TESTEX, INC

Falcon 2000 Mark II

Above Ground Storage Tank Inspection System

WinTank V1.90 Data Collection

WinDataviewer V1.90 Data Analysis
Software Instruction Manual

October 20, 2010

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

THEORY OF OPERATION 1

EQUIPMENT SETUP
Packing List 2
Equipment Pictures 3
Computer and Power Requirements 5
Software Description and Installation 6
Equipment Description and Setup 7

WINTANK SOFTWARE
Controls 8
Screen Controls 18
Mouse Menu 20
Keystrokes 27
Encoder 28

WINDATAVIEWER SORTWARE
Controls 37
Screen Plots 38
Keystrokes 41
Mouse Menu 48
Encoder 50

Appendix A Instructions on how to make a Calibration

Curve in WinDataViewer 52
Appendix B Save Data instructions for WinTank Software 59
Appendix C Falcon Sr. Assembly and Parts List 67

© Copyright 2010, TESTEX Inc. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15239 USA

INTRODUCTION
The DSP based 32-channel TesTex New Falcon 2000 Mark II AGST inspection system is used
for detecting wall thickness changes in carbon steel storage tank floor plates. It works by
injecting a low frequency magnetic field into the plate and using scanner mounted pickup coils to
measure the change in the AC electromagnetic field as the scanner moves past a flaw in the
metal. By using 64 sensors in the scanner array it is possible to display a 3D image of the
collected data so that the shape and depth of the flaw can be determined.

The system comes with two types of scanners, a 64-sensor push cart (Falcon Sr.), which is used
for most of the tank floor testing and a smaller 32-sensor hand scanner (Falcon Jr.), which is used
for testing areas of limited access. An IBM-PC computer is also connected to the instrument
through a custom serial port cable. The computer is used to control the instrument and for
collecting and analyzing data using the TesTex WinTank and WinDataViewer software.
Carbon steel plates up to 3/4" (18mm) thickness can be tested with the Falcon 2000 system with
push speeds of up to 1 foot per second for gradual wall loss detection. Lower push speeds may be
needed for small diameter pit detection.

THEORY OF OPERATION
Wall losses and pitting can be detected by injecting a low frequency magnetic field into a steel
plate and measuring the distortions in the resulting magnetic field that occurs over a flaw. This
injection can be done by using an external horseshoe shaped driver coil. This driver coil is
placed such that the return path for the magnetic field is through the area to be tested. Flaws are
detected by measuring the magnetic field directly over the flaw area with sensor coils. A flaw or
defect causes the magnetic flux lines in that area to be distorted or different than expected. This
distortion can be measured as a change in phase and/or amplitude. With suitable calibration
tables, the flaw can be analyzed and a determination of the flaw depth can be made.

Low frequencies (<30 Hz.) are used on carbon steel plates because the high magnetic
permeability and conductivity of carbon steel greatly resists the penetration of higher frequencies
into the metal. By using low frequencies, the penetration of the magnetic field is more uniform
throughout the plate wall thickness and defects on both the top and bottom sides of the plate can
be seen. Since the sensor coils detect magnetic fields, the effects of residual plate magnetism and
noise from outside magnetic fields can be greatly reduced by increasing the magnetic field from
the horseshoe shaped driver coils.

The following sections describe the steps necessary for the operation of the FALCON 2000
MARK II system. Included are the Packing List, Computer Requirements, Equipment
Connections, and Software Installation details.

Page 1
Packing List Essentials (See invoice for complete packing list )
New Falcon 2000 instrument (electronics)
Falcon Sr. (pushcart)
Falcon Jr. (handscanner)
Custom Serial Port Cable
1 Foot Scanner Cable for Falcon Sr.
50 Foot Scanner Cable for Falcon Jr.
Software CD
Software Manual
Operations Manual
Power Cord
Hasp Security Key
Misc 1
Misc 2
Misc 3
Misc 4

Page 2
Equipment Setup - Equipment Pictures
Falcon Electronics Bottom View

1 Foot Connector (Gray Cable)

Connects Falcon Electronics to
Falcon SR

Serial Port Cable (Tan Cable)

Connects Falcon Electronics to
Laptop

Battery Cable (Green Cable)

Optional Connects Falcon
Electronics to Battery

Falcon Electronics Top View

1 2 3

1) ON/OFF Switch for DC Battery Mode (optional)

2) ON/OFF Switch, Receptacle, and Fuse for 110/220 VAC Mode
3) Computer Receptacle for 110/220 VAC (Does not work when using the DC battery mode)

Please do not power DC Battery and 110/220 VAC at the same time. Also, do not charge battery with
the Falcon battery cable attached.

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Equipment Setup - Equipment Pictures

Hasp Security Key

Required for Software Operation

Encoder - Optional

Falcon JR
Optional

Please see the Falcon 2000 Mark II Operations Manual for more information on the Falcon 2000
Hardware.

Page 4
Equipment Setup - Computer and Power Requirements

IBM-PC computer (Pentium 3) with minimum clock speed of 800 Megahertz

Hard drive with 3 gigabytes or greater available
RAM - 256 Megabytes minimum (512 recommended for Windows XP)
CD Rom for Software Installation and Data Transfer
1024 X 768 pixel, 16bit color, or greater VGA graphics capability.

