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Unplanned outages in power plants are not just minor discomfort – they are financial and operating nightmares. One of the main causes of these unexpected shutdowns is the failure of the boiler water tubes due to Corrosion, deposits, thinning, Hydrogen Damage, etc. If these issues are not addressed to anyone, they can give rise to failures, forcing power plants to close for extensive repair, and losing millions in lost revenue and operational downtime.

But what if we can find out these problems before they become critical? This is where robotic thickness mapping comes in. This advanced non-destructive test (NDT) technique, which is integrated with the robot platform, enables real-time monitoring at early stages of the detection in water wall tubes. This allows power plants to operate active maintenance, avoid expensive breakdowns, and ensure uninterrupted energy production.

Hidden Cost Of Unplanned Outages in Power Generation

Power plants are high-revenue operations that require continuous uptime. Any unplanned shutdown means immediate financial loss, security concerns, and disruption in maintenance.

The financial impact of downtime

• Unplanned outages are costly: Unexpected plant shutdowns suspend production and require immediate repairs. Unplanned outages cost as much as $2 million an hour, directly impacting operational costs and profitability.
• Emergency repair is more expensive: Spontaneous equipment breakdown tends to necessitate immediate repair, such as expensive part replacement, overtime compensation, and fixes. These unscheduled maintenance activities are much costlier compared to scheduled maintenance activities.
• Disruption in energy supply invites punishment: Power plants have to fulfill supply contracts with power grids. Defaulting on the delivery of energy as contracted can lead to substantial financial penalties, damaging both revenues and business relations.
• Insurance and liability issues: Recurring equipment breakdowns imply inadequate maintenance, which means higher insurance rates and possible legal troubles. This increases operating expenses and subjects the company to more financial and reputational risk.

The Risk of Undetected Corrosion in Water Wall Tubes

The water wall tubes are brought in contact with high temperatures, high pressure and combustion gases, making them susceptible for rust and thinning.

• Corrosion weakens the walls of the tube, which increases the risk of rupture and failure.
• Sudden failure can cause boiler explosions, force emergency shutdowns and workers can cause safety threats.

How Robotic Thickness Mapping Works

Robotic thickness mapping is a revolutionary non-destructive test (NDT) method that allows engineers to monitor the tube health status without closing the plant.

How it works:

• Robotic Crawlers: Robots equipped with magnetic wheels and having multiple sensors attached for continuous NDT inspection of tubes
• NDT Sensor: Various advanced sensors ( RFET, UT) measure the thickness of the wall, corrosion levels, and cracks.
• Real-time Data Collection: Robot transmission transmits live data, allowing immediate analysis.
• Predictive Analytics: AI-operated software analyzes historical thickness data to predict potential failures.
• No Scuffolding is required: unlike traditional inspections, robot mapping is performed, while the plant remains on, avoiding unnecessary downtime.

Example: Robot

• A magnetic crawler robot that climbs the walls of the vertical boiler eliminates the need for scaffolding.
• Real-time uses a high-resolution ultrasonic test (UT) to detect a minute thickness variation.
• Power plants help plan targeted maintenance rather than unnecessary full-scale inspection.

With robotic thickness mapping, power plants can take action before failures, ensuring smooth operation and extended tools.

Limits of Traditional Inspection Methods

Robotic thickness provides rapid, safe, and more accurate inspection than manual methods.

Limits of Traditional Inspections:

• Time Consuming – Week preparation: Traditional methods of inspection require a lot of setup time, sometimes taking days or even a week. This means creating scaffolding, setting safety gear, and testing areas, resulting in major delays before any work on inspection gets underway.
• High-risk for workers: Inspectors have to physically ascend high and intricate boiler structures to carry out manual inspections. This subjects them to severe risks like falls, heat stress, and confined spaces, making the work extremely dangerous and accident-prone.
• Limited accuracy: Manual ultrasonic testing relies considerably on the ability and judgment of the inspector, wherein we are checking the thickness only in localized area rather than mapping the tube , because of which we are highly likely to miss out on defects.

