IR – Benefits – Thinking Outside of the Box

James E. Black Jr.

FirstEnergy Corp. - Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station

ABSTRACT
Infrared applications and activities outside the day to day predictive maintenance (PdM) inspections have
become part of the culture at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant. An innovative approach to various
opportunities has enabled the infrared technology to provide substantial benefits to the operation of the plant.
The infrared technology is routinely considered as a tool to be utilized in troubleshooting activities. This paper
will focus primarily on a process which has been tested and successfully implemented to identify the condition
of relief valves operating within a system at ambient temperature. Other examples will include applications
dealing with high pressure hydro cleaning of pipes, locating the source of a turbine boot seal leak, and the
identification of a sudden large condenser vacuum leak.

INTRODUCTION
At Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, a FirstEnergy plant, equipment reliability has been an ongoing effort.
Our goal, like others, is to enhance the reliability and availability of the essential equipment while at the same
time reducing the maintenance cost. Davis-Besse became a commercial plant in August of 1977, which is
when the plant had completed its construction and startup phases. Vibration monitoring and lubrication/oil
analysis have always been performed on the key components within the plant. These techniques were
implemented by predictive maintenance (PdM) tasks or incorporated into the operational surveillance
procedures. In the mid 1980’s Davis-Besse began following the new guidelines for PdM. The PdM
philosophy enhanced the utilization of the vibration and oil analysis and incorporated other technologies
and/or testing as appropriate. An emerging technology (infrared thermography) was reviewed for inclusion
into our new PdM tool base. Due to its non contact and nonintrusive capabilities, it quickly became apparent
that infrared thermography would help meet our PdM goals. As it was able to complement technologies
already being utilized and expand our inspections and analysis in other areas as well.

As time evolved the utilization of infrared thermography was proven as a viable PdM technology and it
became one of the cornerstones in the PdM triangle at Davis-Besse. FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating
Company (FENOC) has a common process as a guideline that all the nuclear units utilize for condition
monitoring and equipment reliability. The items within this program are consistently monitored based on a
schedule established by either a fixed time or possible increased intervals based on the condition of the
equipment.

The infrared technology has become well ingrained into the culture at Davis-Besse. Infrared support is
frequently requested in the morning turnover meetings. Infrared thermography has been utilized to provide
assistance to virtually every department for applications outside of the PdM scope. This is what keeps the
implementation of this technology exciting! Working outside of the normal scheduled PdM activities may
involve troubleshooting, problem identification or just information gathering or thermal profiling a component
or system. Overall the complete package of available services can greatly increase the benefits of the
infrared program. At the same time if the infrared applications are properly planned and implemented, it
improves the perception and acceptance of the technology. There is not a better way to improve your
reputation and get people believing in the technology than helping a co-worker solve a problem that has been
daunting them.

This paper will cover four case studies. Each one will be set up with the originating plant conditions. The
method on how infrared was applied will be described. This will include the scoping of the application for
applicability, determination of the expected results and a summary of the actual field work.

InfraMation 2008 Proceedings ITC 126 A 2008-05-14

CASE STUDY 1 UNDESIRED LEVEL INCREASE NOTED IN A DRAIN TANK
The plant had been running for 3 weeks after returning from a refueling outage. Startup issues were minimal
and the plant was operating at 100% power. Operations noticed an abnormal trend due to increasing water
level in the Reactor Coolant (RC) drain tank on 03/07/2008. The level in this tank normally increases only
when Chemistry is sampling a system. The RC drain tank can receive water from various radioactively
contaminated water sources. The sources mainly consist of reactor coolant system drains which are isolated
in normal operation, the flush water for the reactor coolant system sampling or from relief valves for safety
systems and demineralizers and a few other miscellaneous sources.

