GE’s Power Services business has inked a deal with Alinta Energy which will see the world’s digital industrial company deploy advanced robotic inspection tools to inspect Alinta’s power plants in Australia and New Zealand.
Image credit: GE
According to the official announcement, GE will deploy its DIRIS* and TurboRotoscan inspection systems to inspect 19 generators manufactured by GE, Alstom, Mitsubishi and Brush at seven of Alinta Energy’s gas-fired power plants in Australia and New Zealand.
The project was developed through GE’s Alstom power generation business, which it acquired in November 2015.
The inspections are scheduled to commence next month and will be performed through 2020.
“We worked closely with GE’s team and our insurance company to demonstrate the benefits of the DIRIS and TurboRotoscan technologies for ensuring effective generator inspections,” said Gareth Williams, manager, engineering services—power generation, Alinta Energy.
Image credit: GE
“Proving the technology’s reliability was important because the generator monitoring system provides the current condition of the generator and indicates any issues or early warnings of failures. It also provides us with greater flexibility as the inspection work can be done while the generator rotor remains in place. The biggest win for us was the ability to use this technology on non-GE units and apply it across our whole fleet. This makes such inspections quicker and easier to perform and is endorsed as a best practice by our insurance company, which indicates that most generator claims arise through rotor removal and replacement activities.”
