Maintenance of equipment and hydraulic components: ultrasound, the winning solution.

Challenges and control of the maintenance of hydraulic equipment and components:

Among all the installations on a production site, hydraulic equipment and components certainly constitute a very important availability issue.

A security issue too, particularly for French nuclear power plants which use SDT ultrasonic detectors to control all of their industrial valves, but also security valves in the field of oil and gas refineries (TOTAL), or petrochemicals (SANOFI, ARKEMA, BASF, etc.).

When organizing preventive maintenance on an industrial site concerning hydraulic pumps, some companies could not produce without water supply. In France, the few sectors of activity which are basic chemistry, the production of synthetic yarns/fibers, the paper and cardboard industry, metallurgy, parachemistry and the pharmaceutical industry, alone total the two thirds of industrial water consumption. [1] And the stakes are just as high in pumping stations for drinking water networks.

1. Detecting internal leaks in valves is often a crucial issue.

Faucets refer to devices mounted on a network. Its function is to modify, maintain or interrupt the passage of a fluid. Ultrasonic measurement identifies faulty valves, valves and flaps, without stopping or dismantling. Internal failures or leaks in a valve are synonymous with financial losses. More serious, they also have dramatic consequences on the safety and quality of production. Without a suitable tool, their periodic verification remains a delicate point.

Ultrasound, a quick and non-intrusive method

Systematic dismantling as a preventive measure is definitely unsuitable. This strategy proves to be long and costly and ultimately only detects the few leaking valves responsible for the losses. Conversely, ultrasonic detection is the autonomous, rapid and above all non-intrusive field solution. No more need for disassembly, no more need to wait for production to stop.

The leak generates a sound

The internal leak of a valve results in the unwanted passage of fluid downstream. As the fluid escapes, it rubs against the valve seat and produces turbulence. Both phenomena emit a sound. The transmitted frequency is wide. However, it is essential to work in the ultrasonic range, generally 40 kHz, in order to reduce the influence of the background noise of the installation.

Simple and quick implementation

With the SDT detector, control consists of placing a contact sensor at three points: upstream, on the seat and downstream of the valve. The diagnosis is quick and immediate, based on the comparison of the 3 measurements. A rise on the valve seat indicates that the valve is leaking. There will be confirmation by listening: the operator will actually hear the leak.

Data management is simplified by memorizing measurements and their processing on the Ultranalysis® Suite software with the edition of reports, alarms, forgotten measurement points, rounds. An ATEX version is available for risky environments.

Continue reading: https://sdtultrasound.com/fr/2023/11/30/maintenance-des-equipements-et-des-compolitiques-hydrauliques-les-ultrasons-la-solution-gagnante/