The voltage requirements for the Falcon 2000 Mark II system are:
85 to 265 Volts AC, 50/60 hertz (Instrument power supply adjusts itself automatically).
23 watts power consumption with standard scanner attached.

Power requirements of the New Falcon 2000 system are:

New Falcon 2000 instrument box + Falcon Sr. pushcart = 17 to 23 watts.
New Falcon 2000 instrument box + Falcon Jr. handscanner =16 to 21 watts.

Instrument size is low profile rectangular 11.5x3.5x13”(29.2x8.9x33cm).

Instrument weight is less than 5 pounds (2.3 Kg.).

Page 5
Equipment Setup - Software Description and Installation

The Falcon Mark II system comes on a single CD and with a menu that auto starts when the CD is
placed in the drive.

Check each application you would like to install:

WinTank – Falcon 2000 Mark II Data Collection Program
WinDataViewer – Falcon 2000 Mark II Data Analysis Program

During the installation, Icons will be created on the Desktop and in the Start Menu.

Page 6
Equipment Setup – Equipment Description and Setup

The FALCON 2000 MARK II system consists of the FALCON 2000 MARK II Electronics instrument, the
multi-channel scanner (Falcon Jr or Falcon Sr), a scanner cable (1 Foot or 50 Foot), a Hasp Security Key, a
custom serial port cable, and the IBM-PC computer.

Connections should be made in the following order:

(A) Turn on the IBM-PC computer and complete the boot process to the Windows desktop.

(B) Connect the serial port cable between the serial port (COM1) of the IBM-PC computer and the 9-
pin circular connector located on the bottom of the FALCON 2000 MARK II electronics.

(C) Turn on the FALCON 2000 MARK II instrument.

(D) Connect the multi-channel scanner cable to the connector located on the bottom of the FALCON
2000 MARK II instrument.

(E) To run the FALCON 2000 MARK II WinTank program double click the icon. Follow
directions on the screen.

In the event that power is lost on the electronics only, or the above procedure is not followed
when connecting and powering up the system, problems can occur due to different configurations
existing between the electronics and IBM-PC.

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WinTank – Controls

To run the FALCON 2000 MARK II collection software double click the “WinTank” icon on the
Windows Desktop. WinTank is a data collection and data save program for the FALCON 2000
MARK II developed in Windows. WinDataviewer is used to display the saved data and will be
discussed later in this document.

A text-based menu will be displayed on the screen that will ask the user what type of action is to
be taken.

File Menu:

File Name:
Enter the name of the file that collected data will be stored. This name is a series of
numbers in Plate-Sweep-Run format. The maximum values for these numbers are
9999-9999-999 respectively.

Calibration files should always be zero and range from 0-0-0 to 0-9999-999.

Annular ring plate files should be in the range from 9001-1-1 to 9999-9999-99.

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WinTank – Controls

File Stepper:
Automatically increments the Sweep number by one. See File Stepper option under the
WinTank Mouse Menu section.

Drive/Directory:
Denotes Directory where the data is stored. Press the Folder Setup button to change the
directory. The directory tree is five folders deep (i.e. Plant\Unit\Date\Inspection\Section
names)

Folder Setup:

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WinTank – Controls

Plant Folder Setup Dialog. This Window provides an interface to

change the folder where the collected data is stored. Each active text control can
be modified by either typing a name in the edit window or by selecting an existing
folder using the drop down buttons. For the above example, the storage location
for the collected data files are located in:
“C:\PLANT\UNIT\03-16-2010\Falcon Data\0000”.

Drive: Use default drive or press Down Arrow button for list of available
drives.

Plant Name: Enter the name of the plant or press the Down Arrow button to
make a selection.

Unit: Enter the name for the unit or press the Down Arrow button to
make a selection.

Date: This is the starting date for the inspection. Use the Down Arrow
button to display a calendar month. Use the Left/Right Arrow
buttons to change the month. Select the day of the month using the
left mouse button.

Inspection: This folder name is always “Falcon Data”.

Plate Group: Plate group folder name is created for every 50 plates.
0050 contains data for plates 1 through 49,
0100 contains data for plates 50 through 99 etc.
9000 contains data for ring plates 1 through 49
9050 contains data for ring plates 50 through 99 etc.

COLLECTION SCREEN CONTROLS

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WinTank – Controls

The data collection screen also has several options used to set up the system. The available
selections that can be made from the data collection screen are:

“Ctrl+L” POWER LEVEL

Pressing CTRL+L will toggle the power amplifier signal going to the driver coil between
LOW, MEDIUM or HIGH power. Each level doubles the amount of voltage going to the
driver coil.

TesTex recommends LOW power level for LFET.

“Ctrl+E” ENCODER (Optional)

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WinTank – Controls

Press CTRL+E to Display the Encoder dialog box. From this window the user can turn
the encoder on/off, set unit of measurement (English/Metric), and change wheel
diameter.

Encoder : Insert a check mark in the Enable box to enable the encoder. The speed alarm,
when checked, will sound an alarm whenever the cart is traveling too fast.

Units: Select Meters or Feet.

Cart Width : This is the width of the scanner. The Mark II (32 channel) has a cart width
of 0.3302 meters (13 inches) and the WingSpan (12 or 24 channel) has a cart width of
0.6096 meters (24 inches).

