DEVELOPMENT OF ON-LINE, HIGH TEMPERATURE, NON-DESTRUCTIVE MEASUREMENT/SENSING TECHNIQUES DURING MANUFACTURING OF POWER PLANT COMPONENTS

印度马德拉斯理工学院（IITM）的无损评估中心（CNDE）与沃里克大学（UW）物理系和工程学院的工业超声中心（CIU）合作，将开发新的下一代传感和测量技术，这将带来控制发电厂部件制造过程能力的范式变化。巴拉特重型电气有限公司（BHEL）是亚洲最大的电站锅炉制造商，将成为主要的行业合作伙伴。BHEL的一个关键优先事项和要求是钢管焊接质量的在线、过程中、高温测量。在制造过程中对焊缝进行无损检测的能力将提高生产效率和制造过程，但更重要的是将导致生产更高质量和更安全的工厂。BHEL已经评估了目前可用的技术，并发现它们不能在高温下进行管道焊缝检查。该项目将建立一种新的科学方法，使用超声导波在断层扫描类型的方法[1]中的“中等范围”内检测管道焊缝，其中超声换能器距离焊缝数十厘米。该项目的性质结合了CNDE，CIU和BHEL的互补专业知识，为工业制造过程提供测量解决方案，可应用于各种制造行业。工作成果以工作包的形式确定，这将涉及三个合作伙伴的合作，科学家和工程师的交流，利用每个小组的专业知识，并在三个组织之间转移知识。将使用电磁声换能器（EMAT）[2]、压电换能器环[3]和激光超声方法开发一整套新的超声换能器技术，以覆盖广泛的应用条件。当传感器必须在高温下工作时，或者当制造过程使得难以可靠和准确地将接触式传感器部署到管道时，将使用EMAT。如果可以部署压电传感器环，则应使用这些传感器环，因为它们比EMAT更有效和灵敏。激光超声方法允许用于产生和检测超声波模式的远程方法，特别是在高温下。由于使用的管道材料、尺寸和制造工艺范围很广，我们需要使用这两种类型的传感器创建新的传感器和检测工艺。这里提出的用于高温测量的NDE技术也可能使BHEL和其他地方的其他制造工艺受益。还设想这种合作努力将有助于提高两国制造业传感技术领域的科学技能。该计划下的拟议合作研究期限为36个月。

The Centre for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE) at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) in collaboration with the Centre for Industrial Ultrasonics (CIU) at the Department of Physics and School of Engineering at the University of Warwick (UW), will develop new next generation sensing and measurement technologies that will bring a paradigm change in the ability to control the manufacturing processes of power plant components. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), is the largest manufacturer of power plant boilers in Asia, and will be the key industry partner. A key priority and requirement for BHEL is the online, in-process, high-temperature measurement of weld quality of steel tubes. The ability to perform NDT on welds during manufacture will improve production efficiency and the manufacturing process, but more importantly will lead to the production of higher quality and safer plant. BHEL has evaluated currently available technologies and has found that they are not capable of performing pipe weld inspection in process, at high temperatures. This project will establishing a new scientific approach to the inspection of pipe welds using ultrasonic guided waves over a "medium range" in a tomographic type approach[1], where the ultrasonic transducers are tens of centimetres away from the weld. The nature of the project combines the complementary expertise of CNDE, CIU and BHEL, to provide a measurement solution for an industrial manufacturing process that has applications in a diverse range of manufacturing industries. The work effort is defined in the form of work packages which will involve the three partners in collaboration, exchange of scientists and engineers, utilizing the expertise of each group and transferring knowledge between the three organisations. A complete suite of new ultrasonic transducer technologies will be developed using electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs)[2], piezo-electric transducer rings[3], and laser-ultrasonic methods, to cover a wide range of application conditions. When the transducers must operate at high temperatures, or when the manufacturing process makes it difficult to reliably and accurately deploy contact transducers to the pipe, EMATs will be used. Where it is possible to deploy piezoelectric transducer rings, then these shall be used as they are significantly more efficient and sensitive than EMATs. Laser Ultrasonic methods permit a remote method for generation and detection of ultrasonic wave modes, particularly at high temperatures. Because a wide range of pipe materials, sizes and manufacturing process are used, we will need to create new transducers and inspection processes using both types of transducers. The NDE technologies for high temperature measurements proposed here also potentially benefit other manufacturing processes at BHEL and elsewhere. It is also envisaged that the collaborative effort will contribute to improving scientific skills in the area of sensing technologies for manufacturing in both countries. The proposed collaborative research duration under this program is for a period of 36 months.