GE Inspection Technologies Ultrasonics

Application Solutions 70024EL

Date: August 2004

Boiler tube oxide/scale thickness

measurement

Industry Segment
Energy

Material
Steel

Application Your solution

A hard oxide coating will gradually build
up on the inside of power generation
boiler tubes. The thicker the oxide layer,
the less efcent the boiler becomes and
additional heat build up will shorten the
life of the boiler.
What you need
USN-58L or USN-60
IF Gate option (for either unit)
Shear Wave DFR Probe 291-484-
700
BNC-MD or Lemo-MD cable
SLC-70 couplant
The object of the test is to perform a sepa-
rate thickness measurement of the steel
tube wall and the oxide scale layer located
on the ID of the tube.
The interface echo from the tube-to-oxide
is much smaller than the echo from the
oxide-to-air interface, thus, the difculty
is separating these two echoes from each
other and making the measurement be-
tween the two echoes.
Using a highly damped Alpha type
straight beam Shear Wave probe is the
key to obtaining thin oxide layer mea-
surements. The shear waves have the
velocity of L-waves which doubles the time
resolution and enables the system to mea-
sure thinner layers than with conventional
L-wave probes.
Note: loose scale measurement is not
possible
Shear wave probe

How you benet

Larger separation
Measure Thinner Oxide/Scale Layers
Measure Oxide on Thick Wall Boiler
Tubes L-wave probe
Save A-Scan and instrument The example above shows the steel to
parameters in Data Sets oxide interface echo at about 1/3 the am-
Use compare mode to view set-up plitude of the oxide to air interface echo.
standard against actual measurement
High display resolution and range
allows for clear signal interpretation
and resolving the measurement Smaller separation
GE Inspection Technologies Ultrasonics

The USN set up requires a simple set-up

to make two thickness measurements.
Set te USN to the immersion mode
Set the water path velocity to the
velocity of steel, shear wave
Set the main velocity to the velocity of
the oxide
Set gates to ank detection
Gate settings (echoes):
1st gate to inner surface of tube
2nd gate to inner surface of oxide

20 MHz crystal size.

Special Y-Cut ceramic produces Shear wave and an excellent Alpha waveform
Replaceable delay lines for easy change out.
Shear waves are being used for the thickness measurements thus an attenuative cou-
plant is needed. SCL-70 couplant provides the best shear wave transmittion into the
boiler tube.

Contact our global Application Centers for solutions to your inspection problems
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Cologne, Germany Lewistown, PA Shanghai, China Berchem, Belgium
Dr. Werner Roye Don Henry Robert Lee Kris Marstboom
werner.roye@ae.ge.com don.henry@ae.ge.com robert.li@ae.ge.com kris.marstboom@ae.ge.com
+49-2233-601-529 +1-717-242-0327 +86-21-5050-4666 ext. 1275 +332-444-8263

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Ahrensburg, Germany Cincinnati, OH Limonest, France
Dr. Matthias Purschke Tammie Johnson Michel Hervier
Matthias.purschke@ae.ge.com tammie.johnson@ae.ge.com michel.hervier@ae.ge.com
+49-4102-807-458 +1-513-552-4685 +33-47-217-9220

European Eddy Current Oil/Petrochemical Center United Kingdom Center

Center Houston, TX Coventry, England
St. Albans, England Opening Fall 2004 Dr. Sue Oaten
ukec.app@ae.ge.com
sue.oaten@ae.ge.com
+44-1727-795555
+44-2476-47-2568

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IT 70024EL (08/04)
IT-
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