Innovate residual service time assessment of industrial plant components using real structure analysis by on site x-ray diffraction

The inspection and maintenance procedure based on Xpection was developed in WP6, and is the interactive surface of XpectionTool. The procedure can be integrated into the inspection and maintenance plan, once Xpection will be considered as mature enough. The structure is oriented at the infrastructure of the two end users, but can be adapted to another. Potential application: The XpectionTool will allow the non-destructive assessment of the remnant lifetime of selected plant components, once mature enough for application. The two-dimensional X-ray diffraction patterns yield information about grain coarsening and texture changes, and is directly correlated with the mechanical properties of the material. The primary targeted application within Xpection is inspection and maintenance. Further applications are quality control in production and inspection in other fields than those comprised in Xpection. End users: Within the Xpection consortium the end users are fossil electric power generation and petro-chemical industry. Further potential end users are electric power generation other than fossil, aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, pulp and paper industry, chemical industry, food industry, foundries, cement and concrete. Main innovative features: The two-dimensional X-ray diffraction reveals the real crystallographic structure of the material comprising information about the grain size and texture, which are correlated with the ageing state of the material. It is an additional method to the conventional metallographic replica, and it provides additional information not yet comprised in the inspection and maintenance infrastructure. The expected commercial benefits are among others the reduction of replaced material by a non-destructive assessment of the ageing state. The market and application sectors are comprised in the spectrum of potential end users mentioned above. Supposed that Xpection will be implemented in 50 % of them, a quite great market is then expected in future for the inspection performing industry, the XRD components manufacturers and for the research organisations providing further developments and improvements. Potential barriers: The price for the mobile 2D-XRD equipment might be too high, especially in the initial state of application. The consortium keeps looking for more economic alternatives even after the project.

XpectionTool specially designed for the evaluation and assessment of the two-dimensional X-ray diffraction (2D-XRD) patterns works automatically using standard values elaborated within WP3 and WP5, includes however an option for free parameter input. The XpectionTool, at the end of the project available as an experimental prototype software, comprises in the whole spectrum of operations, beginning with the 2D-XRD data evaluation and ending with materials properties monitoring. It is specially designed for the infrastructure of the two end user partners, but can be freely adapted to any other infrastructure. The interface of XpectionTool and the commercial data acquisition software is the raw-data format, which is the input for XpectionTool. The software is designed in a way, that the operator will be able to evaluate the measured pattern and to assess the material¿s ageing state without detailed knowledge in crystallography. Potential application: The primary targeted application within Xpection is inspection and maintenance. Further applications are quality control in production and inspection in other fields than those comprised in Xpection. Also possible could be the application in a wider field og material research by 2D-XRD. End users: Within the Xpection consortium the end users are fossil electric power generation and petro-chemical industry. Further potential end users are electric power generation other than fossil, aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, pulp and paper industry, chemical industry, food industry, foundries, cement and concrete. Main innovative features: Although a laboratory 2D-XRD system is commercially available (GADDS from Bruker AXS) no commercial software exists that would be able to perform all the evaluation steps and algorithms needed for Xpection. Some single steps can be performed by single software packages, but they are mostly not compatible and a complex step-by-step treatment comprising data transfer with reformatting and re-reformating is needed. The XpectionTool is one of the essential innovations achieved and required own software development. The market and application sectors are comprised in the spectrum of potential end users mentioned above. Supposed that Xpection will be implemented in 50 % of them, a quite great market is then expected in future for the inspection performing industry, the XRD components manufacturers and for the research organisations providing further developments and improvements. Potential barriers: Introduction of the XpectionTool first requires a quite high level of knowledge.

For the assessment of the ageing state of a material and of the remnant lifetime of the component, a correlation of the twodimensional X-ray diffraction (2D-XRD) patterns with the material¿s mechanical properties is needed. Therefore a database was created that is especially adapted to the parameters measured by the 2D-XRD. The database was created for the two selected materials, and XpectionTool has access to the database. However, it is an open system that can always be completed by additional new data whenever available. Potential application: Lifetime assessment by real structure analysis of materials in the plant components on site. The two-dimensional X-ray diffraction patterns yield information about grain coarsening and texture changes, and is directly correlated with the mechanical properties of the material. First application was performed to compile the Xpection relevant data of the selected materials. Further materials data may be added. End users: Within the Xpection consortium the end users are fossil electric power generation and petro-chemical industry. Further potential end users are electric power generation other than fossil, aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, pulp and paper industry, chemical industry, food industry, foundries, cement and concrete. Main innovative features: Existing databases are mostly focussed on lifetime end by rupture due to fatigue or external forces. Cracks and their propagation are used as parameters for the lifetime modelling and the databases are correspondingly focussed. The innovation of Xpection is the ageing state and remnant lifetime assessment before cracks appear. The use of existing databases is therefore limited and new correlations had to be worked out needing new databases with the appropriate orientation. The market and application sectors are comprised in the spectrum of potential end users mentioned above. Supposed that Xpection will be implemented in 50 % of them, a quite great market is then expected in future for the inspection performing industry, the XRD components manufacturers and for the research organisations providing further developments and improvements. Potential barriers: For applying Xpection to a material, the relevant data must be compiled in the database. However, once the data are inserted, Xpection can be applied as often as needed.

