Power industry
Power industry in Poland is based mainly on traditional coal energy. The majority of energy devices come from the 1970s and 1980s, in which the construction of a coal-based power plant was something obvious.
Today our power plants and combined heat and power plants are struggling with many problems. Most of them exceeded the planned operating time (200,000 hours), and a significant amount approaches 300,000 work hours. Longer work is accompanied by newer ecological requirements to which they are not adapted.
Therefore, modern diagnostics of boilers, turbines, pipelines, headers, condensers and all other devices must meet the growing requirements leading to answer the basic question about the condition of boiler and turbine service life, often working under new conditions (change of parameters, change of fuel quality, additives improving low-emission, numerous modernizations).
To meet this challenge, more and more new non-destructive testing methods are used in various configurations, in order to get as much information as possible about the actual state of the materials being tested.
Therefore, in our company, we use the MMM method as a preliminary test for quick identification of the areas that are a potential place of failure. Then we use the WIT method, which in combination with classical metallographic microstructural tests allows to determine mechanical indicators of energy equipment materials without the need to cut samples for strength tests.
These methods in combination with classical ultrasonic testing of welds, magnetic-particle, penetration, ultrasonic thickness measurements, ultrasonic oximetry measurements, X-ray radiography, geometric and geodetic measurements, visual tests, eddy current tests and analysis results and calculation allow us to correctly assess the degree of structural degradation, and assess the lifetime of live steam pipelines, steam collectors, drums, steam superheater headers, superheater tubes, etc.
The use of so many different methods for testing the elements of steam pipelines, superheater headers, economizers, drums, communication pipelines or other pressure energy devices helps to avoid costly and dangerous failures, as well as gives the opportunity for people planning repairs to properly prepare the schedule of repair and modernization works for years.