On-Site Digital Radiography
Digital radiography replaces photographic film with an electronic detector, so the radiographic image is available within moments of the exposure rather than after wet processing in a darkroom. The image can be reviewed on site, adjusted for contrast and density on screen, stored without degrading, and transmitted immediately to an interpreter or the asset owner.
Why on-site digital radiography matters
On a live rail corridor the binding constraint is the possession — the window in which the line is closed to traffic. Film has to be developed before anyone knows whether a weld passed, which frequently means the crew has left site before the result is known, and a rejected weld needs a second possession to correct. Seeing the image while the team is still on site collapses that loop: a failed joint can be cut out and re-welded in the same window. Digital images also cannot be lost or degraded the way film archives are, which matters when a joint is queried years later.
What it detects
Where it is applied
- ●Rail weld inspection during short possessions
- ●Pipeline and pressure equipment inspection
- ●Situations requiring an immediate accept/reject decision
- ●Long-term digital archiving of inspection evidence
DELIVERED USING RADIOGRAPHIC TESTING (RT)
Applicable Standards
TFR BBB Specification, ASME B31.3, SNT-TC-1A Level III Certifications
Professional Equipment
Ir-192 Gamma Sources, Digital Capture Systems, Mobile Field Units, 100XD Film
Common questions
Is digital radiography as sensitive as film?
Modern digital detectors achieve image quality comparable to film for the great majority of industrial work, and are verified against the same image-quality indicators. The practical difference is speed of access to the image and the durability of the record, not a loss of diagnostic capability.
Can results be shared before we leave site?
Yes. That is the main reason to use it. Images are captured and reviewed in the field, so an accept or reject decision can be made while the crew and equipment are still in position.
How are digital radiographs stored and retrieved?
Images are captured against the specific joint and job they belong to and retained digitally, so an individual weld can be recalled later by its job and joint reference without searching physical film archives.
Where we deliver it
MPIA Services is based in Durban (also known as eMkhomazi), KwaZulu-Natal, and carries out on-site digital radiography on site across all nine South African provinces. Mobile field units travel to the asset, so the work happens in place — on live rail corridors, in yards and depots, and at industrial sites — rather than requiring components to be sent away. See where we work.
Need on-site digital radiography?
Tell us the asset, the standard you need to satisfy and where the work is. We will come back with scope, timing and a quotation.
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