Waygate Technologies launches new robotic inspection and cleaning service
01/09/2021
Waygate Technologies, a Baker Hughes business and a world leader in non-destructive testing (NDT) solutions for industrial inspection, is launching a new service that uses state-of-the-art robotics to provide the safe and efficient inspection and cleaning of industrial boilers. The service, called BRIC (an acronym for boiler robotic inspection and cleaning), is said to eliminate any physical risk to inspectors, provide more precise data than any previous inspection technology in this field and dramatically cut inspection costs for customers in sectors such as the chemical, paper manufacturing and energy industries.
Conventional boiler maintenance involves sending humans into extremely hazardous environments. With no human entry required to complete visual and ultrasonic inspections and water jet cleanings of industrial boilers, BRIC alleviates the risk to humans.BRIC does not just increase safety but also gathers 95% more high-quality data than conventional inspections, it is claimed. More reliable wall thickness data is delivered through three separate ultrasonic sensors. The company’s proprietary 3D LOC technology creates a digital twin of boilers and geotags all data collected, so customers can predict its lifetime and balance the risk of components within their facility.
Conventional boiler inspection also comes with substantial costs in preparation, sourcing, logistics and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requirements. Combined with the time it takes to coordinate all the players, these methods can be expensive and time-consuming. With the BRIC service, one single team of specialists takes care of everything and, with no human entry or scaffolding, a lot less preplanning is needed. Fewer players and less preparation deliver an average time saving of 30%-70% over traditional maintenance methods.
“We are thrilled that we can now offer our BRIC service to companies around the globe,” said Ekkehard Zwicker, Product Line Leader Robotics at Waygate Technologies. “As a leading provider of industrial inspection solutions, we have been working closely with asset managers in the chemicals, energy and paper manufacturing sectors for decades and know that reducing physical risks in these hazardous work environments is always a priority. Simultaneously, their companies face increasing pressure to limit costs and downtime. With BRIC, we have developed a solution that manages to address both of these factors.”
Waygate Technologies deploys state-of-the-art inspection robotics in its service. The hardware integrates visual and ultrasonic imaging with cleaning and ultra-precise measurement. But not just the technology was designed to fit every task: with its BRIC service, Waygate Technologies offers a five-step individualised inspection solution for its customers. The services span the entire process from customer information and assessment to planning, inspection and the handover of inspection data – all provided by a single team of experts.
Among the first users of the BRIC programme is the world’s largest chemical corporation BASF. Waygate Technologies cooperated with BASF to move BRIC from pilot stage to full industrial use. “Where for an inspection we normally have to calculate about three weeks, with this system now we can go to one week. So, we win back about two weeks of downtime on an inspection,” said Jürgen Moors, Operations Manager at BASF Antwerp.
www.bakerhughesds.com/waygate-technologies
