The definitive guideto remote visualinspection

Contents
03 Introduction

The challenge: Inspecting difficult-to-access equipment
The solution: Remote visual inspection

03 The advantages of video borescope technology
04 Why doesn’t every manufacturer use video borescopes?
04 Who uses these video borescopes and how?
The pharmaceutical and food & beverage industries
The automotive industry
The power and energy sector
Turbine engines

06 What to look for in a video borescope
06 Summary

Introduction

The manufacturing environment is a critical one, and tomaintain product quality, safety and efficiency, productionmachinery must be kept in perfect working order, insideand out. This requires keeping a watchful eye on all partsand pieces by means of regular inspections. With theincreasing complexity of modern production environments,
this presents challenges. Additionally, many of the parts
being manufactured such as castings, piping, valves or otherheavy industrial products require visual inspection of difficult
to access areas.

The challenge: Inspecting difficult-to-accessequipment
Inspecting complicated equipment from the outside is not
as challenging as viewing it from the inside, which often
means dismantling it. This requires manual labor by expert
mechanics. This can be time-consuming and often delays
production, which directly affects a company’s bottom line.
Besides being costly, some areas are simply too difficult toaccess or the environment too hostile to allow for the kind of
regular visual inspection needed to keep machinery operatingsmoothly and meeting compliance and safety standards.
In some cases this could be because the area needing
inspection is hard to visually assess because it’s deep
within machinery, requires scaffolding to access, orotherwise hidden. In others, the environment may behostile, as in areas subject to extreme temperatures
or bathed in oil or other chemicals. In the case of
manufacturing or specialty equipment like that used in food,beverage and pharma production, it’s critical that residualproduct, dust or pathogens are not inadvertently introduced
into the environment.

The Solution: Remote Visual Inspection
The best way to tackle these challenges is with tools thatallow for remote visual inspection. Remote Visual Inspection(RVI) is the viewing of any surface more that 600mm(23.6”) away from the eye or which can not be viewed bydirect means. The most widely used of these is the video
borescopes, which is made up of a small diameter camera in
an articulating, small diameter flexible tube connected to adigital display. Much like a medical endoscope, which is used
to probe the depths of the human body without surgicalintervention, video borescopes are designed to discreetly yet
accurately view formerly hidden areas inside equipment.
Video borescopes are commonly used where distance,
angle of view and limited lighting may impair direct visual
examination or where access is limited by complexity,
security or sanitary constraints or atmospheric hazards.
Because of their ability to offer up-close access to difficultto-reach places without having to dismantle or deconstruct
the object, video borescopes have proven to be invaluable
tools for remote visual inspection.

Video borescopes can be rigid or flexible depending on
the intended use and the complexity of the path they are
expected to travel. Even the simplest video borescope
will have a source of illumination to allow a technician tovisually inspect nooks, crannies and pathways within a dark
environment. Since a video borescope and the spaces it
views are often quite small, it will have lenses to magnify
what is being viewed to ensure that accurate assessments
are made in the process. Video borescopes are used in manyindustries for trouble-shooting as well as routine equipment
inspections of condition and health.

The advantages of video
borescope technology

Modern video borescopes are affordable tools that
improve productivity by making it easy to ensure thecleaning validation and verification, as well as condition ofcomponents by means of regular, thorough inspection. This
allows manufacturers to replace worn or damaged parts
before they cause problems or delays. The visual ability ofvideo borescopes make inspections more efficient, andmany provide innovative ways of documenting inspection
results so that problems are mitigated and legal complianceis met, thus increasing the uptime of equipment.
Video borescopes offer distinct advantages over eventhe best external examination, especially when used forindustrial maintenance that calls for sanitary internal
inspection as well as those in challenging environments.
Video borescopes can be configured with shorter or longer
camera insertion tubes, diameters for small passage access,more lighting or greater "push-ability", and a variety ofinterchangeable optical tips to adjust the viewing angle andfocus range to fit a variety of applications.
Because video borescopes record what they see, they area tremendous help in inspection reporting, making it mucheasier to save and share information without requiring theseparate step of tallying results and preparing them in areadable format. Video borescopes enabled with Menu
Directed Inspection (MDI) software can record images andvideos with asset specific data tags showing where andwhen images were captured. This information can be used
to compile a comprehensive report in a Word format, andover time, this information can be used to analyze trends inequipment wear or use.
Using a camera insertion tube steered with a joystick tonavigate inside of assets can be challenging. A live onscreen Tip Map aids inspectors in guiding the tip during
the inspection. A grid shows the tip direction and helps
inspectors maintain orientation for easier navigation. As
inspections sometimes need to be performed on equipmentthat has been recently shut down and may have operating
temperatures exceeding limits for even the most rugged
video borescope, it’s important that the device have atemperature warning system that will alert you to avoid
damage to the instrument. When time is critical, externcooling sleeves can allow camera access in temperatures
greater than standard operating temperatures.

Many video borescopes will include substantial memory
capacity along with USB and microphone ports to allow
you to describe observations at the same time they arebeing captured.

Why doesn’t every manufacturer
use video borescopes?

Video borescopes are finely crafted technologicalinstruments with price points that reflect a wide rangeof features and capabilities. In high-value cases, suchas aircraft engine inspection, the return on investment isunquestionable and the most advanced features are widelyused. Some companies that only need a video borescopeon occasion can get away with borrowing or renting one,but with the range of instruments and features available,
it makes sense to invest in one that suits your specificinspection and company needs.

