TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract
Introducti on
Role of NDE Techni ques
Vi deo probi ng usi ng fi breopti cs
In-si tu Repl i ca Techni que
Advanced Ul trasoni c Techni ques
Trends for 2000
NDT.net - July 2000, Vol. 5 No. 07
Role of NDE in Residual Life Assessment of Power Plant
Components
Sundaram Baskaran
Industrial Quality Concepts
Chennai, India
- International Symposium on NDT Contribution to
the Infrastructure Safety Systems, 1999 NOV 22-26
Torres,
published by UFSM, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
Abstract
Assessing the condition and remaining life of power
plant components operating at high temperatures and
at high stresses is necessary to optimize inspection
and maintenance schedules, to make RUN, REPAIR, REPLACE decisions and to avoid unplanned
outages. While two different approaches are available for Residual Life Assessment of Power Plant
components, one using data analysis based on operational history and the other based on periodic
examination of critical components, the latter method is widely adopted as it is more accurate since it
does not rely on standard material data with their associated uncertainities and does not necessarily
require knowledge of the operational stress-temperature data.
Methods based on periodic examination involve :
A.Various NDE techniques for detection of cracks, effects of corrosion / erosion etc. in addition to
commonly adopted techniques such as Ultrasonic thickness gauging, Ultrasonic flaw detection,
Penetrant testing, Flourescent magnetic particle testing, Specialised techniques such as assessment of
hydrogen damage by Ultrasonics, measurement of steam side oxide scale by in-situ ultrasonics,
boresonic inspection of rotors, eddy current examination of rotor blades and root, video probe
examination of critical components are employed.
B.Metallurgical tests such as in-situ metallography using replica method, in-situ chemical analysis by
metal spectroscope / X-ray flourescence method, in-situ hardness measurement etc.
C.Sampling of component specimens for detailed laboratory analysis.
This paper deals with the periodic inspection approach adopted by Industrial Quality Concepts for
Residual Life Assessment of power plant components.
Introduction
Many utility systems in the world have power plants operating with fossil fuel with service life crossing
100,000 hours of operation. These units are subjected to time dependant degradation phenomena such
as :
a.high temperature tensile failures
b.creep and rupture failures
c.low cycle fatigue at elevated temperatures
d.hydrogen embrittlement
e.hot corrosion / erosion failures
It is essential to identify the critical areas where failures are likely to occur and select suitable NDE
techniques for detection of such failures. Based on design criticality, past experience and previous
failure information, suitable approach in inspection methodologies is adopted. Table - 1 gives typical
24-03-2010 Role of NDE in Residual Life Assessme
ndt.net/article/v05n07//baskaran.htm 1/4
failure mechanisms and the associated inspection methodology for different components of power
plant.
COMPONENT
DAMAGE MECHANISM INSPECTION TECHNIQUES
CreepFatigue ErosionCorrosionHTTVTUTGUTFPTMTETHTREPFOTDTCASPL
BOILER &
AUXILIARIES
1. Drums