Encoder Wheel:
1). Offset - represents the distance from the sensors to the Encoder wheel.
The Mark II (32 channel) cart has two versions. The first version, the encoder wheel
located behind the back wheels. The offset is 209.55 mm (8.25 inches). The second
version, the encoder wheel is located in line with the back wheels. The offset is 133.35
mm (5.25 inches).
The Encoder wheel offset for the WingSpan is 88.9 mm (3.5 inches).
2). Diameter – This the diameter of the encoder wheel. Default value is 76.2 mm (3.0
inches).

“Ctrl+F” FREQUENCY ADJUSTMENT

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WinTank – Controls

Pressing CTRL+F activates the frequency adjust pop-up window that allows the user to
set the desired test frequency. This frequency will be in the range of 3-25 hertz. Follow
the directions on the pop-up window.

Frequency is determined by using a calibration plate to find the highest signal to noise
ratio. Frequency is affected by material properties and wall thickness. Shown below is a
chart of some approximate frequencies for carbon steel:

Material Frequency Wall

Carbon Steel 10 Hertz <8mm wall
(<0.315”)
Carbon Steel 7 Hertz 8-10mm walls
(0.315”-0.39”)
Carbon Steel 5 Hertz >10mm walls
(>0.39”)
(Frequencies shown above are approximate)

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WinTank – Controls

“Ctrl+G” GAIN

This sets the gains of the amplifiers in the instrument so that the signal from the probe
becomes large enough for the A/D converter to handle it. Set this gain so that the
amplitude is between 1000 and 3000. A good setting is to use a gain that puts the yellow
bar graph located in the upper right corner of the screen, between ¼ and ¾ of maximum.
Follow the directions on the screen for selecting a gain setting.

When complete, the phase readings will be zero degrees and all plots on the screen will
be balanced on the screen.

“Ctrl+O” File Menu

Please see page 6.

“Z” ZERO
Pressing Z will cause all of the phase signals to rotate to zero degrees and the waveforms
will be centered on the screen.

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WinTank – Controls

“Ctrl+T” SWEEP TIME

After pressing CTRL+T, use the dialog box shown below to adjust the plot sweep time.

The Sweep Time is the amount of time it takes for the data to cross the screen. At the end
of this time, the screen will clear and the sweep will start over.

The user can change the Sweep Time using the up and down arrow keys to change the
sweep time. TesTex normally recommends that Sweep Time be set to 20-30 seconds.

Note: When storing data the Sweep Time is the maximum allowable collection time.
When this sweep time is reached all data collection will stop.

“UP/Down Arrows”
Press the UP or DOWN arrows to change the phase scale for the plots. TesTex
recommends 5 degrees of phase for detection of most flaw types.

“Left/Right Arrows”
Press the LEFT or RIGHT arrow keys to change the Amplitude scale for the amplitude
plot. TesTex recommends the Amplitude to be set to 500 for most cases.

“F1” Mouse Menu

Shows the mouse right click menu.

“F4” Screen Views

Allows the user to pick three different Screen Views.

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WinTank – Controls

“F12” Sweep Setup

The Sweep Setup Dlg contains four control options for setting the sweep information
that is used by the encoder.

1. Sweep Type. The sweep type defines the scanning direction to perform on the plate
width respect to the plate reference point.
A). Left to Right scans the plate from left to right starting at left edge of plate.
B). Right to Left scans the plate from right to left starting at right edge of plate.
C). Top to Bottom scans the plate from top to bottom starting at top edge of plate.
D). Bottom to Top scans the plate from bottom to top starting at bottom edge of plate.
E). Arc scans the plate in Clockwise or Counter-Clockwise direction.
F). Diagonal scans the plate by angle,respect to North, specified by user.

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WinTank – Controls

2. Sweep Options:
A). Auto Sweep Increment. When checked the encoder Y-Position is updated by the
width of the scanner minus 1 inch (25.4mm) overlap.
B). S-Test Pattern. When checked the selected sweep type is toggled to opposite
scanning direction and encoder Y-Position is updated for the next sweep. Example, if
you begin sweep 1 with a Left to Right sweep type sweep 2 will toggle sweep type to
Right to Left. If additional sweeps are needed within the same sweep, press the cancel
button in the sweep setup window to return to previous sweep settings.

3. Plate Edge:
A). None. Normal plate scanning mode.
B). Left. When selected, scanning is performed on left edge of the plate. The Y-Position
is automatically set depending upon the sweep type Top to Bottom or Bottom to Top. For
Top to Bottom the y-position is set to width of cart, for Bottom to Top the y-position is
set to zero.
C). Right. When selected, scanning is performed on right edge of the plate. The Y-
Position is automatically set depending upon the sweep type Top to Bottom or Bottom to
Top. For Top to Bottom the y-position is set to zero, for Bottom to Top the y-position is
set to width of cart.
D).Top. When selected, scanning is performed on top edge of the plate. The Y-Position
is automatically set depending upon the sweep type Left to Right or Right to Left. For
Left to Right the y-position is set to zero, for Right to Left the y-position is set to width of
cart.
E). Bottom. When selected, scanning is performed on bottom edge of the plate. The Y-
Position is automatically set depending upon the sweep type Left to Right or Right to
Left. For Left to Right the y-position is set to width of cart, for Right to Left the y-
position is set to zero.

4. Arc Direction:
Direction of the Arc sweep type, Clockwise or Counter-Clockwise. Arc scans on ring
plate are measured from the ring plate's reference point (bottom left corner). The scans
are performed starting from the inner arc of the ring plate.
Arc scans for plates along the perimeter of the tank or ring are measured from the arc of
the plate.

