Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler

A global energy provider leveraged deep data insights to avoid catastrophic tube failures in two circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers.

Challenges

  • Erosion, notably bed ash erosion, is a significant challenge for CFB boilers
  • Tube wastage needs to be addressed before a failure occurs to avoid forced outages
  • The plant was aware of bed ash erosion being present in two boilers, but it didn’t have a clear picture of the severity or locations

Solutions

  • Full-coverage RUG inspection using TOKA® 4 robotic inspection platform
  • Gecko's data software platform

Results

  • Full-coverage inspection completed in three shifts per boiler
  • Minimal or dedicated company resources required
  • More than 32 million UT data readings obtained between the two boilers
  • Intuitive 2D and 3D maps displayed patterns of erosion in the boiler
  • Data identified precise locations where tubes needed to be replaced or repaired, safely extending the life of the asset

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