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EPRI NDE Center 1300 WT Harris Blvd., Charlotte, North Carolina 28262 PO Box 217097, Charlotte, North Carolina 28221 USA 704.547.6100

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This document was prepared by EPRI NDE Center 1300 WT Harris Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28262 Principal Investigator I. Zayicek, P. This document describes research sponsored by EPRI. The publication is a corporate document that should be cited in the literature in the following manner: Evaluation of an Advanced Infrared Thermography System for Inspection of Boiler Tubes: EPRI NDE Center, Charlotte, NC: 2000. {1000614}.

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Infrared Thermography (IR) is widely used by electric utilities as a key component of their predictive maintenance programs. IR can also be used for materials testing. One application, described in this report, is an advanced IR technique for inspection of boiler tubes. A thermal injection technique is used to identify areas of wall loss in the tubes. An evaluation of this technique, conducted at the EPRI NDE Center, used removed from service boiler tubes and machined flaw targets to assess the effectiveness of this IR technology. The results of this activity indicate that this technique is very effective for flaw detection and shows potential as a tool for through-wall flaw sizing.

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The EPRI NDE Center participated in a demonstration and evaluation of an advanced infrared thermography system for the inspection of boiler tubes. The activities took place at the EPRI Charlotte, NC facilities and were monitored by EPRI staff with support from Tennessee Valley Authority, Carolina Power & Light and Duke personnel. ThermTech Services, Inc. demonstrated the equipment. The goal of the activity was to define the detection and sizing capabilities of ThermTechs PVM-4000 IR inspection system. A series of carbon steel flat plates and boiler tube mockups, with machined targets, were used for the evaluation.

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Infrared thermography (IR) is widely used by electric utilities as a predictive maintenance tool for assessment of operating electrical and mechanical equipment. Thermal images of the operating equipment are collected with the IR system and analyzed to determine continued equipment operability. This type of IR inspection is referred to as a passive mode because the self-emitted radiant energy from the component being inspected is used for the analysis. IR can also be used for nondestructive evaluation (IRNDE) of materials. This application may require an active or thermal injection approach to generate a thermal event in a component. The resulting thermal pattern can then be analyzed to assess material integrity. The active or thermal injection approach requires generation of a controlled flow of thermal energy across the material being inspected, an IR device to collect the thermal data, and data analysis software to manipulate and analyze the collected data. Thermal injection for active IR can typically be accomplished using hot (or cold) water, hot (or cold) air blowers, high power lamps, or induction heaters.

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The ThermTech PVM-4000 IR inspection system consists of four major components: a portable aluminum framed scanner assembly that breaks down to fit through a man-way, a high power quartz lamp to accomplish thermal injection, an infrared camera to gather thermal information, a data acquisition system to process the thermal data and facilitate off-line analysis (figures 1a,b).



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The scanner is assembled once inside the boiler and suspended from above by chain fall or other convenient device. The camera/lamp fixture rolls on tracks attached to the rigid beam frame and is positioned vertically by a variable speed gearmotor hoist. The speed of the motor and intensity of the quartz lamp are selected to match the characteristics of the material being inspected. Data acquisition file sizes are set up to accommodate the length of the area to be scanned. Data is typically collected in 0.1 increments vertically. For the boiler tube application, the speed of the scanner results in an inspection rate of approximately 4 to 5 square feet per minute. The IR camera, currently used with the system, is a Raytheon Amber Radiance 1 with an indium antimonide, focal plane array detector, operating in the 3-5 micron spectral band. The camera is scanned in tandem with the quartz lamp over the inspection area (figure 2). During data acquisition, the camera gathers data ahead of the quartz lamp (unheated area) and behind the lamp (heated area) to facilitate an initial data conditioning step of image subtraction. The image subtraction algorithm minimizes the effects of surface anomalies during the data analysis process and allows pertinent targets to be more readily identified.

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The ThermTech data acquisition/data analysis system runs software based on algorithms initially developed by NASA for other material inspection applications. ThermTech is the exclusive licensed user of the patented technology. The software is designed to provide defect detection, location and sizing information. For boiler tube inspection, three analysis tools are available for detection and sizing.



An Excel spreadsheet format is used to organize and store the collected data. The spreadsheet provides vertical position of the scanner (typically in 0.1 increments), referenced to a known benchmark elevation, along with a corresponding wall thickness reading for each tube in the field of view (usually 4-6 tubes). Table 1 shows a segment of a typical data set.
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0.266 0.262 0.260 0.260 0.259 0.259 0.260 0.259 0.260 0.260 0.261 0.261 0.261 0.259 0.259 0.259

0.280 0.273 0.272 0.269 0.269 0.269 0.269 0.268 0.268 0.267 0.268 0.269 0.267 0.268 0.269 0.268

0.302 0.301 0.301 0.299 0.296 0.293 0.290 0.282 0.273 0.267 0.260 0.256 0.253 0.250 0.249 0.249

0.294 0.290 0.287 0.280 0.274 0.269 0.265 0.262 0.259 0.258 0.257 0.255 0.253 0.253 0.254 0.256



The Excel data spreadsheet allows the user to display wall thickness graphically as illustrated in figure 3. Nodes depicted in the graph correlate with a change in wall thickness, usually associated with general wall wastage or with a localized wall loss condition such as caustic erosion. Figure 3 is a graph of targets in a carbon steel plate but a similar presentation would be generated for detected boiler tube targets.

