Ever since the Industrial Revolution in Europe, industries have been working relentlessly to cater to the ever-increasing human needs. For smooth and efficient functioning, proper maintenance and regular cleanup of components is a must, so that they never falter from their performance. And, this is why pipeline inspection and turbine inspection is a necessity for the industries to run properly.

Importance of pipeline inspection and turbine inspection:

Turbines are very important in sectors like nuclear and thermal power generation. Similarly, pipelines play an important role in gas and oil production companies. For proper functioning, their thorough cleanup and maintenance is a prerequisite. Dirt, deposit, cracks etc. not only reduce the efficiency, they can also cause major accidents at times. Manual pipeline inspection and turbine inspection is easy and uncomplicated, say using magnifying glasses to spot any signs of trouble however miniscule it might be. However, often due to practical limitations like accessibility, size and several other factors manual inspection is not feasible. In such cases, several other inspection techniques are used that exploit the physical and chemical properties of substances to provide a thorough inspection.

Turbine Inspection:

Most of the industries have turbines working throughout the day and the night. Therefore, the inspection crew uses Non Destructive Methods to carry out the inspection. Bore Scope technique is a popular method that is used to find out cracks and faults that are not otherwise accessible to human eyes. Another very popular and efficient method is dye penetration method. A special dye is sprayed on the turbine that highlights the cracks and faults making them visible to human eyes. A cleaner, penetrant and developer are kept in specially designed aerosol cans and are sprayed on turbines blades and core.

Pipeline Inspection:

Due to the sheer length of the pipelines, it is not feasible to examine them manually. Therefore, the inspection crew uses a method known as Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) that utilizes the inductive properties of magnets to determine pitting and corrosion in pipelines. The corroded areas in the pipeline are segregated and are then subjected to a powerful magnetic field. The area with high corrosion will register absence of flux lines.

An accidental breakdown can be disastrous for any industry whether it’s Aerospace or Power Generation, and Nuclear or Petrochemical. Industrial inspection is imperative in order to keep the industry’s wheels running. Such inspections are invariably non destructive in nature. Such non-destructive testing may involve Eddy Current Testing, Magnetic Testing or Penetrant Testing and Radiographic or Ultrasonic Testing. Sometimes, services are required for Specialized Testing such as Hardness, Laser, Valve Leak Detection, Portable Chemical Analysis or Rope Access Inspection Services. Certain industries such as Power Generation and Nuclear besides Aerospace may involve large capacity turbines. Turbine inspection is an essential part of the overall inspection schedule of such industries.

All forms of industrial inspection should be both unobtrusive and non-obstructive. There are several occasions when inspection is involved at remote locations. Scaffolding was a common form for such inspections earlier. However, rope access inspection services are now a more acceptable approach. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, scaffolding is obstructive as it causes hindrances to industrial traffic. Secondly, scaffolding is costlier especially on a long-term basis since it has to be erected and torn down at regular intervals. The third reason is the safety factor. The risk factor is reduced drastically. Evidently, more than 100,000 hours of accident free rope access time has resulted in 75% increase in cost benefits.

Turbine inspection is an extremely important element in industrial inspection. In the case of failure of a turbine blade or shroud the damages sustained could be astronomical in terms of both money and time. Bore scopes are generally used in order to locate cracks or blade imperfections. Bore Sonics is the science of the use of an ultrasonic transducer that is inserted through the bore of a rotor in order to locate flaws inside a rotor forging. The dye penetrant method of inspection is popular in turbine inspection and involves the use of a cleaner to prepare the surface. A penetrant is next applied that is allowed to be absorbed into the defects. A developer is finally applied in order to see the cracks and defects more clearly.
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The article is contributed by a professional article writer, having experiences of working in different industries. For further information on Ultrasonic testing and materials testing please visit http://www.acuren.com/

The productivity and cost effectiveness of any industry is dependent on the level of working efficiency that the industry enjoys. This is true for Automotive and Aerospace Industries as much as for Nuclear, Petrochemical, Power and Pharmaceutical Industries. Maintenance inspection is the only method by which higher efficiencies can be enjoyed by any industry and industrial failures and breakdowns be brought to the lowest possible level. In a running industry, non-destructive method of testing or NDT is the only viable form of maintenance inspection practiced as the majority of industries run round the clock. NDT being practiced by industries generally fall within the confines of Eddy Current Testing, Magnetic Testing, Dye Penetrant Testing, Radiographic Testing and Ultrasonic Testing. The first of the two most important areas that require to be tested relate to turbine inspection in respect of Power Generation, Nuclear and Aerospace Industries. The second most important area relates to pipeline inspection in respect of almost all industries but especially the Refining & Petrochemical, Pharmaceutical, and Nuclear and Power Generation Industries.

The NDT method often used for pipeline inspection is the Magnetic Flux leakage (Induction) or MFL. In this form of inspection, applicable for steel pipelines, a very powerful magnetic field is created in the pipeline. The missing flux lines are therefore analyzed. An advanced form of pipeline inspection adopts the Inline Inspection Tool in the MFL or the MFL-ILI. The tool travels inside the pipeline and both cleans the pipeline and detects the flaws.

Turbine inspection is again a very critical area of industrial inspection since in most cases where turbines are used, whether in the Power or the Nuclear Industry, these assume the most important role. Turbine inspection can be carried out visually or with the help of a magnifying glass in case the blades have been stripped. The borescope is a useful method of carrying out the inspection as well as it can reach areas that are otherwise inaccessible. The dye penetrant is also an effective method. It uses a cleaner as a solvent for degreasing, a penetrant for soaking into the cracks, and a developer that shows up the flaws clearly.
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The article is contributed by a professional article writer, having experiences of working in different industries. For further information on failure analysis and materials testing please visit http://www.acuren.com/

The only way to keep the wheels of the industry rolling is by greasing them regularly. To put this in a better perspective it’s always a more cost-effective idea to carry out periodic maintenance regularly than breakdown maintenance even once. In the industry you just can’t accept a breakdown. It might even be suicidal since the cost of getting the breakdown repaired might be prohibitive and in the worst case may even wipe out the industry’s total profits in one stroke. Imagine a breakdown in the Iron & Steel Industry. A stoppage in a furnace will clog it up. To remove the clog might even ruin your furnace. The same philosophy applies in a pipeline inspection and a turbine inspection.

In the Aerospace Industry, the Nuclear and the Power Generation Industry the turbine is one of the most important components. Failure to carry out a periodic turbine inspection could have catastrophic consequences. The inspection of turbines is carried out by a number of methods such as with the help of Borescope or using the Dye Penetrant method. The Dye Penetrant Method of turbine inspection is essentially an advanced version of the Visual Examination technique. In this the surface of the sample is cleaned thoroughly to remove all dirt and grease. A fluorescent dye is applied on the surface and left to soak for about 20 minutes. The excess dye is cleaned and a developer applied. The developer is a powder that takes away the penetrant from the flaws that show up more clearly. Since the fluorescent variety of dye penetrant is impractical for use in an industry normally a red dye system is used that consists of 3 cans, one each for the cleaner, penetrant and developer.

One of the popular methods of pipeline inspection is the Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL). This technique used in respect of steel structures involves the creation of a powerful magnetic field and a subsequent analysis of the flux lines to yield pitted and corroded areas. The use of multiple sensors and inline inspection tools further enhances the accuracy of this method of pipeline inspection.

Author Info :-

The article is contributed by a professional article writer, having experiences of working in different industries. For further information on failure analysis and materials testing please visit http://www.acuren.com/