Inspecting a Recovery Boiler with the Elios Indoor Drone: Reaching Areas That Were Once Inaccessible

Valmet, a leading provider of industrial technologies and services in the pulp, paper, and energy sectors, used Flyability’s Elios drone to inspect a recovery boiler. This innovative approach not only saved costs but also enabled access to areas that were previously difficult or impossible to reach manually.

Key Benefits at a Glance

Overview

Valmet is one of the world’s top providers of industrial technologies and services for the pulp, paper, and energy industries. Their work includes delivering large-scale equipment such as boilers, tanks, and digesters, along with ongoing maintenance and support.

A crucial part of their maintenance process involves regular inspections of these assets to detect potential issues before they affect plant performance or reliability. However, traditional inspection methods often require significant time and resources, especially when it comes to accessing hard-to-reach areas.

For example, inspecting a recovery boiler can take days due to the need to construct scaffolding, which is both time-consuming and costly. During this period, the boiler must be shut down, potentially costing up to a million dollars per day. These challenges prompted Valmet to explore more efficient and cost-effective solutions.

Customer Needs

As part of their annual maintenance program, Valmet continuously seeks ways to improve the efficiency of its inspection processes. They were particularly interested in exploring new technologies that could help them inspect complex systems like boilers and tanks more effectively, especially in tight or hazardous environments.

During a scheduled inspection of a recovery boiler in Mörrum, Sweden, Valmet decided to test the Elios drone. The Elios features a unique, collapsible cage that allows it to safely navigate through confined spaces, even after collisions, making it ideal for inspecting areas that are otherwise inaccessible.

The recovery boiler in question is a massive structure, standing 60 meters tall. Its interior is filled with pipes and water-cooled surfaces, and it operates by burning black liquor at high temperatures. Due to the complexity of the structure, manual inspections are not only time-consuming but also pose safety risks.

Shutting down the boiler for an inspection can cost up to a million dollars per day. To minimize downtime, Valmet often works in back-to-back shifts, starting at night and handing off the work to a new team in the morning. However, building scaffolding for the inspection is both expensive and time-consuming—costing around $20,000 per inspection and taking two to three days to complete.

Solution

Instead of building a scaffold, Valmet deployed the Elios drone to conduct the inspection. This allowed inspectors to arrive on-site and begin the process immediately, without the need for any additional setup.

The Elios was able to navigate the tight spaces within the boiler, capturing high-quality video footage of every burner, pipe, and surface area. This eliminated the need for inspectors to climb scaffolds or crawl through narrow passages with flashlights, significantly improving both safety and efficiency.

Results

The inspection was a complete success, with Valmet inspectors impressed by the clarity and detail of the images captured by the Elios. The drone flew inside the boiler for two hours, collecting comprehensive visual data of the entire structure.

During the night shift, Valmet worked closely with the Flyability team to develop and follow a detailed inspection plan. The collected data was then processed to extract actionable insights, which were included in the final inspection report.

This report was handed over to the morning shift team, who used it to identify areas requiring closer examination and to prioritize repairs. As a result, Valmet was able to accelerate the maintenance process and reduce overall downtime.

Conclusions

Valmet personnel are already exploring additional applications for the Elios drone beyond the recovery boiler. They see great potential in using it for inspections in various other industrial settings, including:

• Recovery boilers where deposits can accumulate at the top, making manual entry dangerous. The Elios could provide an initial assessment to ensure safety before human entry.

• Circulating fluidized bed power boilers that feature cyclones, which are difficult to access. The Elios could reduce the need for manual inspections in these areas.

• Ash hoppers, which are hazardous environments for manual inspections. Using the Elios could eliminate the need for workers to physically enter these spaces.

By leveraging the Elios drone, Valmet has taken a major step forward in improving the efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness of its inspection processes. With the ability to access previously unreachable areas, the future of industrial inspection looks brighter than ever.

High Pressure Steel Pipe

High Pressure Steel Pipe,High Pressure Steel Tube,High Pressure Steel Pipes,High Pressure Steel Tubes

Shandong Rizhaoxin Metal Products Co., Ltd. , https://www.changyisteel.com