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Remote Visual Inspection Basics

Weld inspection of piping in food and pharmaceutical plants is
an important part of the RVI application portfolio

BY GRANT REIG

W
hile vision may be the most acute of human senses,
there is a limit to what our eyes can see. Unless a mate-
rial is transparent like glass, we cannot see what lies
behind it. In the field of nondestructive examination (NDE),
there are situations where it is useful to look deep inside
engines, gas turbines, machinery, behind walls, inside pipes and
tanks, and into similar places where access is limited. Remote
visual inspection (RVI) is a nondestructive technique that per-
mits a user to visually inspect an area that has no direct visual
access. In RVI, a slim and often flexible viewing device, com-
monly referred to as a “scope,” is inserted into the inspection
area through a small opening providing an image for the opera-
tor to examine. Like all NDE tools, RVI allows an inspector to
discover hidden defects before they cause major problems.
Three Different Types of RVI Scopes
There are three basic types of RVI equipment available in a
wide variety of scope diameters and lengths. Rigid borescopes
use optical lenses to gather and transmit images. They offer the
highest image quality, but as the name suggests, they are rigid
and cannot bend to fit into tight inspection areas. Fiberscopes
also use lenses, but then transmit the image through optical
fibers to an eyepiece. Their image quality is not as high, but the
scope is flexible and can bend and twist to reach the inspection
target. Videoscopes combine the best features of both. The
videoscope tip has a tiny camera sensor for capturing an image
of the target, which is sent electronically through wires to a
video monitor display. Videoscopes have good image quality,
flexibility to reach remote areas, and additional technology to
incorporate image and video recording and other common digi-
tal camera features into an RVI system.
Modern day videoscopes make the most use of the digitized
image and include signal processing electronics that allow users
to dynamically increase image brightness, digitally zoom, elec-
tronically sharpen images, attach keyboards, and add notes or
other pertinent information overlays as well as do side-by-side
comparisons to older stored images. Some RVI videoscopes and
fiberscopes offer “working channel” options that go beyond
visual inspections and add retrieval tools for removing foreign
object debris.
Advanced Features
In addition to providing a magnified view of the target at the
other end, RVI equipment can incorporate advanced features
such as optical measurement to quantify the size of cracks, pits,
or other structures of interest to lessen the subjectivity of
inspections. Modern videoscopes can offer seven different mea-
surement modes that, in addition to basic distance, point to line,
depth, and area measurements, allow users to make more
sophisticated multiline, profile, and offset measurements. Due
to the stereo measurement technique pioneered by Olympus,
measurements are possible on images taken from any angle;
this technique splits the image into two and provides two points
of reference so a measurement can be made and is closely based
on the same principles that allow humans to perceive depth with
their eyes. These measurements can either be made directly on
the screen of the videoscope or saved electronically for later
(re)measurement on a PC.
LED Lighting
Because the vast majority of RVI applications are done in
areas where natural or ambient light is not present, most RVI
setups include illumination systems to light up the area of
inspection. Older systems would typically be AC powered and
utilize high wattage bulbs to transmit light through fiber
bundles into the area of interest to allow for visual inspection.
With the incorporation of light-emitting diode (LED)
technology, however, RVI systems have become less power
hungry and been able to cut the cord. With the reduced power
consumption of LEDs, current videoscopes are often battery
powered and highly portable. In addition, new advances in
technology allow the LEDs to be incorporated directly in the
distal end of the insertion tube surrounding the CCD camera
within. In the same way the image fiber bundle was eliminated
via use of the CCD camera, the light guide cable can now also
be removed, which increases the overall durability of the
system. Furthermore, as the LED technology evolves and
becomes brighter and more efficient, locating the LEDs within
the tip permits upgrades in the field by swapping out a single
interchangeable component.
Durability and Functionality
Image processing and lighting are not the only recent
upgrades incorporated into the modern day videoscope. Given
the typical environments videoscopes are used in, it is impera-
tive they are highly durable and minimize downtime and repair
cost to the user. Some videoscopes, such as the Olympus IPLEX
FX (Fig. 1), are IP 55 and MIL-STD-810 rated as being sealed to
the outside elements and able to endure a number of demand-
ing environments and tests such as vibration, shock (drop test),

GRANT REIG (Grant.reig@olympusndt.com) is product manager,

Remote Visual Inspection & High Speed Video – Americas, Olympus NDT, Waltham, Mass.

