June 24, 2022 - Hexagon Digital Wave, a business of Hexagon Composites, has received an equivalency certificate from Transport Canada (TC) authorizing the use of its Modal Acoustic Emission (MAE) technology in continued service life requalification of cylinders used in firefighting applications. This equivalency certificate represents entry into Canada, a new market for Hexagon Digital Wave.

With an initial service life of 15 years, for cylinders to remain in service for a maximum service life of 30 years, the cylinders need to be requalified once every 5 years using the Modal Acoustic Emission requalification process.

Modal Acoustic Emission provides first responders with the confidence in knowing their cylinders have been requalified with the safest TC and DOT (Department of Transport in the US) approved technology. By continuing the service life of cylinders, Fire Departments can refocus their time, energy, and budgets on other key functions of firefighting that need continual attention,” says Melissa Holler, President, Hexagon Digital Wave. “Continued service life requalification of the cylinders is the first advancement in technology brought to the North American Fire Service that doesn’t come with a significant cost attached."

Joint research project

The certification is the direct result of a joint research project between Transport Canada and Hexagon Digital Wave that took place in 2020 to evaluate end of life performance and requalification methods for TC-3CCM cylinder used in Fire Fighting applications. Cylinders approaching 15 years of service life were collected from Canadian Fire departments to be part of the study to evaluate end of life burst strength, ambient cycle life, notch tolerance, impact tolerance, environmental exposure, and improvement of liner fatigue life. Furthermore, the study evaluated the efficacy of the 3 potential requalification methods (Hydrostatic testing, Modal Acoustic Emission, and feature based Acoustic Emission) for TC-3CCM cylinders.

The study concluded that all cylinders tested at or approaching the end of their service life possessed:

• residual burst strength greater than that required at time of manufacture
• residual cycle life compared to an additional 15 years of service
• acceptable notch and impact tolerance
• residual cycle life with respect to extreme temperature environmental cycling.

The study found Modal Acoustic Emission to be the most effective method relative to identifying structurally compromised cylinders.

With the issuance of this TC-SU 13583 certification, Transport Canada becomes the second regulatory agency authority with high pressure compressed gas cylinder oversight to acknowledge and approve the benefits and safety provided by Modal Acoustic Emission.

Driving energy transformation

By continuing the service life of cylinders, raw material and energy consumption is reduced and landfill waste eliminated, truly achieving Hexagon’s vision of Clean Air Everywhere. To date, Modal Acoustic Emission has helped avoid 235 metric tons of landfill waste globally.

Contacts:

Karen Romer, SVP Communications, Hexagon Composites
Telephone: +47 950 74 950 | [email protected]

Ryan C. Pennock, Head of Marketing and Business Development, Hexagon Digital Wave
Telephone: +1 770 262 4719| [email protected]

About Hexagon Digital Wave
Hexagon Digital Wave, a business of Hexagon Composites ASA, is a manufacturer of Ultrasonic Examination (UE) cylinder testing equipment, Modal Acoustic Emission (MAE) testing equipment and a provider of associated inspection services. With applications worldwide, Hexagon Digital Wave serves government entities, academic institutes, and private clients in the compressed gas and pressure vessel industries.

About Hexagon Composites ASA
Hexagon delivers safe and innovative solutions for a cleaner energy future. Our solutions enable storage, transportation, and conversion to clean energy in a wide range of mobility, industrial and consumer applications. Learn more at www.hexagongroup.com and follow @HexagonASA on Twitter and LinkedIn.