Waygate Technologies, a Baker Hughes company and global specialist in non-destructive testing (NDT) solutions for industrial inspection, is launching a new service that uses state-of-the-art robotics to ensure the safe and efficient inspection and cleaning of industrial boilers. The service, called Bric (an acronym for Boiler Robotic Inspection & Cleaning), will eliminate any physical risk for inspectors, provide more accurate data than any previous inspection technology in this field, and significantly reduce inspection costs for customers in sectors such as chemicals, paper manufacturing or energy.
Zero risk, twice as fast, multiple perspectives
Conventional boiler maintenance involves sending people into an extremely hazardous environment, while no human intervention is required to carry out visual and ultrasonic inspections, as well as water jet cleaning. The Bric completely eliminates the risk to humans.
However, the Bric doesn't just increase safety; it also collects 95 % more high-quality data than conventional inspections. More reliable wall thickness data is provided by three separate ultrasonic sensors. And the company's exclusive 3D LOC technology creates a digital twin of the boilers, geolocalizing all collected data, so customers can anticipate risks.
Conventional boiler inspection also involves significant costs in terms of preparation, procurement, logistics and HSE requirements. Add to this the time needed to coordinate all those involved, and these methods can be costly and time-consuming. With the Bric service, a single team of specialists takes care of everything. And because there's no human intervention or scaffolding, there's much less need for advance planning. According to Waygate Technologies, fewer people and less preparation mean an average time saving of 30 to 70 % compared with traditional maintenance methods.
"We're delighted to be able to offer our Bric service to companies all over the world, says Ekkehard Zwicker, Product Line Leader Robotics at Waygate Technologies. As a leading provider of industrial inspection solutions, we've been working closely with asset managers in the chemical, energy and papermaking sectors for decades, and we know that reducing physical risks in these hazardous working environments is always a priority. At the same time, their companies face increasing pressure to limit costs and downtime. With Bric, we have developed a solution that manages to address both these factors."
A range of services and systems developed with Basf
Waygate Technologies deploys state-of-the-art inspection robotics. The equipment integrates visual and ultrasonic imaging with ultra-precise cleaning and measurement. But the technology was not designed to adapt to every task. With its Bric service, Waygate Technologies offers its customers an individualized five-step inspection solution. The services cover the entire process, from customer information and assessment to planning, inspection and delivery of inspection data, all provided by a single team of experts.
Among the first users of the Bric program is the Basf chemical group. Waygate Technologies worked with Basf to bring Bric from the pilot phase to full industrial use. "While an inspection usually takes three weeks to calculate, we can now reduce this time to one week. We therefore save around two weeks' downtime on an inspection".says Jürgen Moors, Operations Manager at Basf Antwerp.
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inspection-robotics.com