An investigation for the leakage was initiated by Operations while utilizing procedural guidance to assist in
locating the source of the leak. This involves a systematic approach to the investigation. The activities may
involve isolation of various parts of the system while monitoring for level changes or obtaining tailpipe
temperature data or ultrasound data for suspect components. In this case, leakage from the primary Reactor
Coolant system was able to be eliminated as a leakage source. The applicable sections of the procedure had
been completed and the source of the leakage was not identified. This resulted in a request for additional
assistance via an informal problem solving team which would operate more as a troubleshooting team. The
team consisted of a representative from Operations, Rapid Response Engineering, the System Engineer and
Maintenance Engineering support. This group reviewed the plant conditions prior to the start of the newly
noted leakage and the work which had been performed looking for the source. The available information
pointed to two relief valves as being the most likely suspects. These valves are on the suction side of an
emergency core cooling system.

Isolation of the suspect relief valves could not be performed. As a result, the relief valves were checked again
for both temperature and ultrasound levels. It was apparent that temperature checks would not be able to
assist in the leak determination as the relief valves protect the suction to an emergency core cooling system
and the suction lines at that location are at ambient temperatures. The ultrasound data was determined to
also be inconclusive. The reason for the ultrasound data being inconclusive was due to the ultrasound levels
in the area were quite high as the piping was picking up energy from other plant systems, the supports and/or
hangers and piping connections. The ultrasound inspections did not include a spectral analysis of the data
however.

The inability to locate the leak via the available procedural guidance provided a unique opportunity for the
troubleshooting team. Adding to the complications, the location of the suspect valves were at an elevated
height and in an elevated radiation field. Due to the radiation levels, time at or near the valves had to be
minimized. The nuclear industry has performance metrics which track the accumulated dose by department
and generating unit. The goal of the industry is to perform work activities safely while receiving the minimum
dose possible. The commonly used acronym is ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable). Any radiation
dose which is received for this task was considered unplanned as the dose projections did not include this
work. All unplanned dose is reviewed in the daily management meetings.

It quickly became apparent that the normal methods for locating this type of leakage were not working. A
brainstorming session revealed the possibility of utilizing infrared thermography in an active manner to
provide the needed temperature differential to enable this type of leakage to be detected. The technique
would involve the application of heat at the inlet of the relief valve and monitor the outlet for a representative
change in temperature. This evolution would have to be tested on a mockup prior to getting the approval to
implement in the field due to the dose considerations. The systems involved are safety related. Any work on
safety related items require very stringent control to ensure the design of the system is not jeopardized, and
only approved materials are able to be utilized to ensure the metallurgical properties of the system are not
affected. The following are highlights of some of the items we had to consider:

Consideration 1
What is the anticipated delay time from heated inlet to indication at the outlet? A review of the design
drawings identified the suspect relief valves were pipe schedule 40S with a ¾ inch inlet and 1 inch outlet. To
be conservative, the pipe was all considered to be 1 inch. The internal volume of the relief valve was not
known however it was considered to be small due to the small size of the valve. The internal volume of the
relief valve was not considered to be a volumetric concern in this case. Therefore the entire system is

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modeled as a 1 inch pipe. Each linear inch has an internal volume of 0.864 cubic inches in the outlet pipe.
The suspect leak rate had varied between 18 and 25 ounces per minute as calculated from the computer
trends of the RC drain tank level. This would result in an internal flow rate between 37.6 inches and 52.2
inches per minute. As for the ability to heat the inlet pipe and be able to detect a temperature rise at the
outlet for a leaking valve, the mockup testing will be utilized to validate that aspect of the issue.

Consideration 2
What method will be utilized for creating the needed temperature differential? Cooling was considered,
however since a heat source would be able to deviate from ambient temperature more than a non cryogenic
cooling source, cooling was not considered any further. Heating sources which utilize an open flame would
be difficult to use due to other plant administrative issues. Heating techniques from a hot air gun, electric pipe
heating blanket or water / moist pack applications were considered. The hot air gun was chosen for the
mockup testing as it was considered the quickest and most portable method. Radiation Protection also
approved it after verifying that no surface contamination was present on the inlet pipe or in the surrounding
area for the suspect relief valves. The heat gun chosen was a 1400 watt 1000°F unit which is hand held and
operates on 120 volt AC power.