5. Cart Position:
X-Position is the distance to the Encoder wheel.
Y-Position is the distance to the Left edge of the scanner (or location of channel 1 on
cart). The current y-position is shown below the Amplitude Bar display.

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WinTank – Screen Controls

“SPACEBAR”
Starts and stops actual data collection. Pressing the space bar once will activate the
collection mode and cause the incoming data to be stored in the computer memory.

Shows Shows the Folder and Filename

Comments. that you are saving.

Shows the Software in FREE

Shows Current File mode and is not saving Data.

Name.

The Collection Screen defaults to FREE mode. The Signal will sweep across the screen and
refresh when it reaches the right side of screen. Data is NOT saving.

Press SPACEBAR once and the software will switch to Collecting Data mode. DATA is
currently being collected and the screen will not refresh when it hits the right side of the screen.

Press SPACEBAR again and it will ask you if you would like to save data.
Y – YES
N – NO
C – Add comments.

After hitting Y – YES the software will either bring up the Filename Menu or if the File

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WinTank – Screen Controls

Stepper is turned on the Filename will automatically increment.

“Ctrl+K” Toggle Screen Color

This option changes the background color between black and white.

“F10” Open the last saved data file using WinDataviewer.

This option allows the user to quickly view the last file saved in WinTank.
* Please note: data must be saved from the collection program before the F10
key can be used.

“Ctrl+X” Exit WinTank

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WinTank – Mouse Menu

MOUSE MENU

Please right click on the Collection screen to show the Mouse Menu. You can also use the F1
key to show the Mouse Menu.

Mouse Menu Tree:

File
Channels –
16 Channels *
24 Channels
32 Channels (defaults)*
Disable Channels *
Options –
Calibration *
Display
Encoder
File Stepper
Toggle Screen Color
Processing
Settings –
Amplitude
Frequency
Gain
Level
Phase
Plant Information *
Serial Port *
Threshold
Time
Zero
Zero Reference Color *
Save Settings *
System
Load
Save
Help –
About
* Denotes options are only available on the Mouse Menu. There are no keystrokes.
Channels:
Allows the user to only show 16 channels if the user is using a Falcon Jr. or 32 channels if the
user is using a Falcon Sr. This option defaults to 32 channels.

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WinTank – Mouse Menu

Disable Heads-

Select the Channel that you would

like to disable. You can select as
many channels as you need.

Please note: Disabling heads does

not save after exiting the program.

*Warning: Disabling heads may compromise the

inspection. TesTex, Inc. recommends having the
equipment repaired.

Options:
Display – Allows the user to view Bar graph or numeric values of Pick Strength.
Bar Graph Numeric Values

Encoder “Ctrl+E”
This turns the wheel encoder on or off. When ON, a small box will appear at the bottom of the
screen which will show the amount of distance traveled in meters. The distance will
automatically be reset to ZERO METERS when the Z key is pressed or the space bar is pressed
to start collection of data.

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WinTank – Mouse Menu

Calibrate Encoder:

This function is to calibrate the wheel of the encoder. To calibrate the encoder wheel,
first mark a one foot length on the calibration plate. With the edge of the scanner at the
beginning of the mark press the “Start” button. Push the cart until the edge of the scanner is
at the end of the one foot mark then press the “Stop” button. Press the “OK” button to accept the
new wheel calibration or repeat the procedure. TesTex recommends this procedure at the
beginning of each inspection.

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WinTank – Mouse Menu

“Ctrl+J” File Stepper:

You can turn on the File Stepper by pressing F1 and selecting File Stepper under options:

Select enable, select the step value, select increment or decrement, and select to step the Row
(the first number) or sweep (the second number) and then click OK:

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WinTank – Mouse Menu

Settings:

Serial Port

Sets the Communication Port for the

software to communicate to the
Electronics Box. Com1 is the most
common setting for Serial Ports. The
default setting is Com1. The only time
that you will need to adjust this is if
you use a USB adapter.

* Note, If using a Serial to USB adapter, view the Ports (Com & LPT) item from Device
Manager to find the communication port assigned to the adapter.

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WinTank – Mouse Menu

“Ctrl+Q” Threshold-

Threshold Window -
Channels will Light when Phase
Value is greater than Threshold
Value.

The Alarm Threshold - Sets the Threshold value of the Threshold window to light when the
phase value is greater than threshold value. The Alarm Threshold has the option of being set for
Raw Phase or Processed Phase. This Alarm Threshold will also signal when the LEDS on the
Falcon Sr. or Falcon Jr. lights.

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WinTank – Mouse Menu

Zero Reference Color

Changes the zero reference of the legend from black to blue.
Options are:
Black (Default) Blue

Save Settings
Allows the user to save common system settings like Frequency, Driver level, Phase and
Amplitude scales, time sweep, and serial port configuration. Save settings does not save gain
levels or disabled heads.