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The software can also generate a false color image of the inspection data as shown in figure 4. This format is useful as a visual aid in screening areas of interest along the tube length. In the image below, detected targets are presented as bright yellow spots. Each area of interest can also be queried to provide location and wall thickness data.

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The analysis software package provides ample information for identification of areas of concern, a global data storage format to support trending and report generation, and visual aids to support presentation of results to those unfamiliar with the technology or with the application.



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The primary goal of the evaluation activities was to determine the detection and sizing capabilities of ThermTechs PVM-4000 IR inspection system. Several sample plates with machined targets were fabricated for this exercise. The EPRI NDE Center provided carbon steel flat plates with thicknesses of 0.312 and 0.375, with a series of flat-bottom and round-bottom holes. Additionally, a section of boiler tubes (0.290-0.312 wall), also containing machined flatbottom and round-bottom holes, was included in the test. During the evaluation activities, the ThermTech scanner and support frame was suspended from an overhead crane in the EPRI NDE Center high-bay to simulate positioning inside a boiler (see figure 1a). Each sample to be inspected was setup in the path of the scanner. Calibration pieces were attached to the samples prior to scanning to facilitate subsequent detection and sizing activities. ThermTech initially collected data on both flat plates and the boiler tube section sample. The majority of the targets were detected, but no through wall sizing was completed. A recalibration of the system using thicker calibration pieces was not successful in improving sizing performance. ThermTech then collected data on a flat carbon steel plate and a section of boiler tubes with nominal 0.250 wall thickness. Again, good detection results were obtained on the plate and the boiler tube section. Table 2 lists target sizes and depths in the 0.250 thick carbon steel plate that were successfully detected.



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flat bottom Flat bottom Flat bottom flat bottom flat bottom flat bottom round bottom round bottom round bottom round bottom round bottom round bottom flat bottom flat bottom flat bottom flat bottom flat bottom flat bottom flat bottom flat bottom round bottom round bottom round bottom round bottom

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Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

ThermTech was not able to provide a through-wall depth size for the machined flat-bottom and round-bottom hole targets. However, it was determined that good through-wall sizing was achievable on the non-circular boiler tube targets that had their long dimension coincident with the scanning direction. The sizing results on these types of targets were verified with an ultrasonic instrument.



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Successful detection and sizing of the elongated targets in the boiler tube sample indicates that the system is capable of detecting and sizing areas of general wall wastage and areas with favorable target shape and orientation. The successful detection of a majority of the targets in the carbon steel plate indicate that, at a very minimum, the ThermTech equipment is an excellent screening tool for target identification



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The ThermTech PVM-4000 IR inspection system was also tried on a pipe inspection application. The pipe is a 12 diameter, 0.375 wall, carbon steel pipe with a 0.250 thick rubber liner. The pipe is designed to carry a corrosive slurry. The owners of the pipe are looking for a nondestructive inspection method for early detection of blistering and disbond of the rubber liner. The typical failure scenario of the liner begins with blistering of the liner, probably due to a combination of inadequate installation techniques and effects of the hot slurry carried in the pipe. The blistered areas eventually tear, exposing the pipe wall to the corrosive effects of the slurry. Once the liner has been breached, the affected areas are detectable with an IR camera. It would be preferable to detect the blistered areas before failure to allow for maintenance planning and mitigation of the situation. For this application, the intent was to investigate the potential of the inspection technique for detection of blistering. Note that, the current configuration of the ThermTech system is for inspection of boiler tubes and therefore is not optimal for pipe inspection. This was ThermTechs first experience with inspection of rubber-lined, carbon steel pipe. The rubber-lined pipe was stood on end to line up with the scanning direction of the PVM-4000 (figure 5). The system was then calibrated and data was collected on the pipe in an area where liner blistering was apparent (figure 6).

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Several data sets were collected to optimize the scan speed for detection of blistering. The resultant reconstructed thermal image showed areas of blistering that correlated with measurements taken on the pipe (figure 7).

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Inspection of the rubber-lined pipe indicated that the active thermal injection technique used by ThermTech is potentially useful for a variety of material inspection applications. Some additional development is needed to optimize the scanner hardware and analysis software for this application.



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The EPRI Fossil NDE Center, Target 59, supported the evaluation of the THERMTECH PVM4000. For further information on this activity contact Paul Zayicek, (704) 547-6154, pzayicek@epri.com For further information on the PVM-4000 system and associated inspection services, contact Tom Reilly, (973) 661-1748, TREILLY@prodigy.net, or Ron Jacobstein, (561) 225-2731, arj1@earthlink.net, at ThermTech Services, Inc.

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