Consideration 3
Are there any technical issues with the localized heating of the inlet pipe to the relief valve? The design
specification for the pipe involved is for a 280°F operation. Our Rapid Response Engineering group reviewed
the application and had no problems if we could ensure we did not exceed the 280°F design limit. As a result
we utilized a 200°F thermomelt heat stick as a direct indication surface temperature while the heating was in
progress. The temperature indication sticks are site approved for use on stainless steel as needed for this
application.

Consideration 4
Is any emittance correction needed for the field testing? A method to increase the low surface emittance of
the stainless steel pipe utilized for this application is desired. The expected temperature changes are
anticipated to be small. The only pre-approved method that would work well in this application is to apply
tape as a target. A 3M polyethylene product is approved on site for applications like this as the tape is very
thin and easy to conform to a curved surface and to remove.

Consideration 5
Perform mockup testing to confirm the process. A test rig was constructed with a ¾ inch inlet and a 1 inch
outlet as the suspect valves are configured. However, the relief valve was substituted with a brass ball valve
so the various flow rates could be established. Multiple mockup tests were performed. Table 1 lists the
conditions and results of the mockup testing. Preliminary testing indicated a heating duration of 3 minutes
maximum would be adequate for this application. Tape was applied to the outlet pipe at 6, 18 and 30 inches
from the valves outlet for emittance correction. The inlet pipe on the mockup was painted for the emittance
correction. Comparative checks of the painted surface and the taped surface were 1°F for the temperatures
involved. The emittance correction for the inlet pipe while testing in the field will involve tape being applied
after the heating process is complete. The tape being applied after heating will eliminate the potential of
melting the tape. The painted mockup will enable a continuous inlet and outlet plotting capabilities. A FLIR
P640 was utilized to acquire the infrared data. A sequence for each test case was obtained with an image
being acquired each 3 seconds. This provided just over 9 minutes of total monitoring per test case. The
recorded sequence was then plotted with ThermaCAM Researcher Pro with one inlet and three outlet
temperatures at the various distances from the valve.

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 Distance from the Valve
Flow Rate Tail Pipe
Ounces Full @ 6 inches @ 18 inches @ 30 inches
Per Or st
1 Temp Maximum st
1 Temp Maximum st
1 Temp Maximum
Minute Empty Increase @ Temp Increase @ Temp Increase @ Temp
(Seconds) (° C) (Seconds) (° C) (Seconds) (° C)
0 Empty N/A 18.6 N/A 18.6 N/A 18.6
0 Full 447 18.6 N/A 18.2 N/A 18.2
2 Empty 84 26.0 115 23.4 160 21.4
2 Full 114 25.9 243 23.0 405 19.9
15 Empty 15 22.5 48 21.5 66 21.1
15 Full 24 23.3 57 22.2 111 21.9
30 Empty 27 20.3 42 20.0 48 19.9
30 Full 27 21.3 63 20.8 69 20.6
45 Empty 24 20.5 42 20.0 57 19.9
45 Full 24 20.6 42 20.0 54 19.9
Table 1. Summary of the results from mockup testing for relief valve leakage.

Figure 1. Configuration of the mockup test rig Heat Source that was utilized

Consideration 6
Can a positive leak and no leak condition be determined? Yes, as demonstrated in the mockup testing and
summarized in Table 1, all leak rates for an empty or full outlet or tail pipe are able to be verified. The
following plots in Figures 2 through 4 validate the process and are able to confirm a non leaking valve and
both a relief valve with only slight or a large amount of leakage. The 2 ounces per minute leak test results in
a water flow rate inside the pipe that is 4.2 inches per minute, while the 45 ounces per minute results in a flow
rate of 94 inches per minute.

The mockup testing at no leakage resulted in the outlet or tail pipe temperatures remaining at essentially
ambient temperature. All the mockup tests performed with various leakage rates resulted in the outlet or
tailpipe temperature at the 6 inch location to increase between 2 to 8°C with adequate thermal response
noted for both the 18 and 30 inch locations also.

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Figure 2. Plot @ 0 ounces per minute full tail pipe mockup test with a range of 18°C to 23°C & 9 minute duration

Figure 3. Plot @ 2 ounces per minute full tail pipe mockup test with a range of 18°C to 27°C & 9 minute duration

Figure 4. Plot @ 45 ounces per minute empty tail pipe mockup test with a range of 18°C to 21°C & 9 minute duration

Any leakage associated with the empty tail pipe testing ran on the bottom of the tail pipe which altered the
thermal response as the pipe first heated from the bottom which was in contact with the water and conducted
up the sides of the pipe wall. The thermal response for the full tail pipe especially at lower flow rates ran
along the top of the pipe. This characteristic is due to the density of the warmer water rising to the top of the
pipe. Temperatures, as listed in Table 1, were taken from an average of a box approximately half the
diameter of the pipe and approximately 2 inches long. The zero leakage with the full tail pipe had less than a
0.5°C rise at nearly 8 minutes of testing. This was only noted at the 6 inch location. The heating was due to
the conductive heat transfer as the thermal conductivity of the water and pipe was greater than that of an
empty pipe. The varied flow rates had a large affect on the noted temperature rise of the thermal transient.

InfraMation 2008 Proceedings ITC 126 A 2008-05-14

The flow rate and noted temperature response at the outlet were inversely proportional as the low flow rate
had a higher temperature and the high flow rate had a lower temperature. However the testing from 2 ounces
per minute and as high as 45 ounces per minute worked very well.

Consideration 7
How long will the process take when implemented in the field? The timeframe for the data acquisition is
expected to be implemented within 10 minutes of gaining access to the component in the field. The time line
has 2 minutes to prepare and apply tape to the outlet pipe and stage tape for the inlet. Heat will be applied
for a maximum of 3 minutes or until a confirmed change in the outlet temperature is confirmed. Data will
continue to be acquired for of up to 4 additional minutes. Clean up and tape removal is allocated at 1 minute.

Consideration 8
Can the process be safely implemented in the field? If the component being tested can be safely reached,
this technique should not pose any additional safety concerns. Due to component location scaffold or ladders
may be needed to reach them safely.

Field testing was performed on March 20, 2008 for the suspect relief valves. The time duration for the testing
was estimated correctly. One of the valves was determined to be leaking as outlet thermal indications were
noted within 1 minute of applying heat. Due to the positive indication the inlet heating was stopped at
approximately 2 minutes. By the time the inlet tape target was applied the pipe had already cooled to nearly
the outlets temperature as the water from the leak was cooling the pipe down. The entire thermal cycle
confirmed the leak as the inlet heated and cooled quickly. The complete cycle from start of heating to being
back to near ambient was approximately 6 minutes.

Figure 5. Visual Picture of the Relief Valve which was leaking, picture was not taken @ time of testing

@ 6 Seconds @ 192 Seconds

Figure 6. Infrared Image - Active Testing of the Leaking Relief Valve

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Figure 7. Temperature Plot of the Leaking Relief Valve with a range of 27°C to 30°C & 7 minute 20 second duration

The other suspect relief valve was also tested and the inlet heating was performed for the full 3 minutes. The
temperature of the outlet never increased nor had a thermal transient over the 7 minute time frame. Based on
observed field testing this valve did not have any detectable leakage. As in the mockup test for no leakage,
the inlet temperature had a much higher temperature rise than noted for a valve with a leak present.

The relief valve with identified leakage was scheduled for replacement at the next available work window.
The replacement was completed as a scheduled activity on 5/21/08. Since the replacement, no unexpected
level changes have been noted for the RC drain tank.

