Predictika · Field NDT and acoustic emission inspection jobs

An AI sales agent's field inspection job, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a field inspection job for an industrial plant: the inspection method, the asset, how the crew reaches it, the crew and schedule and the job total. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the applicability and planning rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: Field NDT and acoustic emission inspection jobs: ultrasonic thickness, phased array, TOFD, digital radiography, magnetic particle, liquid penetrant, pulsed eddy current, MONPAC, TankPAC and VPAC II. See everything this validator covers

This validator models field inspection jobs built from these methods, not just the scenarios shown below. Items marked * are illustrative additions.

  • Methods and assets — MONPAC is for pressure vessels and tanks under pressure, TankPAC for storage tank floors in service, VPAC II for valves in service; magnetic particle needs carbon steel, pulsed eddy current screens insulated carbon steel, and bare-surface methods need the insulation removed.
  • Access — ground access, scaffold*, rope access, V-Deck suspended work platform and drone (unmanned systems); each has a height range and crew rule, and radiography needs a cleared area and cannot be done from rope access or a drone.
  • Crew, schedule and total — Level III on acoustic emission jobs, a standby attendant for confined space, wall-thickness minimums for TOFD and phased array, shift length, job length, and the job total compared with the figure the agent states.

Any field inspection job that touches these methods and rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: pipeline in-line inspection, engineering and consulting services, monitoring software and sensor systems, other methods on Mistras's service pages, and regional labor rules. Applicability rules and rates are typical for this industry and were not published by Mistras Group.

The AI sales agentBuilds the field inspection job from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Methods that apply only to certain assets and conditionsOnly with care
A rule per method on the asset type and whether the equipment is in service; each new method adds more rules.		The method, asset and operating condition are in one request and every pairing is checked together.
Insulation that must come off for some methods but not othersOnly with workarounds
Depends on a method on one line and a fact about the asset on another, with exceptions for methods that work through insulation.		The method and the asset facts travel together, so each method is checked against the insulation fact.
Access methods with height ranges and crew minimumsOnly with care
A range and a crew rule per access method, each also depending on the method chosen.		Height, access, crew and method are checked together on every call.
A Level III or an attendant that the crew must includeOnly with care
Crew composition rules depend on the method and the space; they can be written but have to be maintained for each.		Crew facts are part of the request and checked against the method and the space.
A stated job total that must equal the computed totalOnly with care
A free-entry total can be compared with the computed one, but someone has to write and maintain the comparison after every rate change.		The stated total travels with the job and is compared with the computed total on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the job is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the order; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1MONPAC acoustic emission testing is for pressure vessels, spheres, columns and tanks; it is not used on piping or valves.
2MONPAC is applied while the vessel is pressurized, in a first hydrotest, a requalification hydrotest or on-line pressurization; the job plans none.
3TankPAC assesses the floors of aboveground storage tanks; the asset on the job is not a storage tank.
4TankPAC monitors the tank floor while the tank stays in service and at rest; the job has the tank shut down.
5VPAC II detects and quantifies through-valve leaks; the asset on the job is not a set of valves.
6VPAC II listens to a valve under process conditions; the job has the line shut down.
7This job covers valve inspection with VPAC II only; the selected method is for other assets.
8Acoustic emission tests are overseen by certified acoustic emission specialists; the crew has no Level III.
9Magnetic particle testing works only on ferromagnetic material; the asset is stainless steel.
10Pulsed eddy current screens carbon steel through insulation; the asset is not insulated carbon steel.
11This method needs the bare surface; the asset is insulated and the job does not remove the insulation.
12Digital radiography needs a cleared exclusion zone around the source; the job has none.
13Digital radiography cannot be carried out from rope access or a drone.
14Radiography on equipment in service needs a person to confirm the safety plan.
15The wall is 8 mm; TOFD is planned only for walls of 12 mm or more.
16The wall is 5 mm; phased array is planned only for walls of 6 mm or more.
17Unmanned systems are planned here for ultrasonic thickness readings only.
18The work is 8 m above ground; ground access reaches 3 m.
19A V-Deck suspended platform is planned from 10 m; the work is at 6 m.
20Rope access is worked by at least two people; the crew is 1.
21Confined space entry needs a standby attendant outside; the crew is 1.
22The shift is 14 hours; a field shift is planned at no more than 12 hours.
23A shift of 11 hours is overtime for the crew; a person should confirm it.
24A job of 12 days needs a crew rotation plan; a person should confirm it.
25The job states a total of 20,000 dollars; the crew, equipment, access and mobilization add up to 20,100 dollars.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. TankPAC survey: A TankPAC survey with the tank shut down, no Level III and a 14-hour shift

