In the early hours of the morning, Visiscope technicians responded to an urgent request from the Chief Engineer of a high-speed catamaran passenger service ferry. Accordingly, Visiscope technicians assembled on board the ferry immediately after the vessels last inward arrival for the day.
The reason for the urgent NDT visual inspection assistance was related to concerns and doubt as to the condition of the compressor side of one of the main engines Brown Boveri VTR model turbo charger.
The Chief engineer had up till this point been relying on V.A. condition reporting of the turbine, and while this process reported a possible operating abnormality, it was unclear as to actually where and why this was occurring.
Once the fibrescope camera & recording equipment had been set up in the engine room, the technicians waited for the turbine temperature to cool sufficiently.The resulting visual inspection of the turbine blades included both front and top viewing of the suspected trouble zones. The chief engineer directed this processes.via the use of a remote viewing high-resolution monitor screen
Defects in blade condition were immediately identified and were noted and recorded onto videotape for a more thorough analysis. Fortunately, the use of Visiscope technicians prevented costly “strip down” inspections and most importantly ensured the ferry continued to operate within normal sailing schedules.
This inspection enabled the Chief Engineer to plan for an exchange turbine replacement program, and also avoided possible costly losses due to engine component failure, disruption to the vessels sailing schedule, and company brand image.
