Remote Field Electromagnetic Technique (RFET)
Method Overview
Electromagnetic NDT method optimized for scanning carbon steel and ferromagnetic tubes from the inside.
Core Method Specifications
Target Applications & Governing Standards
1 Scopes ConfiguredMethod Limitations & Operational Boundary Conditions
Critical physics limits, thermal envelopes, blind spots, and ASME Sec V / API procedural boundaries for RFET.
Ferromagnetic permeability shifts with temperature, altering the through-transmission phase velocity.
Equal sensitivity to internal (ID) and external (OD) defects through the wall
None (dry electromagnetic field testing)
Averages wall loss over detector coil spacing (typically 2 to 3 tube diameters length)
- •First and last 100 mm of tube adjacent to tubesheet: External magnetic flux field is short-circuited by the thick ferromagnetic tubesheet
- •Small isolated pits (< 3 mm diameter): Volume loss is too small to alter the bulk through-transmission magnetic phase
External carbon steel support baffles produce large phase excursions that can mask fretting wear underneath
High-precision ultrasonic wall measurement on suspect tubes flagged by RFET
Near Field Testing for rapid identification of internal pitting in finned tubes
Technique-to-OEM Compatibility Matrix
Verified manufacturers, instrument models, and diagnostic portals supporting RFET.
Eddyfi Technologies
Advanced non-destructive testing conglomerate encompassing Eddyfi electromagnetic arrays, Silverwing tank floor scanners, Teletest guided waves, Inuktun robotic crawlers, and M2M phased array instruments.
Zetec
Advanced eddy current and ultrasonic NDT technology subsidiary of Eddyfi/Roper for nuclear power generation, aerospace, and balance-of-plant tube inspections.
Russell NDE Systems
Canadian pioneer of Remote Field Electromagnetic Technique (RFET) and Near Field Testing (NFT) instrumentation and in-line crawlers for boiler and condenser tubes.
Russell NDE
OEM Manufacturer for RFET inspection systems.