Why robotic inspections are better:

• 10x faster: Robot inspections significantly cut down on time by scanning enormous areas in no time. Compared to human teams, which could take days, robots accomplish the same task within hours, cutting down on time and reducing downtime, which is important for time-critical industrial processes.
• Discovers sub-millimeter flaws: Sophisticated robotic sensors are very sensitive and can detect even sub-millimeter thickness variations in material. These small defects usually escape manual inspection but may indicate initial-stage corrosion or damage, enabling preemptive maintenance to avoid larger, more expensive failures.
• Works in difficult-to-reach areas: Robots are made to reach hard-to-access areas l
• Protects workers: Robotic inspections eliminate the necessity for human entry into high-risk areas such as high-temperature or toxic environments. This reduces exposure to dangerous conditions, significantly enhancing worker safety and adhering to stringent occupational health and safety guidelines in industries.

Financial Savings To Prevent Detection

Case study: How a power plant saved $ 2M per hour

• A thermal power plant applied robotic thickness mapping to detect early hydrogen damage in water wall tubes.
• By changing the damaged tubes before the failure, he avoided a forced shutdown, which could cost $ 2 million per hour.
• This preventive approach saved millions in emergency repairs and saved expensive punishment.

ROI of robotic inspections

• Cost of low maintenance – initial identity reduces the requirement for emergency repair.
• Extended Equipment Life – Active Monitoring prevents premature tube failure.
• Low insurance premium – Low accidents and failures mean low liability risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the robotic thickness mapping of water wall tubes?

This is an advanced inspection method using a robot system equipped with a non-destructive test (NDT) sensor such as UT/RFET to measure the thickness of water wall tubes and detect early signals of corrosion or damage.

How does robotic thickness mapping stop unplanned outages?

By identifying the initial stage of rust and thinning, robot inspections allow for timely maintenance and reduce the risk of unexpected tube failures and expensive shutdowns.

What are the advantages of robot inspection over manual methods?

Robotic inspections are 10x sharp, sub-millimeters provide accuracy, reduces shutdown duration, maps the entire Boiler Tube rather than in some points only and workers improve safety by reducing dangerous manual inspections.

Which industries benefit from robotic thickness mapping?

Power plants, oil and gas, water utilities, and chemical industries use this technique to expand asset life, improve efficiency, and reduce downtime.

What is the future of robotic thickness mapping?

AI-powered predictive analytics, hybrid robotic systems, and fully autonomous inspection robots will make industrial maintenance smarter, faster, and more cost-effective.

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It is important to ensure the protection and sturdiness of metal systems, particularly in industries that include creation, oil and fuel, and transport. One of the simplest non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques used for inspecting flaws open to the surface in electrically conducting materials.

Alternative Current Field Measurement NDT technique is an advanced electromagnetic technique designed to detect and analyze surface flaws in welds and metal components. It originated in the 1980s, and since then, its accuracy and efficiency have become an industry standard.

The biggest benefit of ACFM on conventional techniques is the capacity to investigate metallic structures without the need to remove the coating. This makes it perfect for assessing bridges, pipelines, offshore systems, and commercial equipment, which guarantees structural integrity by means of lowering downtime.

With its ability to provide real-time defect assessment, ACFM is now used in widely important infrastructure inspections, making it a reliable option to maintain structures worldwide.

Alternative Current Field Measurement NDT Technique Functioning Principles

Understanding how ACFM works helps to appreciate its benefits over traditional NDT methods. The process includes several major stages:

• Alternative Current Application: An ACFM probe inserts an alternating current into the conducting surface, which travels evenly along the structure when free of defects. The current is vital for the identification of structural integrity, as any fluctuation in flow can identify flaws that are open to the surface.

• Magnetic Field Generation: As the alternating current passes over the metal surface, it creates a uniform magnetic field around the inspection zone. This magnetic field serves to visualize the state of the metal, thus making it easier to identify anomalies due to material damage.

• Locating the Disturbances: When the electric current touches a surface breaking flaw, it breaks up the surrounding magnetic field. These field disturbances are signifiers of flaws and their positions. This makes it easier for inspectors to identify cracks without the need to remove coatings or prepare the surface, both saving effort and time.