2. Steam Headers

3. Water Headers

4. Steam Piping

5. Superheater &
Reheater Tubes


a
6. Waterwall tubes


b
7. Ductings

8. Precipitator

9. Structures

TURBINE
1. Rotor


c
2. Shell

3. Steam Chest

4. Casing

5. Blades


d
6. HT Bolts

GENERATOR
1. Rotor

2. Retaining rings

CONDENSER &
HEAT
EXCHANGER

Table 1: Damage mechanisms and inspection techniques for Power Plant components
LEGEND : X - APPLICABLE; HTT - High Temperature Tensile Failure; VT - Visual Inspection & Dimensional
Check; UTG - Ultrasonic Thickness Gauging; UTF - Ultrasonic Flaw Detection; PT - Penetrant Testing; MT -
Magnetic Particle Inspection; ET - Eddy Current Testing; HT - Hardness Measurement; REP - In-situ Replica
Metallography; FOT - Fibreoptic Examination; DT - Destructive Tests on Samples; CA - Chemical Analysis In-situ;
SPL - Special Test Methods; a - Oxide scale measurement by special Ultrasonic technique; b - Hydrogen damage
assessment by special Ultrasonic technique; c - Boresonic Inspection; d - Special Eddy Current Test of Roots
Role of NDE Techniques
NDE techniques adopted in the residual life assessment of power plant components can be broadly
classified as conventional techniques and specialised techniques. Conventional techniques include
Visual examination & Dimensional measurement using appropriate tools, Ultrasonic thickness gauging,
Penetrant testing, Magnetic particle inspection using wet flourescent method and Eddy current test on
non ferromagnetic tubing.
Specialised NDE techniques include video probing using fibreoptics to assess the damage on the
internal surfaces especially for corrosion, erosion, cracks and the presence of foreign materials, in-situ
replica technique to study the material degradation and the presence of microcracks, ultrasonic testing
using high frequency pulser and transducer for measurement of oxide scale on the steam side,
24-03-2010 Role of NDE in Residual Life Assessme
ndt.net/article/v05n07//baskaran.htm 2/4
Fig 1:
Fig 2:
Fig 3:
ultrasonic attenuation measurement to detect hydrogen damage, boresonic inspection using multi
probes with special attachment to detect cracking in rotor bores and special eddy current technique to
detect turbine blade root cracks. A brief description of the specialised NDE techniques are discussed.
Video probing using fibreoptics
The internal condition of many power plant components need examination.
High temperature headers and turbine rotor bores may develop cracking
due to creep or fatigue or a combination of both. Video probing using
fibreoptics can detect the presence of these cracks in time for further
evaluation. In addition, the presence of corrosion pittings, hydrogen damage
and foreign particles may also be detected by this examination. Figure 1
shows the presence of thick deposits inside a boiler tube which can reduce
the flow of the medium and builtup of temperature and can cause failure. Based on the above finding,
chemical cleaning of the boiler is recommended.
In-situ Replica Technique
Power plant components which operate at high temperatures such as boiler
headers, steam pipes, turbine casings, valves, etc. creep is a major cause of
cracking especially on the highly stressed brittle regions. Creep damage
occurs in different stages and the first sign in the formation of microscopic
cavities at grain boundaries. Application of an NDE technique using a plastic
film replica to topograph the metal surface can assess the creep damage and
the presence of microcracks. Figure 2 is a micrograph taken by replica NDE technique which reveals
the presence of grain boundary microcracks in a superheater header which has operated for 1,98,000
hours at a temperature of 515C. The findings of this examination has recommended replacement of
the header at the first available opportunity.
Advanced Ultrasonic Techniques
Failures of superheater and reheater tubes can be considered as one of the most prevalent causes for
the unforeseen outages of a thermal power plant. The failures are often attributed to creep deformation
which can lead to rupture. Such premature failures are caused by the steam side builtup which can
cause an increase in the operating temperature of the tube. Using a high frequency Pulser-Receiver and
using specially designed high frequency transducers operating in the frequency range of 20 - 50 MHz,
it is possible to measure the oxide scale thickness on the steam side and in turn can calculate the
operating temperature and also the remaining life.
Hydrogen damage failures of waterwall tubes are generic for some utilities where condenser leaking
occur for prolonged periods. Since the damage is initiated from the waterside surface of the tubes, the
same cannot be revealed on the outside surface. Ultrasonic examination using a 5 MHz longitudinal
wave transducer and measuring the attenuation characteristics can indicate the regions where
microfissuring due to hydrogen damage has occurred. Replacement of tubes can be done in time to
avoid unplanned outages.
Cracking on the boreside of turbine rotors is a common problem and due to
the geometry, ultrasonic examination from the outer surface may not give
detailed information of the bore. Hence multiaxial examination from the rotor
bore using special attachments with multiple probe head is employed. The
location of the cracks and their sizes are plotted for detailed analysis and
further action. Figure 3 shows a typical setup for turbine rotor bore
examination.
Turbine blades in thermal power plants suffer from metal fatigue as a result of vibration. The problem is
aggravated by other mechanisms such as creep in the case of high pressure turbines or corrosion and
embrittlement in the case of low pressure turbines. The failures usually occur at the root area and is
24-03-2010 Role of NDE in Residual Life Assessme
ndt.net/article/v05n07//baskaran.htm 3/4
difficult to examine by normal NDE techniques. Special ultrasonic and eddy current techniques have
been developed for the timely detection of the same.
Trends for 2000
As more and more power plant equipments are reaching their designed life, utility owners are forced to
take vital decisions on RUN, REPAIR, REPLACE for different components. Innovative NDE
techniques are developed continuously and coupled with on-line monitoring and special computer
programs, the decision making process has become more realistic and cost saving.
NDT.net - info@ndt.net |Top|
/DB:Article /SO:NDTISS /AU:Baskaran_S /CN:IN /CT:NDT /CT:energy /ED:2000-07
24-03-2010 Role of NDE in Residual Life Assessme
ndt.net/article/v05n07//baskaran.htm 4/4