Until recently, the corrosion of metal structures, such as tanks, oil tanks, boilers and pipelines determined the now classical methods — ultrasound, radiation, eddy current testing. Naturally, to have them and merits and demerits. The biggest minus them — these contact methods or inefficient. National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University has offered an innovative design that eliminates all these disadvantages.
The method was called thermal imaging. "The essence of the difference in the thermal control of heating defective and defect-free product availability, — Says the head of the project, Professor Vladimir Vavilov. — Infrared remote equipment can detect thermal anomalies and transmit them as color images. The main objective of thermal monitoring is the interpretation that shows the thermal anomaly. The issue is complex. The operator, after analyzing spot of color, to explain what he sees: the hidden corrosion or only interference that can be caused by a whole bunch of factors ".
It is a processing area "heat" of information scientists Tomsk and developed and achieved in this case a certain breakthrough.They created a computer program that processes information so that the signals from the corrosive locations are saved and the signals from multiple interference eliminated. The algorithm for data processing based on the application of neural networks that can simulate the brain. "Modeling of brain activity — it certainly sounds a bit exaggerated, to this kind of artificial intelligence is still far, but the point is to use the trained neural network — as a result of the program can separate the signals corrosive areas from the rest, — Vavilov said. — Once and for all get the absolute result of using this program, it is impossible: it is a scientific, continuous work we are continuously developing ".
Scientists plan to develop thermal control methods and implement it in the domestic industry. Because the field for the application of the broadest: nuclear energy, aerospace industry, petrochemicals, medicine — and not only in Russia.
Actively interested in the study subjects Brazil project was executed with the participation of the partner university of the Catholic Apostolic in Rio. The Brazilian side was developing a mechanism for the delivery of containers to spetsangar, where is thermal control. By the way, the equipment for thermal control is a very transportable — its weight does not exceed 20 kilograms.
Russian-Brazilian development test was successful. The first object was to use nuclear power station "Angra" in Brazil.