MISTRAS Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring solutions for the early detection of cracking in combustion turbine stator vanes.
Stator vanes are critical componentry within the axial-flow compressors that play a major role for the production capacity of power generation facilities.
When the compressor is in action, blades rotate at high speeds to create rotational kinetic energy through the movement of gas or other working fluid. Stator vanes are stationary componentry that serve to convert this rotational energy into static pressure through the change in flow, playing a vital role in the operation and efficiency of the entire asset.
The intense pressure and stress that these components experience makes them subject to defects including vane lock up, cracking, and other defects. When built up over time, this damage can be catastrophic for the asset and your facility, risking complete compressor failure that could increase safety hazards and lead to a costly plant shutdown.
Acoustic Emission (AE) inspection is a non-destructive testing technique that uses sound waves to ‘listen’ for faults in your equipment. AE signals can detect small-scale damage before it builds up to larger asset failure. The sound waves released by crack propagation and other damage within stator vanes can be easily picked up by AE sensors to give real-time condition assessment results. Operators are notified as soon as cracking occurs, allowing for better planning of asset maintenance and repair.
Some advantages of Acoustic Emission testing for gas turbine stator vanes include:
MISTRAS utilizes the ability of AE technology to detect and provide early warning of cracking events and subsequent asset failures.
MISTRAS not only detects crack presence, but also locates crack position and determines if the flaw is isolated or part of a global event in a localized area. This helps plant operators save time and money by enabling them to make more informed run-repair-replace decisions and prolonging the asset’s remaining life.
We also provide cohesive software that can graph the position of each cracking event to track blade activity and damage over time.
We provide global, in-service monitoring with real-time protection and notification of active flaws. Acoustic emission sensors are non-intrusive and can be utilized while the asset remains in service, which eliminates the need for costly delays in production for the sake of asset inspection.
