SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING LEAKS IN GENERATORS

• Main Authors: Xu James Jun, Grant James Jonathan
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 18.05.2017
• Subjects: CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES; ELECTRICITY; GENERATION; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; PHYSICS; TESTING; TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES ORSTRUCTURES; TESTING STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

A system for detecting a gas leak in a machine includes a source of a non-corrosive tracer gas, and a subsystem for introducing the non-corrosive tracer gas into the machine. An infrared imaging device is adapted to communicate with a notification device to display an image of at least a portion of the machine. The infrared imaging device has a cooled detector and a filter with a spectral response between about 3 μm and about 5 μm. At least one of the detector and the filter is cooled. The infrared imaging device includes one of a mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) photodetector, an indium antimonide (InSb) photodetector or a mid-wavelength quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP). The notification device is adapted to indicate the gas leak.