Method and apparatus for inspection of cooling towers

• US 10,083,767 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2013
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EPSCO Limited
• Original Assignee: EPSCO Limited
• Inventors: Smith, Stuart Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Windrich, Marcus E
• Application Number:
  US14/437,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20150279488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 342 22, 342176, 342191
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 19/00 Preventing the formation of deposits or corrosion, e.g. by using filters or scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 25/00 Component parts of trickle coolers arrangements for increasing heat transfer F28F13/00; controlling arrangements F28F27/00
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 27/003 specially adapted for cooling towers
• CPC Class Codes: F28G 15/003 Control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/00 Monitoring; Testing measuring in general G01; Maintaining
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

A method and apparatus for inspecting cooling tower fill pack to detect the presence of fouling, wherein the method comprises using ground penetrating radar (GPR). The method comprises transmitting GPR to the fill pack and detecting reflected radar signals from the fill pack. A method of cleaning fouling from a cooling tower, comprising the steps of: inspecting the cooling tower fill pack with ground penetrating radar (GPR); identifying those parts of the fill pack in which unacceptable levels of fouling are present; and cleaning the parts so identified is also presented.

Claims

1. A method of inspecting cooling tower fill pack to detect the presence of fouling, the method comprising:

providing a ground penetrating radar (GPR) apparatus;

moving the GPR apparatus relative to a top surface, a bottom surface, or a side surface of the fill pack; and

processing received GPR data to form a three-dimensional plot of a location and degree of fouling within the fill pack;

wherein the step of processing the received GPR data to form the three-dimensional plot of the location and degree of fouling within the fill pack includes the step of distinguishing the fill pack from the fouling thereon; and

,

wherein the GPR apparatus is configurable to identify or recognise and ignore the fill pack itself via programming of appropriate relative densities or dielectric constants for the particular materials of construction of the fill pack.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mode of operation of the GPR is distance-based data collection.

3. The method according to claim 1, in which the GPR apparatus is traversed across the top of the fill pack in a series of parallel scan lines.

4. The method according to claim 1, in which the GPR apparatus is mounted on a remotely operable vehicle (ROV).

5. The method according to claim 4, in which the ROV is a tracked vehicle, a wheeled vehicle, a vehicle capable of flying, or a vehicle capable of floating.

6. The method according to claim 4, in which the ROV also mounts a data logger arranged to store GPR data for subsequent downloading and analysis.

7. The method according to claim 4, in which the ROV is provided with a video camera.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes filtering, ignoring and/or deleting received data relating to the fill pack.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of processing the received GPR data to form the three-dimensional plot of the location and degree of fouling within the fill pack includes analysing the received GPR data to aid determination of deposition type and make-up of the fouling.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the GPR apparatus is a hand-held apparatus.

11. A method of cleaning fouling from a cooling tower, comprising the steps of:

providing a ground penetrating radar (GPR) apparatus;

inspecting a cooling tower fill pack of the cooling tower with GPR by moving the GPR apparatus relative to a top surface, a bottom surface, or a side surface of the fill pack;

processing received GPR data to form a three-dimensional plot of a location and degree of fouling within the fill pack;

identifying those parts of the fill pack in which unacceptable levels of fouling are present; and

cleaning the parts so identified;

wherein the step of processing the received GPR data to form the three-dimensional plot of the location and degree of fouling within the fill pack includes the step of distinguishing the fill pack from the fouling thereon; and

,

wherein the GPR apparatus is configurable to identify or recognise and ignore the fill pack itself via programming of appropriate relative densities or dielectric constants for the particular materials of construction of the fill pack.

12. An apparatus for inspecting cooling tower fill pack to detect the presence of fouling, the apparatus comprising a remotely operable vehicle (ROV) capable of traversing a surface of the fill pack without damage, and a ground penetrating radar (GPR) apparatus mounted on the ROV, characterized in that the GPR apparatus is configured to process received GPR data to form a three-dimensional plot of a location and degree of fouling within the fill pack and distinguish the fill pack from the fouling thereon, wherein the GPR apparatus is configurable to identify or recognise and ignore the fill pack itself via programming of appropriate relative densities or dielectric constants for the particular materials of construction of the fill pack.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the ROV is a tracked vehicle.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the ROV is radio-controlled, or controlled-by-wire.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the ROV is a wheeled vehicle, a tracked vehicle, a vehicle capable of flying, or a floating vehicle.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the ROV includes a data logger arranged to store GPR data for subsequent downloading and analysis.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the ROV is provided with a video camera.