Returkraft is using the Elios 3 drone and its UT payload to save time and money when inspecting boilers at their waste-to-energy plant, achieving 450,000 Euros in savings!
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Time The Returkfraft inspectors used the Elios 3 to make UT measurements inside a boiler, getting results faster than traditional methods. They completed the entire inspection in just 8 hours - traditional methods can take up to 300 hours! |
Costs Drone boiler inspections cut downtime and the turnaround time for inspections. This reduces the time an asset is out of operation and thus, cuts any losses the plant may experience during a shutdown. Time savings in this project reached 450,000 Euros! |
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Safety The Elios 3 offers a safer way to inspect boilers by eliminating confined space entry and the need for custom scaffolding to be erected within the asset. The remote access provided by the Elios 3 means that Returkraft inspectors can stay safely outside of the boiler while gathering critical data. |
Data Quality In just 2.5 hours of flight time, Returkraft captured 150 ultrasonic thickness measurements with the Elios 3 UT. These measurements are localized within a 3D model, making it possible to check thickness measurements in a digital twin of the asset, getting a comprehensive overview of the boiler's condition. |
Boilers in thermal power plants are under immense strain as they reach very high temperatures to produce steam which is used to generate electricity. Regardless of the immense pressure these assets are under, their smooth operation is crucial as they make up a core part of power plant operations.
However, when it comes to internally inspecting boilers, the task is incredibly challenging. These inspections take place during shutdown periods when it is vital to complete work as quickly as possible to ensure continuous energy production and reduce lost revenue. Inspections are complex, requiring confined space access, scaffolding, and regular ultrasonic thickness measurements throughout the space to ensure the internal components meet regulatory standards and the boiler is safe to run.
Returkraft is one of Norway’s most modern and high-tech energy recovery facilities, converting waste into energy. Every year they incinerate 140,000 tons of waste and produce 11MW of electrical power and 33MW of heating power. Their boilers, when inspected, have to be carefully checked for the condensing of corrosive chlorine components that come from the waste that is incinerated within the plant. The inspection involves a combination of visual checks for corrosion and pitting as well as UT measurements on key elements.
Kjetil Mikaelsen is a maintenance engineer at the site who has always been open to using drone technology. He had tested FPV as a remote inspection tool for assessing assets on the site. Mikaelsen wanted to use FPV drones for the boiler inspection, but the nature of the FPV drone made it too difficult to fly in the space, and it could only provide visual data, meaning it would still be necessary to erect scaffolding and take UT measurements. The alternative - and solution - was the Elios 3 drone and its UT payload.
Members of the inspection team at Returkfraft who use the Elios 3 with Kjetil Mikaelsen in the center
What makes the Elios 3 appropriate for boiler inspections? It comes down to the drone's unique design. The Elios 3 is tailored for remote, confined-space inspections that challenge traditional inspection methods. Through this, it has specific features that make it ideal for boiler inspections. These include:
These are just a few of the factors that make the Elios 3 ideal for boiler inspections - and other power generation applications!
A standard boiler inspection needs to check for heavy fouling and corrosion. This involves checking the thickness measurements on certain pipes within the structure to check they match minimum tube thickness standards alongside visual inspections of the asset's overall internal condition.
The boiler tubes can be covered in fouling, which may need to be cleared before inspections
A standard boiler inspection would require scaffolding as the first step after a shut down period begins. A team of between 10 and 15 scaffolders then enter the space and spend a collective 1,700 hours inside the boiler. This would then be followed by an additional 300 hours of UT measurements by non-destructive testing inspectors. Overall the scaffolding and inspections alone would cost 450,000 Euros.
The Elios 3 offers a cheaper and safer alternative. After the internal cleaning system is used, the Elios 3 can be flown straight into the boiler to gather data. This means that UT measurements can be captured by the drone. The Elios 3 pilot starts with a visual inspection and records specific defects or points of concern as "points of interest" in the drone's livemap. These points of interest are localized within the Elios 3’s 3D point cloud it automatically gathers during the flight with its LiDAR payload. This 3D model becomes a vital communication tool, allowing inspectors to show engineers and maintenance teams exactly where defects are located.
Besides the visual inspection, the Elios 3 pilot can make measurements throughout the condenser, gathering critical data about the condition of the internal assets. This inspection method requires 1 to 2 pilots and their drone, taking up to 50 hours - substantially less resource intensive than traditional boiler inspection techniques. The outage time associated with the drone is 48 hours less than a traditional inspection and saves 7 days of work on scaffolding. There is also no confined space entry required, improving the safety and efficiency of the overall inspection.
The shape and angle of some pipes within a boiler can pose a challenge for UT measurements. The Elios 3 UT, when used by Returkraft for boiler inspections, has been used to measure tubes with very small diameters. Some of them measured 44.5 or 57 millimeters across. The team found that specifically angling the UT probe on the Elios 3’s payload helped them get a good position and made it possible to gather UT scans on these very narrow pipes despite their curvature. In fact, in just 2.5 hours of flight time, the team has been able to capture over 150 ultrasonic thickness measurements. The entire process of flying, changing batteries, and capturing measurements can be completed in just 8 hours, compared to the 300 hours required for traditional inspections.
Interested in learning more about how Returkraft use the Elios 3 UT for boiler inspections? Watch our webinar recording where they shared their experience.
Video: See the footage of the Elios 3 flying inside a boiler, along with the UT measurements on-screen
Integrating Drones with Power Plant Maintenance
Returkraft has been thoroughly impressed by the capabilities of the Elios 3 and its UT payload. Their boiler inspection process is now several orders of magnitude faster and their results are highly detailed and accurate. The key benefits they identified are the improvements to safety standards and turnaround time. By eliminating confined space entry while also cutting visual inspection times from days to hours, the Returkraft inspectors have revolutionized boiler inspections at their waste-to-energy plant. They're also exploring integrating the use of AI image recognition to analyze results from the Elios 3 as a way to quickly detect pitting from the visual inspection footage.
In the future Returkraft hopes to roll out their use of drone inspections and drone thickness measurements to other assets including industrial stacks on site. It’s a clear sign of the growing faith the energy has in drone inspections.
Interested in learning more? Discover the Elios 3 for power generation inspections today!