• Real-time Data Processing: ACFM software automatically calculates magnetic field perturbations induced by flaws so that inspectors can assess crack size, depth, and severity in real time. Real-time feedback enhances correct decision-making during an inspection, enhancing safety and minimizing repeated testing.

This process makes ACFM a highly effective technique for inspecting electrically conducting structures, as it provides accurate results with minimal surface preparation.

Benefits of Alternative Current Field Measurement on traditional NDT methods

There are many benefits of Alternative Current Field Measurement that distinguish it from traditional NDT techniques:

• No surface preparation is needed: ACFM can penetrate paint, coatings, and corrosion layers—saving time, labor, and inspection expense considerably.

• Accurate defect size measurement: ACFM not only identifies surface-breaking cracks but also measures their length and depth with high accuracy, allowing for accurate defect assessment and improved decision-making for maintenance and repair.

• Data storage digitally: Inspection information is recorded digitally, making it easy to trace, maintain consistent quality checks, and refer to in the future. This facilitates effective documentation, temporal comparison, and adherence to inspection standards.

• Use in a harsh environment: ACFM operates effectively in harsh environments such as underwater, high temperatures, and in industrial installations, providing continuous inspection without sacrificing safety or equipment performance.

• Reduced downtime: Because ACFM eliminates surface cleaning or coating removal, inspections are faster, reducing equipment downtime and production losses while providing thorough flaw detection.

These benefits make Alternative Current Field Measurement an ideal option for industries where security and efficiency are paramount.

Major Application of Alternative Current Field Measurement in Steel Structure Inspections

Alternative Current Field Measurement is widely used in various industries to inspect steel structures, including:

• Bridge and Highway – Alternative Current Field Measurement is used to detect weld defects in important areas of joint bridges and highways. This helps prevent structural failures and ensures long-term durability.

• Offshore oil and gas platforms – technology is ideal for removing protective coatings, reducing downtime, and inspecting welds while improving safety in a rigid sea environment.

• Pipelines: Ensuring safe operation by detecting the cracks that break the surface in power plants and pipelines-pipelines, reactors, and pressure vessels, which helps prevent expensive leaks and failures.

• Industrial machinery and crane – Alternative Current Field Measurement plays an important role in preventing mechanical failures by identifying hidden defects in structural components, which ensures smooth and safe operations.

• Amusement Park ride – Regular inspections using Alternative Current Field Measurements help to ensure ride safety by monitoring steel components that undergo high stress and fatigue.

The versatility of the Alternative Current Field Measurement makes it a valuable tool to ensure the structural integrity of significant steel infrastructure.

Case Studies on ACFM

Examples of the real world demonstrate the effectiveness of ACFM:

• Bridge Inspection – In a recent inspection of a major highway bridge, ACFM discovered any kind of crack in critical weld joints. By early identifying these defects, engineers were able to maintain preventive maintenance to avoid potential structural failure and expensive repairs.

• Offshore platform safety – An oil and gas company used ACFM to inspect Sabasia Welds on the offshore platform. Technology successfully identified fatigue cracks which were hidden under protective coatings. This discovery prevented a possible security threat and saved millions in repair cost to the company.

• Manufacturing Industry – A Steel Fabrication Plant applied ACFM as part of its quality assurance process. The technology helped identify the early welding defects in the production line, reduced the rejection rate and improved the overall product reliability. This increased efficiency and much less material wastage.

These case studies highlight why ACFM is preferred in industries where structural security and cost efficiency are top priorities.

Challenges and limitations of ACFM

While ACFM is a powerful tool, it has some limitations:

• Efficient operators are required – ACFM data interpretation requires trained professionals who can make accurate analyses of signals and detect discrepancies. Without expertise, the results can be misrepresented, causing incorrect assessment.

• Limited to surface defects -ACFM is highly effective for detecting surface flaws, but it cannot identify deep, sub-destiny flaws within the material. Other NDT techniques, such as ultrasonic testing, may be required to detect internal defects.

• High initial cost – ACFM equipment is more expensive than traditional NDT methods such as magnetic particle inspection or dye penetration test. However, its long -term benefits, such as downtime, low and high accuracy, can offset the initial investment.