    
The agent's request. Please quote TankPAC tank floor testing on a carbon steel storage tank (wall 14 mm, shut down), ground access at 2 m, a crew of 3 for 5 day(s) of 14 hours. The job total is $29,250. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • TankPAC runs with the tank in service. TankPAC monitors the tank floor while the tank stays in service and at rest; the job has the tank shut down.
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  • Acoustic emission needs a Level III on the crew. Acoustic emission tests are overseen by certified acoustic emission specialists; the crew has no Level III.
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  • Shift longer than 12 hours. The shift is 14 hours; a field shift is planned at no more than 12 hours.
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2. TankPAC survey: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote TankPAC tank floor testing on a carbon steel storage tank (wall 14 mm, in service), ground access at 2 m, a crew of 3 including a Level III for 5 day(s) of 10 hours. The job total is $30,500. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Job summary. 5 day(s) with a crew of 3 at 5,800 dollars a day; job total 30,500 dollars.
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3. Phased array on an insulated column: Phased array on an insulated column by rope access with one technician

    
The agent's request. Please quote phased array ultrasonic testing on a carbon steel pressure vessel (wall 14 mm, shut down), rope access at 25 m, a crew of 1 for 6 day(s) of 8 hours. The asset is insulated. The job total is $18,900. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Insulation still on the asset. This method needs the bare surface; the asset is insulated and the job does not remove the insulation.
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  • Rope access needs two people. Rope access is worked by at least two people; the crew is 1.
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4. Phased array on an insulated column: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote phased array ultrasonic testing on a carbon steel pressure vessel (wall 14 mm, shut down), rope access at 25 m, a crew of 3 for 6 day(s) of 8 hours. The asset is insulated and the insulation will be removed. The job total is $35,100. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Job summary. 6 day(s) with a crew of 3 at 5,600 dollars a day; job total 35,100 dollars.
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5. MONPAC on a storage tank: A MONPAC test with no pressurization, no Level III and ground access at 12 m

    
The agent's request. Please quote MONPAC acoustic emission testing on a carbon steel storage tank (wall 14 mm, shut down), ground access at 12 m, a crew of 3 for 3 day(s) of 8 hours. The job total is $19,050. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • MONPAC needs a pressurization. MONPAC is applied while the vessel is pressurized, in a first hydrotest, a requalification hydrotest or on-line pressurization; the job plans none.
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  • Acoustic emission needs a Level III on the crew. Acoustic emission tests are overseen by certified acoustic emission specialists; the crew has no Level III.
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  • Work above 3 m needs access equipment. The work is 12 m above ground; ground access reaches 3 m.
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6. MONPAC on a storage tank: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote MONPAC acoustic emission testing on a carbon steel storage tank (wall 14 mm, shut down), scaffold at 12 m, a crew of 3 including a Level III for 3 day(s) of 8 hours. A hydrotest is planned. The job total is $21,150. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Job summary. 3 day(s) with a crew of 3 at 6,550 dollars a day; job total 21,150 dollars.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a field inspection job for an industrial plant: the inspection method, the asset, how the crew reaches it, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the applicability and planning rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote MONPAC acoustic emission testing on a carbon steel storage tank (wall 14 mm, shut down), ground access at 12 m. The job total is $19,050. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with three findings, all in one answer. MONPAC is applied while the vessel is pressurized, in a first hydrotest, a requalification hydrotest or on-line pressurization; the job plans none. Acoustic emission tests are overseen by certified acoustic emission specialists; the crew has no Level III. The work is 12 m above ground; ground access reaches 3 m.
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  6. The validator returned three blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the order are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for a Level III or an attendant that the crew must include, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the access to scaffold*, the hydrotest planned to yes, the Level III on crew to yes and the stated job total to $21,150.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. The validator also returns the line-item quote. It starts with Mobilization and demobilization and Technician; the other three lines are on screen.
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  13. All three earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's total, $21,150, matches the order.
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  14. Three problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean $21,150 order. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    15.