Advanced Eddy Current Inspections

RTD Incotest surveys ferrous pipes and vessels for corrosion through thermal insulation. This test gauges the thickness of riser pipe walls without removing marine growth, neoprene or Monel, and it measures the dry wall thickness of dirty, coated, rough and/or hot objects. It works under demanding circumstances, such as when:

• The plant is in operation
• The pipes are hot (500 °C or 930 °F) or cold (100 °C or 150 °F)
• The insulation is wet
• The object surface is rough or encrusted
• The insulation is irregular or inhomogeneous
• The insulation is reinforced with wire mesh
• The insulation is aluminum, stainless steel or low alloy steel clad

Advanced Radiography Inspections

The Profiler scans insulated pipes quickly and easily while they are still in service. It examines insulated piping for blockage, internal corrosion and corrosion under insulation. The Profiler can also detect weldments on insulated piping, which is helpful when you require PMI testing.

Frame 3 Wheel Inspections

We inspect stage 1 and stage 2 wheels (composite, 12 Cr, A286) on MS3001 and MS3002 (A-G) gas turbines for discontinuities in three critical regions:

• Wheel bore
• Rim area near dovetails
• Weld zones of composite wheels

The tests combine magnetic particle, liquid penetrant, ultrasonic boresonic and eddy current techniques. We test Frame 3 wheels at the Albany (New York) Service Center using a custom-designed, one-of-a-kind testing fixture. (Reference document: GE Technical Information Letter (TIL) 498CR2)

Frame 5 Wheel Inspections

We inspect stage 1 and stage 2 wheel bores on MS5001 gas turbines in-situ or in-shop using ultrasonic and eddy current techniques to detect possible wheel discontinuities and prevent forced outages and turbine damages. (Reference document: GE Technical Information Letter (TIL) 571C)

Borescope Inspections

We provide borescope inspections for all steam turbines with inspection ports, regardless of manufacturer. A borescope inspection provides a quick assessment of the turbine condition without disassembling the unit. We inspect all rotating and stationary stages of the turbine that are accessible by the fiberscope, using the borescope inspection ports provided with the turbine, the exhaust, and any other openings. We take color photographs of all areas we inspect to identify foreign object damage, corrosion or erosion, and we can transmit digital images directly to engineering for further analysis when required.

• Borescope Inspection (91.2KB PDF)

Built-up Rotor Tests

A built-up rotor test consists of a series of interrelated non-destructive tests to evaluate the integrity of the wheels on a built-up low pressure rotor. We provide built-up rotor tests for GE steam and nuclear turbine rotors. The comprehensive inspection report includes a recommended re-inspection interval. We also offer fast-execution testing to minimize downtime.

The tests include:

• Ultrasound test of wheel keyways and bore ID surfaces to detect intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC)
• Ultrasound test of tangential entry wheel dovetails (all stages) to detect indications in blade attachment hooks
• Magnetic particle test of rotor outer diameter to detect axial or circumferential cracking
• Ultrasound test of finger buckets (for rotors with L-O stage finger buckets only) to detect cracking near the outer finger pinholes

• Built up Rotors (1.7MB PDF)

Integral Rotor Boresonic Inspections

An integral rotor boresonic inspection consists of a series of interrelated non-destructive tests on the integral turbine-generator rotor to determine its fitness for duty and return to service. We perform integral rotor boresonic inspections on all steam turbine rotors with bore holes, regardless of manufacturer. The comprehensive inspection report includes a recommended re-inspection interval.

The tests include:

• A rotor bore magnetic particle test to detect bore surface or near-surface defects
• A wheel dovetail inspection to detect indications in blade attachment hooks
• A rotor periphery ultrasonic test to locate any defects

Wheel Dovetail Tests

We provide wheel dovetail tests on all steam turbines with tangential entry wheel dovetails, regardless of manufacturer, and GE nuclear turbines. This is an ultrasonic test that detects indications associated with blade attachment hooks using one of three testing methods:

• Manual: The most basic test can determine indications in the wheel dovetails, but the buckets must be removed for further evaluation.
• Phased array: This sophisticated test provides exceptional discrimination and defect sizing without bucket removal. We recommend it for fossil units with once-through boilers, but it can also be applied to other units.

• PA wheel Dovetail testing (296KB PDF)

Reference document: GE Technical Information Letter (TIL) 1277-2