About Us

Russell NDE Systems Inc. has over 40 years of experience in non-destructive evaluation. Read why we are the World Leader in NDT services and products.

History

In the mid 1980's, Russell formed an R&D group to develop its Remote Field technique into a field tool for evaluating the condition of ferromagnetic tubing. A team of engineers and technologists was assembled; the initial project started with fundamental research on the Remote Field phenomenon. The first commercial sale of Ferroscope 108 equipment was made in 1988. Further development of the Ferroscope system was undertaken in the late 80's to modernize the design and develop probes for evaluation of tubes larger than 25 mm diameter. The Ferroscope 204 system, was released in 1992, and the Ferroscope Model 308 was released in January 2000.

During these projects, a close working relationship was established with the Applied Magnetics Group in the Department of Physics, Queen's University. This group is regarded as a world leader in the theoretical aspects of Remote Field Eddy Current technology. In subsequent years, much of Russell development work has been carried out in conjunction with the Applied Magnetics Group; the relationship has developed into a strategic alliance.

Contract research to adapt modern Remote Field technology for inspection of casing in oil and gas wells was carried out in 1990 on behalf of an international oilfield service company. Probe designs were developed for large diameter carbon steel casing, and tool encapsulation was enhanced to withstand rigorous downhole environments.

During the period of 1988 to 1990, Russell R&D team also developed a 4-inch Magnetic Flux Leakage in-line inspection (ILI) tool for pipelines. Larger tools existed, but Russell was the first company to successfully miniaturize instrumentation and memory while retaining acceptable sensitivity and resolution. The self-contained tool is injected into 4-inch diameter pipelines to collect pipe wall integrity data. Analysis and graphic presentation software, was released in early 1994.

Russell NDE Systems Inc. developed a waterline evaluation tool, the Hydroscope, capable of detecting flaws and wall loss in cast-iron lines. Demonstration projects were completed in Canada, Australia and Great Britain. A strategic partnership was established with EPCOR, itself a leader in waterline asset management, to conduct a series of comparative studies during the summers of 1994 and 1995. State-of-the-art analysis software was then developed through a joint research venture with the Alberta Research Council. Waterline evaluation services have been commercially available since 1996.

The City of Calgary Water Dept., (Roy Brander, Bill Ng & Gregory Kozhushner) exhumed 2700m of CI & DI water main between the period of 1993-1999 to validate the use of Russell's Hydroscope tools Condition Assessment results in conjunction with existing data (Break Histories, soil resistivity, etc.)

Excerpt from pg 17, of G. Kozhushner, R. Brander, B. Ng,paper: “Use of Pipe Recovery Data and the Hydroscope ® NDT Inspection Tool For Condition Assessment of Buried Water Mains”, Calgary Waterworks (Canada), 2000:

Hydroscope Data and Its Use in Condition Assessment

Improved accuracy of Hydroscope analysis opened to us a wide field of possible applications. First of all we (City of Calgary) altered our own conclusions about how to use the examination data. Instead of the original replace/not replace decision, we have derived the following applications of this technology:

  • Higher confidence in replacement decisions where break history alone is marginal;
  • Confidence to not replace in sensitive situations where extreme caution is needed;
  • Find opportunities for “surgical” replacements where only a small portion of one block of main is in poor condition and the remainder is very good;
  • “Benchmark” pipes of representative vintage and soil to improve estimates of failure rates and lifespan for the system as a whole

Note: the water and wastewater inspection business is now offered through PICA: Pipeline Inspection and Condition Analysis Corp. www.picacorp.com.

The support that Russell NDE and PICA have received from their customers, especially the cities of Edmonton and Calgary, Shell Canada Ltd., Dacon and ESSO, Thailand JOV, have significantly added to the success of our business

Research and Development

Russell NDE Systems Inc. undertakes research and development as well as design and manufacture of NDE instruments. Products include the Ferroscope, Adept, software, Radalarm ®, See Snake and HydraSnake Inspection Robots, and RFT downhole casing tool. Custom design of NDE systems and development of software is routinely undertaken.

The staff of Russell  pride themselves on delivering exceptional value for money. We know that customers deal with people that they can trust, and who deliver excellent technical expertise in a friendly and helpful manner. This is why you too can rely on Russell NDE Systems Inc. for all of your Quality Assurance needs.

  • Instruments and software for NDE applications
  • Custom R & D projects
  • Specialty NDT technique development
  • Innovation & Commercialization
    • Developers of the world's first commercial Remote Field Technique: Ferroscope ® instrument
    • ADEPT-Pro ® remote field analysis software
    • HydraSnake ® waterline evaluation system
    • See Snake ® In-Line Inspection Tools for lined oil and gas pipelines
    • VertiScan ®, Robotic System for inspection of boiler water wall tubes
    • Blanket Probe ® and Bracelet Probe ® for detection of corrosion under insulation and internal pipeline pits

Non Destructive Examination

  • Ultrasonic corrosion Surveys
  • Tank Floor scanning from outside the tank
  • Level-III radiographic audits
  • Carburization detection using TOFD and E-PIT techniques

Industries Served

  • Pipeline
  • Plant
  • NDT Service providers



Customer Distribution (above)

Staff Qualifications

  • Field personnel are certified to CGSB standards. Safety training includes emergency first aid, standard first aid, CPR, hazard recognition, H2S Alive, confined space, fall arrest, WHMIS and radiation safety.

Accomplishments

  • Frost and Sullivan awarded Russell NDE Systems Inc. with a "Best in Class" award for its Ferroscope 308 product in 2012.
  • Russell is unique in that it has received two "AsTech / IRAP Industrial Research Prizes"for Industrial Innovation in Northern Alberta. The AsTech Foundation is funded by an Alberta based industry peer group.
  • In 2009 Russell incorporated PICA: Pipeline Inspection and Condition Analysis (www.picacorp.com) to handle inspections of water and waste water mains. PICA growth in Canada and the USA since then has been almost viral.
  • Russell, and its subsidiaries are Better Business Bureau approved companies
  • Russell has a written Safety Program that has been audited and approved by ISNetworld, and we have received our "CORE" safety certificate from the Workers Compensation Board
  • In 2012, Russell and the 3M Corporation signed a joint marketing agreement.  3M will work with PICA Corp to market "Assess and Fix" technologies for potable water mains using 3M's lining products

Linkages

  • Russell NDE, PICA Corp., and 3M company have a joint sales and marketing agreement
  • PICA Corp. and OCWA (Ontario Clean Water Association) have signed a mutually exclusive marketing and services agreement
  • Wachs Water Services and PICA Corp. have a joint marketing agreement in place
  • RIVA Modeling and PICA Corp. have signed a co-operation agreement
  • PICA Corp. is part of a group sponsored by HDR Engineering and WrF (Water Research Foundation) to research and implement smarter ways to inspect municipal water mains.
  • University of Sydney (URS) and Sydney Water are participating in a Linkages program to assess and fix aging water mains in Australia and beyond