Power Generation plants use
borescopes and videoscopes
extensively to reduce maintenance and avoid unscheduled outages. During
outages or prior to plant start up, remote visual inspection (RVI) is
used used to inspect areas of the plant that are not accessible during
operation. Some common applications for RVI include:
Steam and gas turbines are inspected with videoscopes
to check the condition of compressor and guide vanes. Turbines are
checked for foreign object damage (FOD), erosion, burning and cracking.
Combustion chambers are inspected for cracks, combustion deposits and
burning. Turbine section nozzles and blades are checked for cracking,
erosion, burning and blocked cooling holes.
Heat Exchangers need to be inspected to check the
condition of cooling tubes. Cooling tubes are checked for scale
deposits, corrosion and cracking.
Boilers are remotely inspected with long videoscopes and push cameras (sometimes called a boiler tube camera). Inspected areas include the inner boiler tube walls for corrosion, erosion, pitting, blockage and over all condition.