Page 26
WinTank - Keystrokes

KeyStrokes for WinTank:

Main Collection Window:

Ctrl+D: Display
Ctrl+E: Encoder
Ctrl+F: Frequency
Ctrl+G: Gain
Ctrl+J: File Stepper
Ctrl+K: Toggle Screen Color
Ctrl+L: Power Level (Should be Set to LOW)
Ctrl+O: File Menu
Ctrl+Q: Threshold
Ctrl+S: Data Processing
Ctrl+T: Time Sweep

Alt+X: Exit Program

Z- Zero
F1 Mouse Menu
F4 Quickview Displays
F8 Exit Program
Up/Down arrows Phase Scale
Left/Right arrows Amplitude Scale

Page 27
WinTank - Encoder
Tank Preparation:

Before beginning tank inspection first number the plates then measure the height and
width of each plate for one quarter section of the tank as shown in the Figure below.

Annular Plate Width

Row Height

Height

Width

Page 28
WinTank - Encoder
File Names:
Calibration are named from 0-0-0 to 0-9999-999.
Horizontal sweeps are named from 1-1-1 to 9000-997-999.
Annular plate sweeps are named 9001-1-1 to 9999-9999-999 for
“A1” to “A9999” respectively.

Plate Number System and Reference Location:

Below is an example of a tank containing 41 plates and 20 annular plates.
The reference point for the first plate in each row, from the left, is located at bottom-right
(Plates #1,7,8,18,19,29,30, and 38).
The reference point for the remaining plates is located at bottom-left.
The bottom row is the same as the top rotated 180 degrees.
The location of the plate number represents the location of the reference point in the example
below.

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WinTank - Encoder

Sweep Setup Window:

Sweep Type: Sweep type is the type of scan to perform on the plate.
1). Left to Right sweep type when scanning plate from left to right of plate.
2). Right to Left sweep type when scanning plate from right to left of plate.
3). Top to Bottom sweep type when scanning plate from top to bottom of plate.
4). Bottom to Top sweep type when scanning plate from bottom to top of plate.
5). Arc sweep type when scanning along perimeter of tank shell or Annular ring plate.
Chose type of Arc Direction with this type.
6). Diagonal Enter angle of sweep with respect to North (zero degrees).

Sweep Options:
1). Auto Sweep Increment option will automatically calculate the cart's Y-position for the
next sweep after the current sweep is saved. Example: With a cart width of 330.2 mm
and current Y-position at 0 for sweep #1, the Y-position is updated to a value of 304.8
mm (25.4 mm overlap) for sweep #2 as shown in the figure below.
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WinTank - Encoder
2). S-Test Pattern when checked the the Y-position is updated for sweeps scanned in the
opposing direction.

Plate Edge:
1). None – X-axis is horizontal,Y-axis is vertical.
2). Left – Select this option to perform vertical scan with Top to Bottom or Bottom to Top
sweep type. X-axis is vertical, Y-axis is horizontal.
3). Right – Select this option to perform vertical scan with Top to Bottom or Bottom to Top
sweep type. X-axis is vertical, Y-axis is horizontal.
4). Top – Select this option to perform horizontal scan with either Left to Right or Right to
Left sweep type. X-axis is horizontal, Y-axis is vertical.
5). Bottom – Select this option to perform horizontal scan with either Left to Right or Right
to Left sweep type. X-axis is horizontal, Y-axis is vertical.

Arc Direction: Used in conjunction with Arc sweep type.

1). Clockwise
2). Counter-Clockwise

Diagonal: Enter angle (degrees) using North as reference (0 degrees). X and Y positions are
measured from the plate's reference point to channel one on scanner.

Cart Position:
1). X-Position – Measured distance from encoder to starting end of plate sweep.
If Diagonal sweep type then measurement is from the plate's reference point to channel
one on the scanner.
2). Y-Position – Measured distance from plate's reference point to channel one on the
scanner. If performing Arc sweep type on non-ring plate measurement is from arc weld
to channel one on the scanner. Y-Position is automatically calculated if performing scan
with Plate Edge other than None is selected.

Cancel:
Pressing the Cancel button will reset the all controls to their previous values. If you need to
perform multiple runs for a particular sweep press the cancel button after each saved sweep.
Then press F12 to display Sweep Setup Window and enter the new X-Position and change the run
number on the file name.

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WinTank - Encoder
Plate Testing Procedure:
The filename for each plate is made with respect to the plate number, the sweep number,
and the run number (number of times a sweep is repeated). Each plate is scanned (tested) in the
forward direction by pushing the cart.

Plate testing procedure for end plates:

Scanning should be performed by pushing the cart toward the shell (tank wall) in horizontal
direction. For these plates, scanning is best performed in one direction so as to minimize the
need to measure the cart X/Y position. Otherwise you will need to measure from the shell to the
encoder on the cart for the X-Position. In the figure below, sweeps #1 and #2 were scanned in
Right to Left direction. Sweep #3 was scanned with Bottom to Top sweep type with the Right
plate edge option selected (see Sweep Setup above). The Y-Position for these sweeps is
measured from the plate's Reference point to the first channel (left edge of cart).
Sweep #4 was done with Arc sweep type in the counter-clockwise (CCW) direction. The Y-
Position for arc sweeps on inner tank plates is measured from the curve of the plate as shown in
the Figure below. With a cart width of 0.330 Meters the Y-Position in CCW is 0.330 M, for CW
sweep the Y-Position would be 0.000M.

0.000 M

Y-Position
#4 0.330 M

#2 #3
0.330 M

#1

Plate
0.330 M 0.000 M Reference

Note : For the first plate in each row the plate's reference point is located at the bottom right. All
remaining plates the reference point is located at the bottom left.

