to maximise ease and speed of control, 4 dynamic screen views to suit user....