NDT Goes Underwater on New Episode of Chat NDT with ASNT

This month’s episode of Chat NDT with ASNT (ASNT’s official podcast) delves into underwater NDT with Josh de Monbrun, the chair of ASNT’s Underwater NDT Committee. Josh is a commercial diving supervisor and subsea engineer, and holds ASNT NDT Level III in ET, MT, PT, RT, UT, and VT, and IRRSP certification in gamma and X-ray. He currently works and lives in Anchorage, Alaska, as the Technical Authority at MISTRAS Group Inc., and is pursuing a PhD in Engineering and NDT from the University of Northampton.

In the episode, podcast host Debbie Segor, CAE, speaks with Josh about his career path, current methods and technologies used in underwater NDT, different paths to becoming an underwater inspector, the use of robotics and remotely operated vehicles to increase inspector safety, and the future of the industry. A surprising variety of industries need qualified inspectors who are also capable divers, and this need is expected to grow.

The oil and gas industry might be the first that comes to mind for underwater NDT, particularly offshore assets in the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea. Underwater NDT inspectors are also called upon to inspect ships and barges. As Josh notes, this is especially important to keep military vessels from having to go into dry dock to be inspected, which would make them unable to deploy if needed. These inspections are also crucial to the shipping industry. While these industries might be the first you think of when considering underwater NDT, many underwater inspections don’t even occur in the ocean.

There is a pressing and widespread need for underwater NDT inspectors in infrastructure, including numerous inland projects, according to Josh. Underwater inspections are used for dams, docks, bridges, wharfs, marinas, above-ground storage tanks, and water towers. As Josh discusses, the United States has a growing number of structures that require inspection in the coming years, and the current interest and investment in infrastructure makes this a good time for inspectors to pursue the opportunities of underwater NDT.

To learn more about underwater NDT, including different paths for NDT inspectors to get involved in this growing industry, listen to the full episode below or search for Chat NDT with ASNT in your favorite podcast platform.

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Haley Cowans is Educational Materials Editor at ASNT, hcowans@asnt.org.

Debbie Segor, CAE, is Marketing and Communications Manager at ASNT, and the host of Chat NDT with ASNT. To be a guest on the podcast, contact desgor@asnt.org.

Josh de Monbrun is chair of ASNT’s Underwater NDT Committee and the Technical Authority at MISTRAS Group, Inc.

To read more about underwater NDT, check out the following:

• Josh de Monbrun wrote “Applications for Underwater Ultrasonic Testing” for ASNT Pulse in January 2021. Check it out here: https://blog.asnt.org/applications-for-underwater-ultrasonic-testing/

• “Reliability of Underwater Acoustic Imaging and Underwater Ultrasonic Testing,” presented at NDE/NDT for Structural Materials Technology for Highway & Bridges by Terence M. Browne, Roy A. Forsyth and Thomas R. Consi, https://ndtlibrary.asnt.org/2014/ReliabilityofUnderwaterAcousticImagingandUnderwaterUltrasonicTesting
• “Underwater ACFM Inspection Using ROVs,” presented at Fall Conference & Quality Testing Show 2009 by Martin Lugg, https://ndtlibrary.asnt.org/2009/UnderwaterACFMInspectionUsingROVs#
• “Acoustic Imaging to Enhance Bridge Inspection and Bridge Repair Design,” presented at Structural Materials Technology 2012 by Jeffrey B. Rowe, https://ndtlibrary.asnt.org/2012/AcousticImagingtoEnhanceBridgeInspectionandBridgeRepairDesign
• “Alternating Current Field Measurement Testing” by Martin Lugg and Michael Smith, Materials Evaluation, Volume 76, Issue 1, https://ndtlibrary.asnt.org/2018/AlternatingCurrentFieldMeasurementTesting
• “3D Printing Advances Subsea Inspection and Repair,” published on ASNT Pulse in July 2021 https://blog.asnt.org/3d-printing-advances-subsea-inspection-and-repair/

Photo courtesy of Josh de Monbrun.