CASE STUDY 2 SUPPORT FOR HIGH PRESSURE HYDRO CLEANING OF PLANT PIPING
A local contractor was contracted to perform an internal cleaning of the service water lines that supply cooling
water to the air coolers located in the containment (CTMT) building. The goal was to perform the cleaning
without removing unnecessary spool pieces or cutting any pipe for access. The plan was only to remove a
spool piece in each line on the outside of the CTMT vessel for access of the cleaning equipment. The CTMT
vessel is a large carbon steel pressure retaining enclosure which holds all the components of the Reactor
Coolant system. It serves as an additional barrier for the radioactive side of the plant. Each main supply or
return line is an 8 inch pipe which splits via a tee into two 6 inch lines near the air coolers. Each 6 inch line
serves as a supply or return for multiple headers on each air cooler. The contractor was having difficulty in
determining the location of the high pressure nozzle so they could direct it into the branch line from the tee.
As a result, the contractor was having difficulty in ensuring all the pipe was covered by the hydro cleaning.

My initial involvement began from a request for ultrasound support to assist in tracking the location of the
spray nozzle while cleaning was in progress. The main area of interest was in the overhead which would
require scaffold or ladders for access. Review of the application resulted in what appeared to be a better fit
for infrared thermography as the inspection technology for this application. A temperature source is
generated from the pressurization of the water at the diesel powered positive displacement hydro pump. That
combined with the high flow rates in the high pressure lines involved a considerable temperature rise for the
water.

It was anticipated that the warm water being sprayed on the surface of the inside of the pipe wall may permit
the location of the cleaning nozzle to be tracked while inside the 6 and 8 inch carbon steel pipe. The piping
run to the coolers was not a straight line run. Note examples of the blue pipe in the pictures in Figure 8.

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Figure 8. Typical Piping Configuration at Elevation Changes and close to the CTMT Air Coolers

The pipe run is a bank of 3 pipes wide by 2 pipes high throughout the CTMT building. When close to the air
coolers, the pipes branch out to the designated supply or return headers. This portion of the cleaning effort
was being performed on pipe that was located inside the CTMT building. Drains were set at the header
connection points to the air coolers to drain of the cleaning water. The general area in CTMT is radioactively
contaminated, therefore changes in the equipment setup in CTMT were not desired as it was not an easy task
and was very time consuming.

A field test was performed near the area of concern within the CTMT building. The test confirmed the thermal
indications on the outside of the pipe were adequate to enable the nozzle to be tracked. A custom version of
the rainbow pallet was developed to assist in highlighting the nozzle location. For this application a gray scale
gradient followed by a narrow black band toped with an adjacent narrow white band was placed in the center
of the red portion of the standard rainbow pallet reference Figure 9. This pallet enables a high contrast to be
detected within a very small temperature band. Utilizing the custom pallet permitted a very small temperature
differential to easily be tracked at the surface of the pipe. When the infrared equipment was properly set up,
the location of the nozzle was identified by the black and white in the image.

Utilizing the custom pallet the field inspection permitted the cleaning rate to be monitored. The location of the
nozzle was so precise that monitoring the speed of the nozzle also became a benefit. Cleaning activities may
be performed at distances through 200 feet of pipe from the point of entry, with multiple 90 degree elbows and
direction changes can result in the potential for inconsistency in the feed rate. While utilizing infrared
monitoring, the actual nozzle speed was easily tracked in a nonintrusive manner without ladders or scaffold.
If it was noticed that the nozzle progressed too quickly in a section, it was retracted immediately. This
permitted the cleaning process to be restarted which ensured adequate cleaning coverage. The branch lines
were also able to be cleaned without changing the configuration of the equipment. As the infrared inspection
noted, as the nozzle approached the tees, radio communication enabled the operator of the cleaning
equipment to work the nozzle into the 90 degree branch line at each of the tees.

As part of the cleaning contract, the lines were independently checked via an internal video inspection. Due
to the assistance of the infrared monitoring, minimal cleaning rework was needed. Therefore the job was
completed quicker with improved quality via the assistance of the infrared monitoring.

Figure 9 has examples of both visual and infrared images that were taken during the cleaning effort. Note the
heat affected area is greatly influenced by the speed of the cleaning nozzle. The nozzle sprays water nearly
perpendicular to the pipe wall while some water jets are directed backward to assist in the forward movement
of the nozzle and high pressure supply line.