• Magnetic noise sensitivity – The accuracy of ACFM reading can sometimes be affected by external electromagnetic fields. It can introduce noise in data, making it more challenging to inspect the atmosphere with high electromagnetic interferenceintervention.

• Complex geometrical accuracy can affect accuracy – ACFM works best on relatively flat or simple structures, but when inspecting complex geometrics with many angles and welds, the signal may not be as clear. Such cases may require special investigation and adjustment.

Regardless of these limitations, ACFM is a highly effective way to detect surface flaws in steel structures. Its benefits in speed, accuracy, and non-intrusive inspection make it a favorite option for important industries.

Future Trends in ACFM Technology

The future of ACFM technology seems to be promising, with many progresses on the horizon:

• Integration with Robotics: Robotic ACFM inspection automatically allows for safer operations through reduced human exposure to harmful environments, providing consistent and accurate assessments even in inaccessible or hazardous inspection areas.

• AI and Machine Learning Improvements: Artificial Intelligence in ACFM enhances defect detection and interpretation, allowing for quicker, more accurate analysis, minimizing human error, and simplifying decision-making in non-destructive testing (NDT) procedures.

• Wireless and Portable ACFM Devices: Portable, cordless ACFM equipment expands mobility and convenience in the field, streamlining inspections in confined or inaccessible locations without requiring heavy machinery. 

• Increased Material Compatibility: Continued research seeks to develop ACFM for use on more materials and complicated geometries, expanding its ability to work efficiently across a variety of industries and improve structural safety analysis.

• Cloud-Based Data Storage: Cloud-stored digital ACFM inspection data provides secure, real-time access, simplified collaboration, long-term storage, and analysis of data from anywhere, enhancing traceability and efficiency.

This progress will make ACFM more efficient, accessible, and reliable for future steel structure inspections.

Conclusion

The alternative current field measurement (ACFM) has revolutionized the way steel structures are inspected. With its high accuracy, minimal surface preparation, and real-time data processing, ACFM has proved to be a game-changer in industries such as power generation, oil and gas, and transport. While challenges remain, the progress in technology is making ACFM more effective than ever. Since industries prioritize safety and efficiency, ACFM will be an important tool to ensure long the -term integrity of steel infrastructure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ACFM in NDT?

Alternative Current Region Measurement (ACFM) is an advanced electromagnetic NDT technique used to detect and analyze surface-flaws in electrically conducting materials.

How is ACFM different from other NDT methods?

Unlike traditional methods, ACFM can inspect through coatings, provides real -time digital data, and accurately measures the defect shape without the need for surface preparation.

Where is ACFM usually used?

ACFM is used to ensure wide structural integrity in bridges, offshore oil platforms, pipelines, industrial machinery, and amusement park rides, and to prevent failures.

What are the limits of ACFM?

ACFM requires trained operators, is limited to surface defects, has high early costs, and can be affected by magnetic noise in complex geometry.

What is the future of ACFM technology?

Progress such as AI integration, robotics, portable devices, and cloud-based data storage will increase the efficiency and access of ACFM in the future.

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IRC Engineering Provides Conventional NDT, Advanced Non-Destructive Testing (ANDT), Material Testing (Metal, Chemical & Corrosion), Mechanical Integrity, Rope Access, Drone Inspection, Third Party Inspection (TPI) Services for the Inspection of Companies assets like Tank, Vessel, Pipeline, Tubes, Boiler RLA and many more.

We have introduced advanced NDT Technology Short Range Ultrasonic Testing (SRUT) a unique ultrasonic screening tool designed to detect Corrosion/ Inspect difficult to access locations such as

· Underneath Saddle Supports

· Under clamps

· Under composite repairs

· The annular plate of above-ground storage tanks (In-Service)

· Pipe to soil interface areas

· Pipe to Cement interfaces

How It Works: The technique is based on the concept of pulsing guided laminar waves into the base material from the accessible area (chime/pipe support surrounding areas). The waves propagate up to two meters into the plate/pipe. When corrosion, pitting, erosion are present the ultrasonic waves mode convert and are received by the same transducer.

Application Pictures;

For More Information please send us an e-mail at info@ircengg.co.in

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