Novosound honoured in global awards ceremony for product innovation
Published by Aimee Knight,
Editorial Assistant
World Pipelines,
Novosound, a leading ultrasonic company based in Scotland, has overcome competition from some of the biggest organisations in the world to win its first international honour at the 2021 Materials Performance Corrosion Innovation of the Year Awards.
Organised by the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), Novosound received the award in the Testing category for its revolutionary Belenus ultrasound sensor, which provides corrosion monitoring across a variety of structures and environments in a range of industries.
The awards are organised by Materials Performance, which is published by NACE International and is the world’s largest circulation magazine dedicated exclusively to corrosion prevention and control.
The honour for Belenus is the company’s first major industrial award, and also its first on a global scale. Manufactured using Novosound’s patented, thin-film technology, the Belenus is the world’s first corrosion monitoring sensor that can operate completely soaked in high-temperature atmospheres up to 400°C (752°F) for extended periods of time.
By providing highly accurate and real-time corrosion data from remote and inaccessible locations, the Belenus enables power plant, refining, processing, and manufacturing facility owners and operators to detect corrosion in metal pipework and structures early and reliably. This facilitates improved maintenance planning and increases operational efficiency, as corrosion issues can be actioned and mitigated before unexpected failures occur.
Dr Claire Thring, Application Specialist for the Novosound Belenus, said: “The current limitations of ultrasound probes can be traced back to the core rigid, ceramic, sensor materials used in manufacturing, but by using our patented, truly flexible, core thin-film material, the Belenus can conform to any surface curvature.
“The flexibility of the Belenus, coupled with its compact size – roughly the size of a Zippo lighter or car key fob – allows it to be fitted to a range of structures including pipes, storage tanks and pressure vessels, enabling 24/7 asset monitoring. The flexibility of the Belenus also allows it to conform to curved surfaces without the need for a couplant material.
“This has countless benefits for customers, including potentially eliminating the requirement to shut down assets for inspections, as well as carry out readings. Not only does this save companies time and money, but it also limits the number of occasions personnel are required to enter what can be dangerous environments.”
Dr Dave Hughes, Founder and CEO of Novosound, added: “The Novosound Belenus, is a simple, smart ultrasound sensor that provides 24/7 corrosion monitoring across a range of infrastructures and environments.
“This award is a pivotal moment for the company, and we are delighted to have been recognised by our peers. We were up against some huge, global organisations, but to be honoured with this award at the CORROSION 2021 Virtual Conference & Expo is a big achievement for us.
“To even be considered for an award we had to show the Belenus had the potential for a significant positive impact in corrosion control, and we are delighted to receive this endorsement from others within the industry.”
The Belenus is suitable for fixed installation in both extreme and ambient environments. By providing real-time, asset integrity data, the Belenus enables operators to proactively manage corrosion risk, making data-informed decisions and reducing the overall cost of operations.
One customer, a blue chip Energy Company based in the UK, explained how installing Belenus, on-site at one of their power stations, benefits their company, saying: “The Belenus is an innovative solution and will not only help better manage the health of our assets but bring significant efficiencies and cost savings with our maintenance management programmes.”
Novosound is no stranger to winning awards, having previously been named as a finalist for the 2020 E&T Innovation Awards in the Future Unicorn category, while Dr Hughes was honoured with the Institute of Directors Scotland Director of the Year – Start-up award last year.
Based near Glasgow, Novosound’s ultrasound sensors have all been invented and produced in Scotland and have already attracted a long list of clients around the world in the oil and gas, energy, renewables, medicine, aerospace and automotive markets. Its products are helping transform the Non Destructive Testing industry thanks to their unique underlying technology, which helps test metal pipework and structures no matter what shape or size, or what temperature they are operated at – with the Kelpie, Belenus and Nebula products solving problems that have existed for a generation.
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Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/23042021/novosound-honoured-in-global-awards-ceremony-for-product-innovation/
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