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 126.7°F 100.4°F 100.2°F
100 100
120

90
90

100

80
80

80
70
70

60
60
60

41.6°F 54.5°F 50.8°F

Figure 9. Horizontal Run of Pipe Turning 90 Degrees at the Tee Starting a Vertical Run of Pipe

CASE STUDY 3 LOCATING THE SOURCE OF A TURBINE BOOT SEAL LEAK

The plant was in the process of restarting from a scheduled refueling outage. As vacuum was established on
the main condenser, it was noted that the water level in the boot seals water trough was not detected. Both
the mechanical vacuum pump and the air jet ejectors were in operation to maintain the desired vacuum. This
condition occurred on nights. Information from turn over stated an audible air leak was noted near a particular
area of the condenser. The makeup to the boot seal water trough was throttled to maintain the desired water
level. As the condenser heated up, the leak at the boot seal was reduced and the mechanical vacuum pump
was no longer needed.

An evolution was planned to reduce the seal trough water level slowly while monitoring the boot seal area in
the vicinity of the location where the audible noise was noted. The desired goal was to determine height at
which the level the leak was occurring at. Infrared thermography and ultrasound were utilized to supplement
the evolution.

The desired result was to utilize the infrared inspection to locate the source of leakage after the water level
was lowered enough to enable air to be drawn into the leak location. The expected thermal indication for a
leak would show as being cool due to the air being drawn into the condenser vacuum and depressurized.

Figure 10 identifies the configuration of the expansion joint boot seal, seal trough and the steam shield which
are all integral parts of the seal between the turbine exhaust and the condenser. This seal must be flexible to
handle the thermal expansion encountered from the condenser and turbine throughout the full range of
temperatures.

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Figure 10. Sketch of the End View of the Turbine Exhaust to Condenser and detail of the Cross Section of the Boot Seal

This inspection technique was simple as the inspection only involved monitoring the exterior of the seal trough
and condenser joint for a cooler than normal anomaly as the leak area was exposed to air. The audible
indication of the leak became evident as a gurgling sound was the first indication as the water level was
lowered in the seal trough. The gurgling was soon replaced with a steady sound of an air leak. The source
location of the leak could not be determined via audible or ultrasonic indications. As the audible indications
became apparent, nearly instantly a cool thermal pattern began to develop in a corner just below the seal
trough reference Figures 10 and 11. Operations only maintained the water trough at this level for less than 3
minutes as air was being drawn into the condenser instead of water. Due to plant conditions a reduction in
vacuum was not desired. As the water level was increased the gurgling sound became noticeable again as
the water was being drawn into the leak. Afterward the noted air leak sound also disappeared as expected.
The thermal pattern returned to the normal at a slower rate than they appeared. That was due to the air
providing an active cooling to the area while the return to normal did not have the amount of energy present to
warm it back up.

37.1°C

35

30

25

20

15

13.1°C

Figure 11. The South East Corner of the LP Condenser Leak Indication Stabilized at ~ 80 Seconds

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 37.1°C 37.1°C

3 35

3 30

2 25

2 20

1 15

13.1°C 13.1°C

Figure 12. Leak Location 90 Seconds After Refill Leak Location 7 Minutes After Refill

This evolution confirmed the source of the leak to be at the lower seal surface for the expansion joint boot
seal as the water indication was at the bottom of the water trough when the audible and infrared indications
were noted. This information also provided the assurance that the web of the expansion joint boot seal was
not damaged and contributing to the leak as the leak would have been noted with a level in the seal trough if
either the upper seal or the web was a contributor.

CASE STUDY 4 IDENTIFYING THE SOURCE OF A LARGE VACUUM LEAK

WHICH RESULTED IN A MANUAL TURBINE TRIP
The plant had been operating at or near 100% power with no plaguing issues. Upon arriving to work, the
plume from the cooling tower was significantly smaller than typical, not a good sign. Upon arrival at the
personnel processing facility the plant status board indicated the plant was off line. On my way into the plant
a prior Supervisor updated me with the following information: The plant was manually taken off line due to a
sudden and large vacuum leak very early in the morning. Crews had been out unsuccessfully looking for the
source of the leak.

