# US 8,786,867 B2 · Inspection device and inspection method for boiler furnace water wall tubes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,786,867 B2 - Document ID: US8786867B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/129,503 - Filed: 2009-07-09 - Published: 2011-11-17 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2008-11-20 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. - Applicants: Hirotoshi Matsumoto; Keiji Ida; Hideaki Murata; Kai Zhang - Inventors: Hirotoshi Matsumoto; Keiji Ida; Hideaki Murata; Kai Zhang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8786867B2 ## CPC - G01B 11/06: for measuring thickness {; e.g. of sheet material (thickness measurement by thermal means G01B21/085)} - F22B 37/005: {Positioning apparatus specially adapted therefor (F22B37/64 takes precedence)} - G01N 21/952: Inspecting the exterior surface of cylindrical bodies or wires (G01N21/956 takes precedence) - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - F22B: METHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; STEAM BOILERS - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract An inspection device and an inspection method for boiler furnace water wall tubes. The inspection device includes a scanner including columns placed upright and fixed by magnets onto the surfaces of multiple water wall tubes extending in the up-down direction on the inner wall surfaces of the boiler furnace, a support frame fixed to the columns to support a displacement sensor producing laser light to be irradiated onto the surface of a water wall tube, and a moving mechanism for moving the displacement sensor in the axial direction of the water wall tube relative to the support frame. A signal processing unit calculates the amount of reduced wall thickness of the water wall tube from a difference between the cross-sectional surface shape of the water wall tube based on a signal from the displacement sensor and a reference shape without reduction in wall thickness. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An inspection device for boiler furnace water wall tubes, which inspects reduced wall conditions of multiple water wall tubes extending in a vertical direction along inner wall surfaces of a boiler furnace and arranged adjacent to each other, comprising: a leg placed upright and fixed by a magnet onto a surface of a water wall tube; a support frame fixed to the leg to support a displacement sensor producing laser light to be irradiated onto the surface of the water wall tube; a moving mechanism for moving the displacement sensor in an axial direction of the water wall tube relative to the support frame; and a signal processing unit configured to calculate an amount of reduced wall thickness of the water wall tube from a difference between data of a surface shape of the water wall tube along a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the water wall tube obtained by the displacement sensor and data of a reference shape without reduction in wall thickness in order to evaluate a reduced wall thickness condition, the signal processing unit including a reference position calculating section for calculating a reference position for superposition between the data of the surface shape and data of the reference shape. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The inspection device for boiler furnace water wall tubes according to claim 1, wherein the support frame is supported by a plurality of the legs and the inspection device further comprising: adjustment mechanisms configured to move the displacement sensor in the upright direction of the legs and in a direction perpendicular to the upright direction and the axial direction of the water wall tube to make a position of the displacement sensor adjustable relative to the water wall tube. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The inspection device for boiler furnace water wall tubes according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit includes a correction section for correcting an inclination and position of the surface shape based on the signal from the displacement sensor at the time of the superposition. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The inspection device for boiler furnace water wall tubes according to claim 1, wherein the reference position is a position of a membrane provided to protrude radially in order to connect adjacent water wall tubes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The inspection device for boiler furnace water wall tubes according to claim 1, wherein the reference position is a contact or closest position between adjacent water wall tubes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The inspection device for boiler furnace water wall tubes according to claim 1, further comprising refraction means provided between the displacement sensor producing laser light to be irradiated onto the surface of the water wall tube and the water wall tube to refract the laser light irradiated from the displacement sensor toward the water wall tube. ### Claim 7 An inspection method for boiler furnace water wall tubes, which inspects reduced wall conditions of water wall tubes extending in a vertical direction along inner wall surfaces of a boiler furnace and arranged adjacent to each other, comprising: measuring a surface shape of a water wall tube along a direction substantially perpendicular to an axial direction of the water wall tube based on a signal from a displacement sensor for irradiating laser light onto the surface of the water wall tube; superposing a measurement result of the surface shape and a reference shape without reduction in wall thickness to calculate a difference therebetween based on a reference position of the surface shape; and calculating an amount of reduced wall thickness of the water wall tube from the difference to evaluate a reduced wall condition. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The inspection method for boiler furnace water wall tubes according to claim 7, wherein an inclination and a position of the surface shape based on the signal from the displacement sensor are corrected and superposed at the time of the superposition. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The inspection method for boiler furnace water wall tubes according to claim 8, wherein a remaining tube wall thickness is determined by subtracting the calculated amount of reduced wall thickness from a design wall thickness, and the remaining tube wall thickness is evaluated depending on whether the remaining tube wall thickness meets a design requiring wall thickness.