Inspecting machinery is a critical step in maintaining the safety and reliability of equipment. This is particularly important in the inspection of the interior of turbines, especially gas turbines. In 2016, for example, the United States actually produced the largest amount of natural gas on the entire planet; 750 billion cubic meters of natural gas were extracted that year. This amount of gas needs a lot of turbines, and inspecting those turbines is vitally important. The borescope is used to inspect a turbine. It is also used for generator inspections, steam turbine testing services, compressor turbine services, parts retrieval and parts removal processes, and more. Here are a few tips to make sure that a borescope equipment inspection can be done efficiently with successful results.
Know What To Look For
Borescope services, such as inspections, will only be as successful as the professional conducting the inspection. The first thing that must be considered is that the inspector must know what exactly to examine and what to look for. Inside a turbine, an inspector would be looking for holes, cracks, or imperfections that might compromise the safety of the turbine itself. This is particularly true in a gas turbine, which has three primary modules — all of which must be examined.
Defect Measurement
Borescope services have recently had the advantage of a process called 3-D stereo defect measurement. This is a system that can compute the size of a defect instantly and precisely. It operates with a lens attached to the tip of the borescope and then calculates the measurements accordingly. After conducting this part of the experiment, the inspector can actually email the results and the image anywhere.
Inspection By Dye Penetration
A recent development in borescope services is that an inspection can be conducted through the borescope using dye penetration. Liquids can be applied right through the fiberscope onto remote areas. These fluids can transmit UV light, and the mechanic/inspector can then make a visual inspection by finding any existing damage. This way, an assessment can be made of the condition of the turbine, and repairs or replacement can be scheduled.
Pay Attention to Lighting
It seems logical that bright lighting would be best for conducting an inspection. However, that is not always the case. The human eye needs time to adjust from being outside in bright lights into another area in which a borescope is used. Inspectors need to pay attention to this detail; that is, they need to give their eyes time to adjust to the difference in lighting conditions. Likewise, it is important to pay attention to the brightness of the display screen when attempting to view images on it. Sometimes a brighter screen makes it difficult to see all of the details of an image. For best results, it is usually recommended that a borescope inspection be conducted on the interior of the turbine or hanger.
Borescope services, such as inspections, can be conducted with various types of equipment. The three different types of scopes that are usually used include videoscopes, fiberscopes, and rigid scopes. The ultimate objective of inspections, which are among the most important functions of all borescope services, is to ensure safety and prevent injuries and accidents from ever occurring. These tips will help in operating the equipment effectively, leading to successful and efficient inspections.
