Imaging system for robotically inspecting gas turbine combustion components

A system for in situ inspection of a turbine having a transition piece body forming part of each of a plurality of an annular array of combustors for a gas turbine, each combustor having a combustion casing forwardly of the transition piece body thereof comprising:

• a mount secured to an interior robotic manipulator and to an open end of one of said combustion casings forwardly of the transition piece body thereof;
• an elongated inspection arm extending from said mount toward the one transition piece body of the one combustion casing;
• and
• an inspection head carried adjacent an end of said inspection arm remote from said mount within the one transition piece body of the one combustion casing, said inspection head manipulated by said inspection arm to locate said inspection head adjacent interior wall portions of the said transition piece body including by displacing the inspection head in a generally axial direction and generally radially toward a wall portion of the transition piece body being inspected;
• wherein said inspection head is configured with a UV system to excite and detect fluorescence from a taggant material buried in a thermal barrier coating (TBC) on the transition piece body;
• wherein the UV system includes an intensified camera having a built-in intensifier.

A system for in situ inspection of a surface of a hot gas component of a turbine comprising:

• a robot having an elongated inspection arm extending toward the surface of the hot gas component;
• and
• an inspection head carried adjacent an end of the inspection arm remote from controls for the robot, the inspection head manipulated by the inspection arm to locate the inspection head adjacent interior wall portions defining the hot gas component including by displacing the inspection head in a generally axial direction and generally radially toward a wall portion of the hot gas component being inspected;
• wherein the inspection head is configured with an intensified camera having a built-in intensifier to excite and detect fluorescence from a taggant material disposed in a coating on the hot gas component;
• wherein the inspection head includes two remote focus micro-cameras, miniature halogen lights and a pair of laser diodes configured to assist with object sizing.