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Fig. 1 — Some videoscopes such as this Olympus IPLEX FX are

rated to military and other standards. They are sealed to the
outside elements and are able to endure such demanding
conditions and elements as vibration, shock, humidity, rain, salt,
sand, and dust.

C
D

Fig. 2 — Remote visual inspection instruments can be used for a variety of applications such as for the following: A — Heat exchanger;
B — gas turbine blade; C — wind turbine gear box; D — automotive part.

humidity, blowing rain, salt and fog, sand and dust, electromag-
netic interference, and explosive atmosphere. Daylight view
monitors are also incorporated to ensure easy viewing even in
direct sunlight. Often the insertion tubes on videoscopes incor-
porate a four-layer design that seals out water, oil, and other liq-
uids, improves crush resistance, and has a highly durable tung-
sten outer braid to resist wear from rubbing continuously
against metal and other abrasive objects. Some models feature
two-stage temperature warning systems that alert the user if the
videoscope is in environments in excess of 212°F and subject to
damage as a result. Despite these precautions, should the inser-
tion tube still be put in harm’s way and damaged, the modular
design of most units allow them to be repaired in sections,
which reduces the financial impact of repairs.
Where Videoscopes Are Used
Important markets for RVI include the aerospace industry,
power generation, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemical plants,
as well as the automotive and manufacturing industries — Fig.
2. The range of equipment spans from small-diameter
borescopes used to pick locks to advanced videoscopes to
inspect large turbine engines. For example, inspection of jet

18 • INSPECTION TRENDS
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Fig. 3 — A still image taken with a videoscope of the ID portion
of a circumferential weld.
engines during periodic maintenance is a major application, per-
mitting visual inspection of critical components with minimal
teardown. RVI is also used for examining several other areas of
aircraft where access is limited, such as flaps and rudder control
mechanisms and airframes. Similarly, power generation tur-
bines can be inspected for internal wear or other problems. In
manufacturing, RVI can be used to inspect the inside of parts for
hidden defects. Other applications include security/border con-
trol as well as search and rescue operations where it is faster to
snake through rubble than remove it to search for people or
objects beneath.
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WINTER 2010 • 19
Typical Welding Applications
Weld inspection is also an important part of the RVI applica-
tion portfolio. Extended-length videoscopes are often used in
the inspection of piping in food and pharmaceutical plants to
look at the welds and other pipe areas. In food processing pip-
ing, it is imperative welds do not disrupt the flow of products
passing through so they do not become lodged and either spoil
or contaminate products flowing through later. Should one of
the 60,000 typical welds in a pharmaceutical plant be bad, leaks
or contamination can also occur. Oftentimes the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration requires these inspections, and each plant
will individually number each weld and capture video files of
each inspection on the videoscopes. These files are cataloged on
a PC and can be recalled as proof of the weld quality. Side-look-
ing, “near-focus” tips are generally used for these applications
and the videoscope insertion tube placed in a centering device
and rotated within the pipe to provide up-close, detailed images
and videos of the full-circumference welds being inspected.
Viewing the weld at the correct angle allows inspectors to gath-
er the most detail on the weld by looking at the bead and any
surface irregularities, as well as changes in width, height, or
color condition. Since many inspected pipes are metallic and can
reflect light back to the camera and wash out an image, the
image processing and light adjustment features of videoscopes
become important tools for producing quality images and
inspections. Some videoscope insertion tubes will even be spe-
cially made for these specific applications with smooth coatings
on the outside of the insertion tube. These coatings both reduce
scratching of the piping from the tungsten braid normally found
on the exterior of insertion tubes and also provide easy cleaning
surfaces so other pipes can be inspected without concern for
contamination being brought from one pipe to another via the
videoscope. Example images taken from metallic pipe welds can
be seen in Fig. 3.