Sweep # Plate-Sweep-Run Sweep Type Plate Edge X-Position (M) Y-Position (M)

1 1-1-1 Right to Left None 0.000 0.000

2 1-2-1 Right to Left None 0.000 0.305

3 1-3-1 Bottom to Top Right 0.000 Auto Defined

4 1-4-1 Arc (counter-clockwise) None 0.000 0.330

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WinTank - Encoder
Plate Testing Procedure (Continued):
When there is an obstruction in the sweep path more than one run is required. The Figure
below shows a plate that requires multiple runs for sweep #2. The filenames for these sweeps,in
plate #6, would be 6-2-1 for sweep #2 and 6-2-2 for sweep #3. Sweep #6 was scanned with
Bottom to Top sweep type and Right plate edge option selected. Sweep #7 was scanned with
Top to Bottom sweep type and Left plate edge option selected.

#5

#7 #4

#3 #2

#6
Plate
Reference #1

Plate Obstructions (multiple runs)

Sweep # Plate-Sweep-Run Sweep Type Plate Edge X-Position (M) Y-Position (M)

1 6-1-1 Left to Right None 0.000 0.330

2 6-2-1 Right to Left None 0.000 0.305

3 6-2-2 Right to Left None 0.750 0.305

4 6-3-1 Left to Right None 0.000 0.939

5 6-4-1 Right to Left None 0.000 0.914

6 6-5-1 Bottom to Top Right 0.000 Auto Defined

7 6-6-1 Top to Bottom Left 0.000 Auto Defined

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WinTank - Encoder
Plate Testing Procedure (Continued):

Annular-ring plate testing. The reference point is always located at bottom-left. Testing is
performed in either direction.

#4
#2

#1

#3

Plate
Reference

Sweep # Plate-Sweep-Run Sweep Type Plate Edge X-Position (M) Y_Position (M)

1 9019-1-1 Arc (Clockwise) None 0.000 0.330

2 9019-2-1 Arc (Counter-Clockwise) None 0.000 0.305

3 9019-3-1 Bottom to Top Left 0.000 Auto Defined

4 9019-4-1 Bottom to Top Right 0.000 Auto Defined

Page 34
WinTank - Encoder
Plate Testing Procedure (Continued):

Example of the Diagonal Sweep Type. The X and Y positions are measured from the plate's
reference to bottom left corner of the scanner (channel 1).

0 Degrees

#1

270 Degrees #4 #2 90 Degrees

Plate #3
Reference

180 Degrees

Sweep # Plate-Sweep-Run Sweep Type Angle (Degrees) X-Position (M) Y-Position (M)

1 9-1-1 Diagonal 0.00 1.000 0.750

2 9-2-1 Diagonal 90.00 1.400 0.750

3 9-3-1 Diagonal 180.00 1.330 0.420

4 9-4-1 Diagonal 270.00 0.950 0.420

Encoder:
Linear encoder data is saved with each filename. The encoder records the horizontal
position. At the beginning of each sweep the encoder is reset to zero plus the encoder start
position (X-Position). In the case where more than one run is required, the user enters the
starting X-Position from the plate edge to the encoder wheel. The Y-Position is measured from
the plate's reference point to the left edge of the scanner (channel 1).
When selecting a plate edge from the Sweep Setup Dialog, the Y-Position is
automatically set for you. For Arc sweep types: The Y-Position for an Annular Ring plate is
measured from the inner Arc to left edge of the scanner. Otherwise, the Y-Position is measured
from the arc of the plate to left edge of the scanner.

Page 35
 WinDataViewer
TesTex, Inc.
Data Analysis Program

Page 36
WinDataViewer - Controls

Initial Screen of WinDataViewer without data.

Loading Data:
Ctrl+O – Opens File Menu, which allows to open archived data.

Select the drive,

directory, and data file.

Page 37
WinDataViewer - Screen Plots

Display Analysis Screen Plots

The display program presents a series of views for the user to work from. The table
below shows the display screen and the numbers, which will be used when describing the
windows.

3
5

2 1

Page 38
WinDataViewer - Screen Plots

Screen Showing open Waveform.

Plot # Description
1 Raw data window. This plot will always display all of the channels for the
full stored length of the data. It will never show processed data, only the
actual data stored from the collection program.
2 Processed data window. This plot will always display all of the channels.
It will, however, display the processed data. Also, it will plot only the data
between the cursors.
3 This is a top down (C-Scan style) view. It is a color-coded view, which
uses the maximum signal from the data and applies it to the current scale
(see lower right side of figure) and generates a top down color-coded view
of the data. Processed data is displayed in this window.
4 This plot shows the maximum signal change at a given point for all of the
channels. This produces a side view of the data. Processed data is
displayed in this window.
5 This window is the information window and shows Calibrations and Plant
Information.

Page 39
WinDataViewer - Screen Plots

Additional Information about the Display Analysis Screen Plots

Additional information that can be found on the screen is:

• Max Phase in the top left corner of the screen. This number is the
maximum/minimum value on the scale of the plots.
• The drive, directory, and file name are listed in the bottom left corner of the
screen.
• Each Window on the screen is labeled in red text.
• The black numbers under the Raw Full Length (Phase) and the Zoomed Phase is
the timeline of collected samples.
• The bottom right corner of the screen shows the color legend, which allows you to
read a phase value from the color plots windows.

*Note: The color of the numbers, cursors, and background color will change if the Toggle
Screen color is used.

