Development of a magnetic sensor for detection of moderate carburization damages in heat-resistant HP-Nb tubes of steam reforming furnaces

Although carburization is not a typical occurrence in steam reforming furnaces, this localized damage can occur and its detection is an important issue. A magnetic sensor based in the magnetic flux density variation has been proposed for the carburization detection in samples coming from steam reformer tubes. A three-dimensional model, by finite-element method (FEM), supported the optimization and development of a magnetic sensor for the detection of carburized samples. The experimental results indicated that the developed sensor, with high sensitivity, allowed to detect regions with moderate carburization damages.