The acronym ¿Xpection¿ has become a term for the whole procedure of materials inspection and residual lifetime assessment of components by real structure analysis using two-dimensional X-ray diffraction (2D-XRD) on site. It has therefore been decided to create a trademark ¿Xpection¿ comprising the procedure developed in the frame of the project. The process of applying 2D-XRD for the assessment of the material¿s ageing state and the residual lifetime of the component is called ¿Xpection¿ and the component is being ¿xpectioned¿. Potential application: The primary targeted application is inspection and maintenance. Further applications are quality control in production and inspection in other fields than those comprised in Xpection. End users: Within the Xpection consortium the end users are fossil electric power generation and petro-chemical industry. Further potential end users are electric power generation other than fossil, aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, pulp and paper industry, chemical industry, food industry, foundries, cement and concrete. Main innovative features: The two-dimensional X-ray diffraction reveals the real crystallographic structure of the material comprising information about the grain size and texture, which are correlated with the ageing state of the material. It is an additional method to the conventional metallographic replica, and it provides additional information not yet comprised in the inspection and maintenance infrastructure. The expected commercial benefits are among others the reduction of replaced material by a non-destructive assessment of the ageing state. The market and application sectors are comprised in the spectrum of potential end users mentioned above. Supposed that Xpection will be implemented in 50 % of them, a quite great market is then expected in future for the inspection performing industry, the XRD components manufacturers and for the research organisations providing further developments and improvements. Potential barriers: The price for Xpection might be too high, especially in the initial state of application. Xpection could then be less competitive with alternative techniques.

A mobile measuring system for the on site performance of two-dimensional X-ray diffraction (2D-XRD) was designed and compiled. The system consists of commercially available components like X-ray source, electric power supply and area sensitive detector, and of specially designed components like a positioning system for on site measuring. The device was tested in the laboratory and in field, in the boiler of the Compostilla Power Plant in April 2004 and April 2005, as well as in the Tarragona Refinery in June 2005. Potential application: The device enables to carry out real structure analysis of materials in the plant components on site. The two-dimensional X-ray diffraction patterns yield information about grain coarsening and texture changes, and they are directly correlated with the mechanical properties of the material. The primary targeted application within Xpection is inspection and maintenance. Further applications are quality control in production and inspection in other fields than those comprised in Xpection. End users: Within the Xpection consortium the end users are fossil electric power generation and petro-chemical industry. Further potential end users are electric power generation other than fossil, aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, pulp and paper industry, chemical industry, food industry, foundries, cement and concrete. Main innovative features: The two-dimensional X-ray diffraction reveals the real crystallographic structure of the material comprising information about the grain size and texture, which are correlated with the ageing state of the material. It is an additional method to the conventional metallographic replica, and it provides additional information not yet comprised in the inspection and maintenance infrastructure. The expected commercial benefits are among others the reduction of replaced material by a non-destructive assessment of the ageing state before rupture. The market and application sectors are comprised in the spectrum of potential end users mentioned above. Supposed that Xpection will be implemented in 50 % of them, a quite great market is then expected in future for the inspection performing industry, the XRD components manufacturers and for the research organisations providing further developments and improvements. Potential barriers: The price for the mobile 2D-XRD might be too high, especially in the initial state of application. The consortium keeps looking for more economic alternatives even after the end of the project.

The ¿Counterclockwise Loop¿ described in detail the final report is an algorithm for evaluating the state of damage and the remnant lifetime of a material from 2D-XRD patterns. The algorithm was integrated as a procedure into the XpectionTool and uses the database from WP3 for the selected materials. Potential application: The application within Xpection is inspection and maintenance of components from the selected materials. Further potential applications are quality control in production and inspection in other fields than those comprised in Xpection. End users: Within the Xpection consortium the end users are fossil electric power generation and petro-chemical industry. Further potential end users are electric power generation other than fossil, aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, pulp and paper industry, chemical industry, food industry, foundries, cement and concrete. Main innovative features: Although 2D-XRD has been performed in research laboratories since more than 60 years, no complete assessment of the ageing state in regard to the expected residual lifetime has been performed by means of a concise procedure with automatic software. The residual lifetime evaluation and simulation being developed by the consortium for the purposes of Xpection is one of the essential innovations and requires own software development. The market and application sectors are comprised in the spectrum of potential end users mentioned above. Supposed that Xpection will be implemented in 50 % of them, a quite great market is then expected in future for the inspection performing industry, the XRD components manufacturers and for the research organisations providing further developments and improvements. Potential barriers: The approach is quite complex and needs materials data such as hardness as function of annealing time and the Larson-Miller parameters.

Deliverables

Share this page

Download