Page 40
WinDataViewer - Keystrokes

“P” Phase Scale

Allows the user to adjust the phase scale of the screen.

F1 – Switch Phase Amplitude

Switches the Windows from showing Phase to Amplitude.

Arrow Keys
Moves and adjusts the cursors used for cropping and zooming. The left and right arrows
move the entire cursor window. The up arrow increases the cursor window width. The
down arrow decreases the cursor window width. Holding the shift key with arrows will
increase the speed of the cursors.

Use the arrow

Windows show area keys to move
between the cursors the cursors.

Page 41
WinDataViewer - Keystrokes

Pg Up / Pg Down - Highlight individual heads or channels.

Use these buttons to highlight an individual head on the scanner so that each response can
be separately measured. The peak value of the data for that head is also displayed (side
view). Channel shown in black is the highlighted channel.

Page 42
WinDataViewer - Keystrokes

“B” Baseline Set

Pressing B activates the baseline adjustment. This key is used for zeroing the waveform
at a selected part of the plot. Following the directions on the screen, use the left / right
arrow keys to select the baseline position. Pressing Enter will cause all of the waveforms
to be set to zero at the point where the line crosses the waveforms. This is used to
compensate for data that was collected with an incorrect zero position and to help the user
produce more accurate peak value measurements. Holding the shift key with arrows will
increase the speed of the baseline cursor.

Cursor allows you to

set your zero
reference.

Page 43
WinDataViewer - Keystrokes

Space Bar
The Space Bar toggles the different plot types of the Zoom Phase Window.

Page 44
WinDataViewer - Keystrokes

F4 “Quick View”
Allows the user to pick different screen views.

Default View

View with Phase and Amplitude Showing

Page 45
WinDataViewer - Keystrokes

“C” Color
This feature switches from color to black and white view.

“Ctrl+K” Color Background

This feature switches the background color from black to white.

Page 46
WinDataViewer - Keystrokes

“Ctrl+V”
Allows the user to display and rotate a 3-D waveform. Click and hold on with 3-D
rotation window to show the waveform at different angles.

Alt+N
Allows the user to advance to the next waveform in the current directory.

Alt+P
Allows the user to advance to the previous waveform in the current directory.

F8
Exit the program.

Page 47
WinDataViewer - Mouse Menu

Mouse Menu:
The mouse menu can be accessed by right clicking or by pressing F2.

Options in the Mouse Menu Tree:

File - Keyboard Keystroke

Open (Ctrl+O)
Next (Alt-N)
Previous (Alt-P)
Phase/Amp Scales (P)
Baseline (B)
Background color - (Ctrl+K)
Dark Background
Light Background
Color Palette - (C)
Color
Gray
Cursor Scroll*
Calibration -
New *
Load *
Edit *
Insert*
Remove*
Details*
View *
Table*
Processed Data
Settings -
Encoder (Ctl+E)
Save *
Single Channel Display *
View -
Phase Data (F1)
Amp Data (F1)
3-D Rotation (Ctrl+V)
Plot Type (F4)
Plant Information *
Help -About

(Keyboard Keystroke)
* Denotes that the items are only available in the Mouse Menu. There are no keystrokes
available.

Page 48
WinDataViewer - Mouse Menu

Calibration :

New
Allows the user to create a new calibration table.

Load
Allows the user to load a previously saved calibration.

Edit
Allows the user to edit a new calibration or loaded calibration

View
Shows the user the new or loaded calibration.

For more information on calibrations, please refer to calibration section of this manual.

Settings:

Encoder
Save
Allows user to display encoded data. An encoder must be used during collection to use
this function.

Page 49
WinDataViewer - Encoder

To Capture plate data for tank mapping software perform the following procedures:

1). Load the calibration curve data.(Calibration -> Load menu item).
2). Open a sweep data file collected from the inspected tank.
3). Turn on the Encoder (Ctrl+E).
4). Turn on Wall Loss Mode (Ctrl+L) (Optional).
5). Press Ctrl+S to toggle gradual/pitting mode.
6). Crop data using arrow keys.
7). Highlight flaw region using mouse. From Feature Properties Window enter %wall
loss. Press OK button to record the properties into the plate's database.
8). To delete a highlighted flaw region, right click mouse button with cursor inside
flaw region. From the Feature Properties Window press Delete button.

Page 50
WinDataViewer - Encoder

Feature property window.

Top view showing highlighted feature.

Page 51
 Appendix A
Instructions on Creating a Calibration Curve in WinData Viewer
Appendix –A Instructions on Creating a Calibration Curve in WinDataViewer

Calibration Plates:
To make a valid calibration, a plate needs at least two same diameter flaws at different
known wall loss values.

The calibration file names should be in the range from 0-0-0 to 0-9999-999.

TesTex typically uses 3/8” (9.5mm) or 1 /2” (12.7mm) diameter flaws to simulate pits
and typically puts 2 different wall losses per diameter.

The following are Instructions on How to make a Calibration Curve in WinDataViewer:

*Note, Gradual calibrations should be performed last.

1) Collect and store data from calibration plate with two known wall loss defects.
2) Open stored calibration plate in WinDataViewer.
3) For pit calibrations apply pit median processing. For Gradual calibrations apply
gradual median processing.

3) Turn the calibration mode on by selecting NEW from Calibration menu.

