Hatch Launches Ultrasonic Inspection Technology That Scans Through Multi-Layered Industrial Walls Without Shutdowns

Engineering and project delivery firm, Hatch, has launched an ultrasonic inspection technology designed to detect hidden corrosion, cracks and structural deterioration deep inside operating industrial assets without requiring them to be shut down.

The technology, called LayerSense, sends low-frequency ultrasonic pulses through multi-layered structures while they remain in operation. Engineers analyse the returning signals to measure internal layers and identify damage forming deep within walls up to 600mm thick, with accuracy to within 2mm for individual layers as thin as 10mm.

Hatch says the technology addresses a growing problem across Australia’s mining, ports, transport and aviation sectors, where operators are pushing ageing assets well beyond their original design life to avoid the cost of replacement.

The hidden problem

The core issue, according to Hatch, is that traditional inspection methods cannot detect deterioration developing deep within complex industrial structures. Cracks, internal separation and corrosion can form slowly and out of sight inside pipelines, processing equipment, blast furnaces, smelters and rail systems, going undetected until they cause dangerous failures or costly unplanned shutdowns.

Brisbane-based Managing Director of Technologies at Hatch, Simon Nitschke, pointed to the engineering reality facing operators across multiple sectors.

“In critical industries such as mining, shipping and transport, asset replacement cycles have lengthened,” Nitschke explained. “But we’re often talking about machines that weigh thousands of tonnes and were designed for very different operating conditions when they were first built.”

“The engineering challenge is no longer simply keeping assets running longer. It’s understanding how those assets are ageing while they remain in operation. Extending their lifespan can only be done safely if operators understand how materials and components are degrading over time.”

Nitschke noted that while low-frequency pulse ultrasonic systems exist, the challenge has been developing a system that can assess walls comprising three, four or more layers, which is what LayerSense is designed to do.

How it works

LayerSense integrates advanced non-destructive testing techniques with structural monitoring systems and data analysis. The system transmits a range of low-frequency ultrasonic pulses through an asset’s structure. By analysing the signals that return, engineers can build a picture of internal wall conditions and identify corrosion, cracks and wall-thickness loss across multiple layers.

Because the pulses are tuned to penetrate dense, multi-layered materials, the system can work through structures that conventional ultrasonic equipment cannot assess.

The technology is an evolution of Hatch’s earlier StaveCheck system, which has been used in the global steel industry to monitor the condition of operating blast furnaces. StaveCheck measures the thickness of furnace cooling staves through the steel shell and refractory lining from outside the furnace. Hatch has been developing and refining this approach in the field for more than a decade.

Technical Lead for the project and the inventor of LayerSense at Hatch, Afshin Sadri, described the commercial value of the capability.

“If operators can better predict when equipment needs repair, reinforcement or replacement, they can align equipment downtime with planned shutdown activities,” Sadri explained.

“Across heavy industry, operators are being asked to get more life out of increasingly complex and ageing infrastructure. The challenge for engineers is ensuring those assets can continue operating safely, reliably and efficiently while giving operators greater visibility into what is happening beneath the surface.”

Sadri noted that LayerSense differs from conventional industrial ultrasonic systems in the way its pulses are generated and received, allowing it to measure through complex structures with three, four or more layers.

BHP case study: Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter

The technology’s predecessor was tested over an extended period at BHP Nickel West’s Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter in Western Australia.

The smelting furnace required routine monitoring of its high-temperature lining integrity. Without rigorous inspection, the heat-resistant lining inside the furnace could potentially leak, and any failure could cause significant damage to both the furnace and surrounding equipment.

BHP had relied primarily on temperature sensors, but those sensors could not reveal cracks and internal separation developing inside the lining itself.

Hatch was brought in to monitor the furnace using its ultrasonic scanning technology, sending soundwaves into the structure to build a picture of internal conditions without disassembly. Over approximately six years, Hatch tracked the condition of the furnace base and pinpointed exactly where the lining was cracking.

The technology detected the first signs of damage around three years before they could have threatened the furnace’s structural integrity. That early warning allowed BHP to plan a shutdown and repair the furnace before it failed, avoiding extensive damage to surrounding equipment and infrastructure.

When the repair was carried out during a planned shutdown, the location of the cracking was verified. The accretion build-up levels reported by the ultrasonic scanning inspections during the operating campaign were also validated, confirming the accuracy of the technology on assets that are not normally accessible during operation.

A growing need

The launch comes as Australian heavy industry faces pressure from tighter margins and the operational risks associated with extending the life of ageing infrastructure. Incidents including conveyor collapses in mining operations and structural failures causing injuries and operational disruption have highlighted the consequences of undetected deterioration.

Hatch argues the gap in the market has been the ability to inspect assets non-invasively while they continue to operate, particularly through complex multi-layered structures where damage is most difficult to detect and most dangerous when it goes unnoticed.

Last Updated on August 19, 2026 by Nick Ross