Composite Repair Inspection: Q&A with Calum Macnaughton

A major contributor to the success of INSONO™, Calum Macnaughton joined ICR in 2018 and has since progressed to the role of Inspection & Integrity Engineer, where day-to-day he helps operators around the world adopt this composite inspection technology within their asset integrity strategies.

Now, almost four years after its launch, we caught up with Calum to get his latest insights into this one-of-a-kind inspection technology.

Q1. For those unfamiliar, what is INSONO™ and what challenge was it designed to solve?

“INSONO™ is a non-intrusive inspection technology developed to assess the condition of composite repairs while they remain in service. Historically, once a composite repair was installed, there was no practical way of verifying its condition without removing it or waiting for visible signs of deterioration.

INSONO™ was developed to address that challenge by providing operators with a means of assessing the integrity of a repair and identifying potential anomalies without affecting the repair itself or interrupting operations.”

Q2. Why is composite repair inspection becoming increasingly important for asset owners and operators?

“Composite repairs have become widely accepted across the energy industry and many assets now contain repairs that have been in service for ten, fifteen or even twenty years. As these repairs age, operators need confidence that they continue to perform as intended.

Inspection provides evidence of ongoing integrity, supports life extension decisions and helps operators move away from purely time-based replacement strategies. Ultimately, inspection allows decisions to be based on the actual condition of the repair rather than assumptions about age.”

Q3. You’ve been heavily involved in the development of INSONO™. How did the technology evolve from concept to a fully deployable inspection solution?

“The development process involved extensive workshop testing, field trials and validation work across a wide range of repair configurations. Early work focused on understanding how different defects and anomalies influenced the inspection response.

This was followed by the development of procedures, acceptance criteria, operator training requirements and inspection methodologies. The focus throughout was ensuring the technology could produce reliable and repeatable results under real operating conditions rather than simply demonstrating capability in a workshop environment.”

Q4. One of INSONO™’s strengths is its ability to support the ongoing integrity of Technowrap™ repairs. How does the technology give operators greater confidence in their assets?

“INSONO™ allows operators to gather objective condition data from repairs that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to assess. Rather than relying solely on visual examination or assumptions based on age, operators can make informed decisions based on inspection results.

This supports integrity management programmes by helping identify repairs that remain fit for service, highlighting areas requiring further assessment and providing evidence to support continued operation.”

Q5. How does INSONO™ compare with traditional NDT techniques when inspecting engineered composite repairs?

“Traditional NDT techniques were primarily developed for metallic assets and can be limited when applied to engineered composite repairs. INSONO™ has been specifically developed to inspect composite repair systems, enabling the detection and characterisation of anomalies within the laminate and at the bond line.

This provides asset owners with a level of insight that is often difficult to achieve using conventional inspection methods.”

Q6. How important is inspection data in supporting life extension and the deferment of repair replacement?

“Inspection data is fundamental to effective integrity management. Much like conventional metallic inspection programmes, informed decisions can only be made when there is a clear understanding of the asset’s condition and how that condition changes over time.

By establishing a baseline inspection and carrying out periodic assessments, operators can monitor the health of a composite repair, identify any degradation mechanisms and assess whether the repair continues to perform as intended. This enables evidence-based decisions regarding continued service, life extension and repair replacement, helping to maximise asset life whilst maintaining safety and reliability.”

Q7. You’ve presented and demonstrated INSONO™ to clients around the world. What feedback have you received from operators and asset integrity teams?

“The most common feedback is that operators have been looking for a practical inspection solution for composite repairs for many years. Integrity teams understand the value of composite repairs but have often lacked a means of assessing them once installed.

Clients are generally interested in how inspection data can support risk-based inspection strategies, life extension programmes and integrity assessments. There has also been strong interest in reducing uncertainty around older repairs that have been operating successfully for many years.”

Q8. What excites you most about the future of INSONO™ and the role it can play in helping operators maximise asset life while maintaining safety and reliability?

“The most exciting aspect is the opportunity to move composite repair management towards a more condition-based approach. As more inspection data is gathered, operators will be able to make increasingly informed decisions regarding repair life, inspection intervals and replacement requirements.

This has the potential to improve safety, reduce unnecessary intervention and help maximise the value obtained from both the repair and the underlying asset.”

Make Your Asset Integrity Strategy Smarter with INSONO™

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