Page 53
Appendix –A Instructions on Creating a Calibration Curve in WinDataViewer

4) Enter data in Calibration Info Dialog:

* Open Air relates to I.D. inspections, please disregard.

5) Enter Diameter of flaw and two of its wall loss percentages. If more than two wall
losses are available please use the lowest and highest percentages.

6) Crop the smallest percentage of the defect by using the red cursor bars (Arrow Keys)

Page 54
Appendix –A Instructions on Creating a Calibration Curve in WinDataViewer

7) Use PageUP and PageDown to isolate channel with largest flaw response.

8) Check to make sure the baseline is on red line in the “Side View (Phase)” Window.
The red line is the zero line and shows the highest phase value above the red line.

The baseline is the nominal section of the plate.

If the baseline is below the red line, the phase value will be lower than the actual value.
If baseline is above the red line, the phase value will be higher than the actual value.

You can change the baseline with “B” command. Press “B” and move the cursor bar to
the nominal wall thickness and hit Enter.

Page 55
Appendix –A Instructions on Creating a Calibration Curve in WinDataViewer

Channel 15 is highlighted and shows a phase value of 4.12.

9) With the smallest percentage flaw highlighted hit F12. F12 will input flaw data into
the calibration table. Repeat setups 6-9 for the larger wall loss.

10) Once two data points are entered, the calibration is ready to use.

11) TesTex recommends saving the calibration at this time. Press F2 and select SAVE
under the Calibration menu.

Page 56
Appendix –A Instructions on Creating a Calibration Curve in WinDataViewer

Note: You can add multiple Diameters of flaws by pressing F2, and selecting INSERT
under Edit under Calibration and repeating steps 5-11.

12) There are two ways of using the calibration:

A: Use experimental auto sizing. If the calibration is loaded you can hit ENTER
over a defect and it will give you a wall loss value. Please remember this option is still
experimental, but shows promising results.

B: Make a Calibration Chart that you can use as a reference to calculate wall loss
values. Once the Calibration is loaded you can Mouse Right Click on Table under View
under Calibration.

Press F3 to display the calibration table.

Press F4 to close calibration table.

Page 57
Appendix –A Instructions on Creating a Calibration Curve in WinDataViewer

Show above is the view with the Calibration plate shown.

You can print out the calibration by right clicking on window and selecting Print. TesTex
recommends having a printed copy of the calibration during field acquisition.

Page 58
 Appendix B
Save Data Instructions for WinTank Software

Page 59
Appendix –B Save Data Instructions for WinTank Software:

1) Select a Filename Number from the Ctrl+O menu.

* Note – Plate number should always be zero for calibration plates.
For ring plates the plate number should be 9000 + ring plate number.
9001 = A1, 9002 = A2, etc.

Page 60
Appendix –B Save Data Instructions for WinTank Software:

2) Select the Drive/Directory. You can type the directory name or you can click
BROWSE and select the directory name from directories already on the hard disk.
Click OK when finished.
Inspection folder name is always called 'FALCON DATA'.
Section folder name is created for every 50 plates.
0050 contains data for plates 1 through 49,
0100 contains data for plates 50 through 99 etc.
9000 contains data for ring plates 1 through 49
9050 contains data for ring plates 50 through 99 etc.

Page 61
Appendix –B Save Data Instructions for WinTank Software:

Shows Shows the Folder and Filename

Comments. that you are saving.

Shows the Software in FREE

Shows Current File mode and is not saving Data.

Name.

4) The Collection Screen is now in FREE mode. The Signal will sweep across the screen
and refresh when it reaches the right side of screen. Data is NOT saving.

5) Press SPACEBAR once and the software will switch to Collecting Data mode.
DATA is currently being collected and the screen will not refresh when it hits the right
side of the screen.

6) Press SPACEBAR again and it will ask you if you would like to save data.
Y – YES
N – NO
C – Add comments.

7) After hitting Y – YES the software will either bring up the Filename Menu (Step 1) or
if the File Stepper is turned on the Filename will automatically increment.

Page 62
Appendix –B Save Data Instructions for WinTank Software:

1) Open WinDataViewer.

2) Press F2 and select OPEN FILE under File menu.

Page 63
Appendix –B Save Data Instructions for WinTank Software:

3) Select directory that data was saved in and click open.

Page 64
Appendix –B Save Data Instructions for WinTank Software:

4) Select File and click open.

Page 65
Appendix –B Save Data Instructions for WinTank Software:

Plate Filename and directory are

displayed.

5) The waveform should now be shown on the screen.

6) Press ALT+N to switch to the next scan in the directory or press ALT+P to switch to the
previous scan.

Page 66
 Appendix C
Falcon Sr. Assembly and Parts List

Page 67
Appendix C Falcon Sr. Assembly and Parts list

Item # Quantity Description

1 2 Thumb screws- 8-32 x 1 ½ “

2 4 1” plastic spacers
3 2 Knurled nuts – 7/8”
4 4 Rubber bumpers
5 4 ½” plastic spacers – ½” OD x ¼” ID
6 2 Thumb screws – 8-32 x 1”
7 4 Aluminum wheel shafts
8 4 Wheel assembly
9 2 Clivis pin w/ retaining clips – 1 ¼” x ¼”
10 2 Thumb screws – 8-32 x 2”
11 2 Aluminum handle base
12 1 Handle
13 1 Notebook holder

Velcro strap for notebook - 36”

1
(not shown)

Page 68