Apparatus and method for ultrasonic inspection of rotating machinery while the machinery is in operation
First Claim
1. A method of inspecting at least one portion of a rotating turbine rotor using an ultrasonic stroboscope, wherein the turbine rotor is mounted in a turbine housing and the inspection is performed while the turbine is operating, said method comprising the steps of:
- selecting the rotor component to be inspected;
synchronizing said ultrasonic stroboscope with the rotation of said turbine rotor so that a plurality of emitted ultrasonic pulses from a first transducer are directed towards the selected component at a frequency substantially related to the rotation frequency of said rotor to cause said rotating turbine component to appear acoustically stationary;
receiving at least a first echo of at least one of said plurality of emitted ultrasonic pulses using a second transducer, said first echo resulting from said at least one emitted ultrasonic pulse encountering a discontinuity in said turbine component; and
supplying information related to said at least one echo for further analysis.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An ultrasonic stroboscope is used to inspect an object rotating at a first frequency to determine if the rotating object has any defects. The ultrasonic stroboscope includes a first acoustic transducer spaced apart from the rotating object. The first transducer is configured to radiate ultrasonic energy at the rotating object at a second frequency. The second frequency is substantially related to a sub-harmonic of the first frequency so that the rotating object appears acoustically substantially still. A second acoustic transducer is used to sense a reflection of the ultrasonic energy from a defect in the rotating object. The second transducer translates the sensed reflection into at least one reflection signal. A user interface is coupled to the reflection signal.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of inspecting at least one portion of a rotating turbine rotor using an ultrasonic stroboscope, wherein the turbine rotor is mounted in a turbine housing and the inspection is performed while the turbine is operating, said method comprising the steps of:
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selecting the rotor component to be inspected; synchronizing said ultrasonic stroboscope with the rotation of said turbine rotor so that a plurality of emitted ultrasonic pulses from a first transducer are directed towards the selected component at a frequency substantially related to the rotation frequency of said rotor to cause said rotating turbine component to appear acoustically stationary; receiving at least a first echo of at least one of said plurality of emitted ultrasonic pulses using a second transducer, said first echo resulting from said at least one emitted ultrasonic pulse encountering a discontinuity in said turbine component; and supplying information related to said at least one echo for further analysis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An ultrasonic stroboscope for inspecting an object rotating at a first frequency to determine if the rotating object has any defects, said ultrasonic stroboscope comprising:
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a first acoustic transducer spaced apart from said rotating object, said first transducer configured to radiate ultrasonic energy at said rotating object at a second frequency, said second frequency substantially related to a sub-harmonic of the first frequency so that the rotating object appears acoustically substantially static; a second acoustic transducer which senses a reflection of said ultrasonic energy from a defect in said rotating object and translates the sensed reflection into at least one reflection signal; and a user interface coupled to receive said reflection signal. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. A method of inspecting at least one portion of a rotating test piece using an acoustic stroboscope, said method comprising the steps of:
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radiating a plurality of sound waves at the test piece using a first acoustic transducer; synchronizing the radiation of said sound waves with the frequency of rotation of the test piece to cause said rotating test piece to appear acoustically substantially motionless; receiving at least a first echo of at least one of said sound waves using a second acoustic transducer, said first echo resulting from at least one of said sound waves encountering a discontinuity in the test piece; and providing data related to said at least one echo for further analysis. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An acoustic stroboscope for inspecting an object rotating at a first frequency, said acoustic stroboscope comprising:
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means for directing acoustic energy at a second frequency substantially related to the first frequency so that at least a portion of the rotating object appears acoustically substantially stationary; means for sensing at least one echo of said acoustic energy, said echo resulting from said acoustic energy impinging on a discontinuity in the rotating object; and means for providing the sensed echo for analysis. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A method of inspecting a rotating element using an acoustic stroboscope radiating acoustic energy at the rotating element, said method comprising the steps of:
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setting a repetition frequency of the radiated acoustic energy so that the frequency of rotation of the rotating element is approximately equal to a multiple of the repetition frequency; synchronizing the radiated acoustic energy to highlight at least a portion of the rotating element; and receiving at least a first return resulting from the acoustic energy encountering a discontinuity in the test piece. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. An acoustic stroboscope for inspecting a test piece rotating at a first frequency, said acoustic stroboscope comprising:
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an acoustic transducer which radiates acoustic energy at the rotating test piece at a second frequency, said second frequency equal to a multiple of the first frequency; a receiver which senses a return resulting from said acoustic energy impinging on a discontinuity of said test piece; and a signal coupled to said receiver to provide information relating to the return for analysis. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification