Services/Phased Array UT (PAUT)
Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) & AUT Services
Phased array ultrasonic testing steers and focuses a multi-element probe electronically, producing a real-time cross-sectional image of a weld or wall in a single pass — faster and more sensitive than conventional single-element UT, and without the radiation controls RT requires.
Prime's Level II and Level III technicians run PAUT and fully automated ultrasonic testing (AUT) rigs for pipeline girth weld acceptance, corrosion mapping, and weld inspection on process piping and pressure equipment, delivering encoded, reviewable data files with every scan.
- Single-Scan Weld Imaging
- PAUT & AUT Specialists
What we inspect
Certified Level II and Level III technicians, PAUT and AUT deployed where they give the clearest, fastest read.
Pipeline Girth Welds
Mechanized AUT scanning with encoded PAUT and TOFD channels for new-construction girth weld acceptance as an alternative to radiography, including API 1104 Annex A alternative (ECA-based) acceptance criteria where the project specifies them.
Corrosion Mapping
PAUT-based wall-thickness mapping on piping and vessels to characterize corrosion, erosion, and wall loss over an inspected area.
Process Piping & Vessel Welds
Manual and encoded PAUT on process piping, pressure vessel seams, and nozzle welds where access or geometry limits radiography.
Structural & Fabrication Welds
PAUT weld inspection on structural steel and fabricated components, imaging the full weld volume in a single scan.
Why owners and EPCs choose Prime's PAUT program
Faster than film
Results are available immediately on-screen, with no film development or radiation exclusion zone to clear before the crew moves on.
Detects what film can miss
Cross-sectional imaging is well suited to planar defects like lack-of-fusion that can be harder to characterize on a radiograph.
Certified crews
Level II technicians certified to our written practice under ASNT SNT-TC-1A / ANSI/ASNT CP-189, with ASNT Level III oversight and AWS CWI support where the specification calls for it, experienced with encoded PAUT and AUT scanning systems.
Code-qualified procedures
Scanning procedures written and qualified to the examination requirements of ASME Section V and the acceptance criteria of the governing code in your project spec — API 1104, ASME B31, or ASME Section VIII, as applicable.
Semi-automated UT for tie-ins, repairs and fittings
Where an AUT band will not fit — tie-ins, repair welds, fittings and short runs — our crews run semi-automated UT: encoded phased array (PAUT) and TOFD on a hand-driven scanner, with the same encoded, reviewable record as mainline AUT. Technicians are certified to our written practice under ASNT SNT-TC-1A / ANSI/ASNT CP-189.
Related inspection services
Prime also covers these methods and industries.
Frequently asked questions
What is phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT)?
PAUT uses a multi-element ultrasonic probe to steer and focus the sound beam electronically, producing a cross-sectional image of the weld or wall in a single scan — faster and more sensitive than single-element conventional UT.
What's the difference between PAUT and AUT?
PAUT refers to the phased array probe technology itself; AUT (automated ultrasonic testing) refers to a mechanized scanner, often carrying multiple PAUT and TOFD channels, that records and encodes full weld coverage for pipeline girth welds — commonly used in place of radiography on new construction.
Can PAUT replace radiography for weld acceptance?
On many new-construction pipeline projects, yes — AUT/PAUT is an accepted alternative to RT under API 1104 when qualified per the code's AUT provisions. We confirm acceptance criteria against your project specification before mobilizing.
Capabilities & Technology
Put certified eyes on your welds
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