At this time of the day turnover meetings are underway and getting additional detailed information would be
delayed for a short while. Since the problem was a vacuum leak likely in the condenser, a preliminary turbine
building walk down inspection utilizing the infrared equipment seemed appropriate. Performing infrared
inspections to assist in locating vacuum leaks has become a standard application. History has shown the
condenser or turbine shell man ways as the most likely candidate with the turbine vacuum breakers being a
strong possibility. The expected indications would be a localized cool thermal profile at the source of the leak.

After a quick check on the computer to review the plant conditions, the vacuum level was still adequate to go
leak hunting. The inspections were started with the obvious being the man-ways. Due to no abnormal
indications, the vacuum breakers were next on my list followed by a quick inspection of the turbine hood. Still
no issues noted. The inspection route followed to less typical locations, so the condenser boot seal area was
next on the list. The first abnormal indication was a pipe which was cold, well below ambient. Other lines in
similar locations were checked and they were all warm. The infrared images can be viewed in Figure 13 both
the noted anomaly and a typical indication for comparative purposes are shown.

At that time the function of the line with the noted thermal anomaly was not known. The pipe penetrated the
turbine exhaust hood just above the boot seal. Careful inspection of the area revealed the turbine exhaust
hood was also being cooled. Armed with this information it was time to inform Operations and the outage
support center of the finding. Operations identified the pipe as a turbine bearing water and oil drain or slop
drain as it is commonly referred to. This line runs from the pit in the turbine pedestal into the steam space
and out the turbine shell to a header which is routed to an open floor drain in the lower elevations of the
turbine building.

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Figure 13. Noted the Abnormally Cool Pipe Comparison of a Pipe of Similar Function

Additional inspections were performed to obtain better data at the lower turbine hood location where the slop
drain pipe exited the steam space. The analysis and interpretation of the localized cooling in the turbine hood
appeared to be the result of air expanding on the surface on the turbine hood and providing direct cooling of
the affected area.

Utilizing a hand held multi purpose meter with temperature and wind speed capabilities, the open ended pipe
for the common header drain was checked. There was an audible indication of air flow but not extreme.
Realizing the safety implications of a vacuum leak, the wind speed turbine of the hand held meter was placed
below the open end of the drain pipe. The indicated flow rate was measured at 75 MPH, which was
conservative as the end of the pipe was rough and at an angle. Realizing the other end of the pipe in the
coupling pit was also open to the vacuum of the condenser only part of the leakage was originating from this
point.

Investigations found operational experience (OE) that other turbine generating sites have had a similar issue
with these lines. We followed the typical corrective actions by implementing a modification that plugged the
line in the bottom of the sump and cut the line as it exits the turbine hood and capped both ends at that
location.

When the repairs were performed and the pipe was cut it was noted that the pipe had separated just inside
the turbine hood and inside pipe had displaced in the vicinity of the cool thermal anomaly. The repair required
the pipe be stacked, which is a process that involves inserting a pipe or rod inside the broken pipe to provide
support and stability.

SUMMARY
Individuals like me that work within a PdM group don’t become tunnel-visioned and only perform the
scheduled PdM activities. In fact, nearly anyone working within the infrared technology can both increase
personal knowledge and increase the financial return on the infrared equipment. For those that work utilizing
infrared equipment, it was most likely purchased for a specific process or application. Even if you are self
employed, you specialize in certain infrared inspection applications. The applications for infrared
thermography are so varied many of which have not even been realized or developed at this time. The
technique and application development are a result of individuals thinking outside of the box. Get out of the
box, experiment and learn. It will enable you to help others. Work becomes much easier after you are trusted
by your peers. Ensure your abilities are not overestimated, let others know when you are in the learning
mode. Get involved in as many applications as you can. Don’t be apprehensive about performing
investigative inspections for your own knowledge. Its fun to get outside of the box and you will even walk
away with new or reinforced knowledge.

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