The food and drug industry must follow meticulous
procedures for validation, verification and routine
performance monitoring of processing equipment. Becauseeven the slightest contamination compromises productquality and poses health and safety risks, thorough cleaningof equipment between production batches is crucial.
The disassembly of process equipment for cleaning canbe extremely difficult, costly and time consuming. Many
manufacturers instead use video borescopes as part ofclean-in-place (CIP) programs. This helps meet regulatory
requirements that include monitoring and data acquisition
to help confirm compliance to CIP regulations. Video
borescopes are also used for weld integrity inspection ofhigh-purity piping; some provide a negative image for anenhanced view of weld porosity and integrity.

The automotive industry

In most cases it’s easy to justify the investment in a video
borescope. Remote visual inspection provides a quality ofcondition-based maintenance to the manufacturing processthat can increase safety, reduce downtime, improve thequality of output, increase productivity and eliminate manyequipment failures.
The fact is that modern video borescopes are the bestsolution for industrial maintenance jobs that call for remotevisual inspection and those in challenging environments.
They are affordable tools that increase productivity andimprove output by ensuring machinery part quality andimprove inspection efficiency. Video borescopes help incompliance by providing consistent and comprehensive
documentation of all inspections, and actually can increase
the uptime of your manufacturing assets.

Who uses these video borescopes
and how?

Machinery inspectors, quality assurance managers,
maintenance personnel and others rely on remote visualinspection to positively impact the manufacturing process inmany ways. Here are examples of how video borescopes areused in just a few diverse applications:

The pharmaceutical and food &beverage industries

Automotive manufacturing uses video borescopes toperform inspections across all stages of the manufacturing
process including car body, engine, R&D and component
suppliers. Component inspections as diverse as engine
blocks, pipe welds, fuel nozzles, hydraulic systems,
engine pistons, valve seats and more can routinely
be accomplished by remote visual inspection. Video
borescopes are ideal for loose part and debris retrieval, andcan help automotive factories save time and money—andimprove quality—by identifying faulty or out of spec parts
without taking apart a large assembly.

The power and energy sector

Power generator operators often rely on video borescopes
to ensure heat recovery steam generator (HRSG)/furnace
condition, pipe cleanliness and weld integrity and to perform
valve and basic turbine inspections that OEM and service
providers don’t provide. Wind turbines gear box inspections
must be frequent, but are challenging due to difficultaccess, compact design and harsh environments. Video
borescopes are increasingly used for these inspections, as
their insertion tube toughness and tip articulation perform
well in the hot and oily environment typically found inwind turbine gearboxes, revealing indications to analyze
before they impact performance or safety. Manufacturers
typically use video borescopes to perform pre-warranty
gearbox inspections in the field and blade inspection during
manufacturing and in service.

Turbine engines for power & aerospace
High-value rotating equipment is regularly inspected withvideo borescopes to help asset owners and operators get
the most from scheduled maintenance. Any downtime ofa power-generation turbine or airplane directly impacts
revenue, so efficiency, continuity and productivity are key.
Today’s high-end video borescopes rely on advanced
technology and provide 3D phase measurement, image
enhancement and analysis software.

What to look for in a video
borescope

Durability – Read reviews and understand the products
full capabilities, environment ratings, potential limitations
before you invest in remote inspection equipment. Your video
borescope is likely to be used in some tough, even hostileenvironments, and it’s important that it’s up to the task.
Ease of use – Look for a video borescope that has anergonomic design and that is usable right out of the box,
without a complicated setup. Since many inspections involve
pushing and twisting the insertion tube while steering theprobe head with a handheld joystick, it’s important the tool
has a high degree of articulation to let you look at each areafrom different angles.
Image quality – The combination of light output, camera
resolution and image processing are the three key
components that are required for a great video borescope
image. Whether your technicians are watching a streaming
video, sending individual photo files for further evaluation
or even archiving them as part of compliance, you want thebest image quality you can find.

Service and support – Don’t find yourself in the awkward

position of purchasing a powerful and finely tuned piece ofequipment only to find out no one is there to help when you
need them. Find out ahead of time what kind of support andtraining your vendor offers before you sign on the dotted line.
Features – Each industry and application has its own
unique inspection needs. Take the time to find a video
borescope that offers the features and capabilities that are
a match for your inspection needs, and that you can rely on
now and in the future.
Measurement options – Many video borescopes offer theability to measure the size of indications with incredible
precision and accuracy. There are several different
measurement technologies available ranging from basic
comparison measurements, traditional stereo measurement
which provides 3D xyz coordinate calculations- onlyat the cursors, and even fully-surfaced 3D point cloudvisualizations. Not all measurement technologies are createdequal so it is important to understand if your inspection
requires indication measurement and what level of accuracy
and precision is required before making an investment in thisadvanced technology.
 eporting capability – The ability to record tagged images
Rand videos which show where and when images werecaptured and automatically create an inspection report
can save both time and money. The data gathered can beinvaluable in improving efficiency, meeting complianceand ensuring quality of output. Trend analysis over time
becomes easier.

Summary

Remote visual inspection via video borescope has
become an industry standard. Although video borescopes
incorporate the very latest technology, they are notdifficult to master and can be useful in both simple andcomplicated inspections. They save money by reducing
the time and resources formerly used to dismantle
working equipment, and they are highly useful in meetingcompliance and regulations.
Video borescopes range from a simple utility video
borescope to those that provide the latest in measurement
technology and are designed to work in dark and hostileenvironments that would otherwise be impossible toaccess. Some of the most advanced manufacturingindustries in the world, like aerospace, food and beverage,
automotive and pharmaceuticals rely on video borescopes
to keep equipment in working order, production runningsmoothly and to increase safety and efficiency.

Portability – If your device is heavy or awkward, it won’t be
as easy to access the small spaces you need to inspect.
A portable and streamlined video borescope is ideal for
hard-to-access inspection areas and often provides better
ergonomics for longer inspections.

Copyright 2020 Baker Hughes Company. All rights reserved.
BHCS33439		

01/2020

bakerhughesds.com/waygate-technologies