Alstom Inspection Robotics develops a novel compact scanner for boiler inspection
|
|
Alstom Inspection Robotics has developed a novel highly compact scanner for the volumetric inspection of small diameter tube butt welds. This low profile scanner incorporates a phased array ultrasonic probe and requires only 12 mm of clearance between tubes.
The new butt weld inspection device will be used at a major construction header replacement at Seabank power station at Hallen Marsh in Bristol, England. The welds to be inspected are 150 mm off the floor and can hardly be accessed by the fitter and welder. The tubes to be welded are 33.8 mm x 2.6 mm thick, and are so tightly spaced that any weld repair would be impractical after the unit is put into service. Therefore, assuring weld quality during construction phase is critical.
This inspection can be used in lieu of radiographic examination in which the construction production has to be shut down due to radiation hazards. This allows for inspection and construction to work in concert and to bring the unit back into service within 34 days, rather than within 60 days in a regular outage. Hence, this inspection process is much more cost effective for the customer.
|
|
HES100 System for butt weld inspection
|
|
|
|
