Developments in Near Electrical Resonance Signal Enhancement (NERSE) Eddy-Current Methods

In industry, the detection of small defects above a background noise threshold is always a limiting factor. This is true for even the most sensitivity and reliable of NDT techniques. However, defect signals in eddy-current (EC) inspections have the potential to be boosted above noise thresholds by exploiting the near electrical resonance signal enhancement (NERSE) phenomena, resulting from resonant frequency-shifting of an EC system as the coil passes over a defect. Following on from the observation and characterisation of this phenomenon, NERSE based EC methods are being investigated and developed for the detection of sub-millimeter surface defects in Aerospace superalloys. This paper discusses current advances in the development of such techniques and explores the potential of NERSE exploitation as well as examining its limitations.