Robotic Technology Inspections
Siemens Energy partners with Gecko Robotics to provide advanced technology solutions to increase the efficiency and safety of facility operations, prevent downtime, and promote energy efficiency and security.
The connected solutions combine wall-climbing inspection robots and an AI-powered data platform to provide clients with a unique window into the current and future health of their physical assets.
Features and Benefits
- Cost savings - reduce access requirements, including scaffolding, ropes, and man lifts
- Safety - limit confined space entry, working at heights, and exposure to hazardous environments
- Efficiency - inspection time is 10x faster than conventional methods
- Data density - Over 1,600 readings/sqm provides detailed asset information improve decision making
- Stored data - Retrievable data for future analytics and comparative analyses
- Data visualization - 3D corrosion maps and predictive modeling provides a holistic understanding of asset health to inform operations and planning
Improve Safety Risks, Health, and Reduce Environmental Hazards with Robotic Inspections
To provide customers with safe and proficient technology, Siemens Energy now monitors and inspects plant machinery while minimizing the exposure to hazardous work environments.
- Eliminate risk associated with confined space entry
- Reduce working at height risk
- Reduced need for rope access inspections
- Faster inspections
- Early detection of equipment malfunction and leaks
Siemens Energy and Gecko Robotics Drive Safer Inspections
We recently completed a boiler tube inspection at ENGIE Rodenhuize's biomass power plant in Belgium. Using cutting-edge inspection technology developed by Gecko Robotics, we successfully gathered valuable data for efficient asset management decisions.
NDT and Other Inspections
Enable faster, data driven decisions to keep your assets in top working condition. We provide comprehensive inspections with robotic platforms utilizing NDT techniques to truly understand the condition of your asset.
We can provide the following inspections:
- Rapid Ultrasonic Gridding (RUG): Ultrasonic thickness and corrosion mapping
- Rapid AUT (R-AUT): Phased array thickness and corrosion mapping
- Tri-Lateral Phased Array - Phased array base metal crack detection
- Automated Weld Inspection - Phased array weld and heat affected zone (HAZ) crack and damage detection
State of the art robotic solutions for multiple applications
Highly versatile, efficient, safe, and modular, our robots can be deployed on fixed equipment of various geometries, including boilers, tanks, pressure vessels, piping, and more.
Ensure the performance of energy generating assets through robotic ultrasonic, visual, and magnetic induction inspection methods.
- Boilers - Regular water wall inspection and targeted repairs reduce forced outages and increase energy production
- Tanks - Covering up to 15m2, internal or external shell and roof inspections prevent failures and loss of containment
- Scrubbers - Maintain the structural integrity of essential greenhouse gas reduction equipment
- Silos - Prevent degradation and reduce onsite EHS risks with full-coverage robotic inspection
Improve mechanical integrity planning through full-coverage, data dense automated ultrasonic and phased array inspections
- Tanks - Covering up to 15m2, internal or external shell and roof inspections prevent failures and loss of containment
- Pressure vessels - Avoid opportunity cost and reduce the risk of de-rating and failure with external, in-service robotic inspections of the shell, head, and weld seams
- Piping - Improve piping integrity and reduce production losses with full coverage inspections that provide UT data along the entire length of the pipe
Maintain stable paper product manufacturing through robotic ultrasonic, visual, and magnetic induction inspection methods.
- Power Boiler: Ensure consistent and reliable energy production to fuel mill operations through full coverage robotic inspection and corrosion mapping
- Recovery boilers - Robotic solutions pinpoint pitting, under deposit corrosion (UDC), and other damage mechanisms in furnace tubes before leaks or failures occur
- Tanks - From the roof and shell, to everything in between, robots efficiently inspect in-service tanks without access requirements to inform tank integrity programs
- Digester: Efficiently inspect high pressure and high temperature digesters without confined space entry to ensure safe and reliable operation
Robotic Technology
Robotic Inspection Methods
Advanced ultrasonic inspection robots collect data to understand the current condition of critical infrastructure, promoting safety, reducing downtime and opportunity cost, increasing efficiency, and providing high-quality point-level data. Rapid Ultrasonic Gridding (RUG) is a robot-enabled ultrasonic and visual inspection technique that produce 2D & 3D thickness grid maps to identify areas where corrosion, erosion, and other damage mechanisms have caused wall-thinning. RUG is highly versatile and can be applied to a wide range of ferromagnetic fixed equipment, including boilers, tanks, pressure vessels, piping, and more.
TOKA 4
Initially designed to scan boiler water wall tubes at three angles, TOKA 4 is an adaptable and modular robot able to inspect various geometries from curved to flat surfaces
Features
- Multi angle, ultrasonic corrosion mapping
- Visual inspection through four HD cameras
- Scan speeds up to 18 meters/minute
- Localization and encoding for pinpointing damage
- Up to 32 ultrasonic transducers
TOKA Flex
Small and agile ultrasonic corrosion mapping robot for piping applications.
Features
- Ultrasonic corrosion mapping
- Flexibility to inspect piping down to 300 mm in diameter
- Visual inspection through two 1080p cameras
- Scan speeds up to 9 meters/minute
- Up to 18 ultrasonic transducers
Tri-Lateral - Phased Array Robots
TriLat is a robotic phased array ultrasonic testing method for in-service fixed equipment in caustic environments. TriLat identifies and quantifies environmental cracking in the base material of carbon steel equipment, including:
- Hydrogen Blisters
- Hydrogen-induced Cracking (HIC)
- Stress-oriented HIC (SOHIC)
- Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC)
- High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA)