Internal Inspection of Exhaust Gas Chimney during running condition

Challenge Details

Many lined & unlined steel chimneys, in manufacturing industries, are inspected periodically for assessing structural integrity by measuring the shell plate wall thickness. These chimneys measure from 1.2 to 9 meters in diameter with height from 10 meters to 86 meters and with a wall thickness varies from 6mm to 32mm. Internal and external inspection needs to be carried out to assess the condition of the chimney. Currently the inspection is carried out manually & rope access method with a lot of care (PPE) and with a proper shutdown. Inside inspection of chimney poses a difficult challenge as the person needs to enter the confined space for inspection. Visual inspection was tried out in the past by lowering a camera with light arrangement (using ropes) in running condition. However, the quality of images was poor and therefore couldn’t assess the condition of the chimney.

We are thus seeking a solution to inspect (assess the condition and measure wall thickness) the chimney in running condition as it saves time and avoids manual intervention completely.